Latest news with #AbhijitBanerjee
Mid East Info
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mid East Info
J-PAL MENA AT AUC CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS OF EVIDENCE POLICYMAKING IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA - Middle East Business News and Information
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Middle East and North Africa J-PAL MENA at The American University in Cairo (AUC) marked its fifth anniversary this week, celebrating five years of harnessing the power of evidence to design cost-effective and large-scale policies that address poverty and enhance lives across the region. Held at AUC's Malak Gabr Theater, the event brought together policymakers, researchers, donors, and community leaders to celebrate J-PAL MENA's achievements using data and rigorous research to inform policies addressing some of the region's most pressing challenges. The event featured a keynote speech by Nobel Laureate and J-PAL co-founder Abhijit Banerjee and opening remarks by Egypt's Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Rania Al Mashat. Engaging panel discussions explored the future of evidence-based policymaking in Egypt and the MENA region and showcased success stories from J-PAL's partners, including government officials and NGOs. Since its launch in 2020, J-PAL MENA, hosted at the Onsi Sawiris School of Business, has built a strong foundation of success, partnering with governments, NGOs, and donors to generate and disseminate evidence that improves policies and transforms lives. 'Since 2020, when Community Jameel supported the establishment of J-PAL MENA, we have been in awe of the speed and scale of its impact in improving the lives of people across the region – from Morocco to Saudi Arabia and, of course, here in Egypt. Today, marking J-PAL MENA's fifth anniversary, we remain committed to supporting J-PAL MENA in driving forward the use of rigorous evidence in tackling grave challenges, from poverty and hunger to air pollution and water scarcity,' said George Richards, director of Community Jameel. In 2022, J-PAL MENA launched the Egypt Impact Lab, in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and with support from Community Jameel, the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, and additional support from UNICEF Egypt. The aim was to strengthen the effectiveness of Egypt's poverty reduction policies by rigorously evaluating promising and innovative government programs and using results to inform scale decisions. The Egypt Impact Lab was officially integrated into the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development's training arm, in 2024. 'As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, we reflect on the incredible journey of building a culture of evidence-informed policymaking in Egypt and the Middle East. Over the past five years, J-PAL MENA has collaborated closely with governments, NGOs, and donors to generate research that directly improves people's lives,' said Ahmed Elsayed, executive director of J-PAL MENA. 'This milestone is not just a celebration of our achievements but a moment to look ahead—to deepen our partnerships, expand our impact, and continue tackling the region's most pressing challenges with rigorous evidence and actionable solutions,' Elsayed added. In 2025, J-PAL MENA announced the launch of the Hub of Advanced Policy Innovation for the Environment HAPIE, as part of the global network of J-PAL Air and Water Labs with Community Jameel, which aims to tackle critical air and water issues through evidence-based policymaking. The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2003, J-PAL has seven regional offices at host universities in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. J-PAL MENA was launched in 2020, in partnership with Community Jameel, and is based at AUC. It currently has more than 60 completed and ongoing evaluations across eight sectors in seven countries in the MENA region: Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Founded in 1919, The American University in Cairo (AUC) is a leading English-language, American-accredited institution of higher education and center of the intellectual, social, and cultural life of the Arab world. It is a vital bridge between East and West, linking Egypt and the region to the world through scholarly research, partnerships with academic and research institutions, and study abroad programs. The University offers 39 undergraduate, 52 master's, and two PhD programs rooted in a liberal arts education that encourages students to think critically and find creative solutions to conflicts and challenges facing both the region and the world. An independent, nonprofit, politically nonpartisan, nonsectarian, and equal opportunity institution, AUC is fully accredited in Egypt and the United States.
Al Bawaba
5 days ago
- Business
- Al Bawaba
J-pal Mena at AUC Celebrates Five Years of Evidence Policymaking in the Middle East and North Africa
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Middle East and North Africa (J-PAL MENA) at The American University in Cairo (AUC) marked its fifth anniversary this week, celebrating five years of harnessing the power of evidence to design cost-effective and large-scale policies that address poverty and enhance lives across the region. Held at AUC's Malak Gabr Theater, the event brought together policymakers, researchers, donors, and community leaders to celebrate J-PAL MENA's achievements using data and rigorous research to inform policies addressing some of the region's most pressing challenges. The event featured a keynote speech by Nobel Laureate and J-PAL co-founder Abhijit Banerjee and opening remarks by Egypt's Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Rania Al Mashat. Engaging panel discussions explored the future of evidence-based policymaking in Egypt and the MENA region and showcased success stories from J-PAL's partners, including government officials and its launch in 2020, J-PAL MENA, hosted at the Onsi Sawiris School of Business, has built a strong foundation of success, partnering with governments, NGOs, and donors to generate and disseminate evidence that improves policies and transforms lives.'Since 2020, when Community Jameel supported the establishment of J-PAL MENA, we have been in awe of the speed and scale of its impact in improving the lives of people across the region – from Morocco to Saudi Arabia and, of course, here in Egypt. Today, marking J-PAL MENA's fifth anniversary, we remain committed to supporting J-PAL MENA in driving forward the use of rigorous evidence in tackling grave challenges, from poverty and hunger to air pollution and water scarcity,' said George Richards, director of Community 2022, J-PAL MENA launched the Egypt Impact Lab, in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and with support from Community Jameel, the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, and additional support from UNICEF Egypt. The aim was to strengthen the effectiveness of Egypt's poverty reduction policies by rigorously evaluating promising and innovative government programs and using results to inform scale decisions. The Egypt Impact Lab was officially integrated into the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development's training arm, in 2024.'As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, we reflect on the incredible journey of building a culture of evidence-informed policymaking in Egypt and the Middle East. Over the past five years, J-PAL MENA has collaborated closely with governments, NGOs, and donors to generate research that directly improves people's lives,' said Ahmed Elsayed, executive director of J-PAL MENA. 'This milestone is not just a celebration of our achievements but a moment to look ahead—to deepen our partnerships, expand our impact, and continue tackling the region's most pressing challenges with rigorous evidence and actionable solutions,' Elsayed 2025, J-PAL MENA announced the launch of the Hub of Advanced Policy Innovation for the Environment (HAPIE), as part of the global network of J-PAL Air and Water Labs with Community Jameel, which aims to tackle critical air and water issues through evidence-based Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2003, J-PAL has seven regional offices at host universities in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. J-PAL MENA was launched in 2020, in partnership with Community Jameel, and is based at AUC. It currently has more than 60 completed and ongoing evaluations across eight sectors in seven countries in the MENA region: Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
Time of India
01-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Trade wars and chocolate bars, what India of the 1970s can teach Trump
Cooking, and eating, are often on Abhijit Banerjee's mind. But for the Nobel-winning economist, what starts with planning the night's dinner usually ends up in questions about the consumption, production, distribution of food, and their intimate relation to the broader economic issues of our times. His new monthly column for The Sunday Times, is about eating and thinking, about pleasure and responsibility, about global food and the Indian palate. Illustrated by Cheyenne Olivier, it offers recipes for life and lunch LESS ... MORE One advantage/disadvantage of being old is that I lived through what is history to so many others. President Trump adores William McKinley, the 25th US president, for his tariffs, but at 78, he is way too young to have lived behind a properly high tariff wall. I, on the other hand, lived in the India of the 1970s, when we had managed to kill almost all international trade through a combination of tariffs and other rules for importing (non-tariff barriers in trade parlance). I mostly experienced trade barriers through the important lens of chocolate. India, for reasons I do not claim to understand, did not grow much cocoa in those days, despite having many areas that seem suitable for that crop based on where else it grows. So, all the cocoa was imported and the exorbitant duties made it expensive. To keep the chocolate affordable for ordinary middle-class kids like me, Cadbury's used minimal amounts of cocoa. Illustration credit: Cheyenne Olivier (France) The net result was something milky and intensely sweet, not unlike most Indian confections, but chocolate mostly only in name. The trouble was that I had tasted the real deal, courtesy some of my parents' kind friends who either lived abroad or had gone on a visit. And it tasted very different — there was a bitterness and depth to them that was unmistakable. On our occasional trip to Kolkata's crumbling 'New Market', or to movie theaters in its vicinity, I would notice men in tight pants who were clearly trying to attract my mother's attention (and failing). Fairly soon, I figured out that they were selling various smuggled items, mostly watches, perfumes and CHOCOLATE. I could see from the print on the wrapper that though it said Cadbury's, this was a different breed. My instincts told me that my mother would not take kindly to the idea of buying contraband Cadbury's, but it was hard to shake off the desire to try it out. As I grew into teenage, my understanding of the gains from trade became less one-dimensional. For one, I was more aware of how people around me dressed, and it became clear that there were jeans and jeans. Those that flopped a bit, like mine, and the ones exuded a steely foreign firmness. I remember admiring the new pair that a neighbour was wearing and his telling me, very proudly, 'impotted', which to me sounded like impotent. I started giggling, at which point he got very huffy and commented on my apparent tendency to be jealous, which to be fair, I was a bit. All that has changed now. According to some industry estimates, India is the third largest exporter of denim in the world. Unfortunately, we still don't have our global brand of jeans, but there is no doubt about the quality of the denim. For one, I am biased but I think my friend Suket Dhir makes some of the most stylish denim products I see anywhere. There are two more or less standard theories of what changed. One that we heard a lot in India before the opening of the economy in 1991 is that we need the pressure from imports to force our producers to get to global quality. My colleague David Atkins, with Amit Khandelwal from Columbia University and Adam Osman from the University of Illinois, participated in a randomised experiment in which some carpet manufacturers in Egypt that had previously produced only for the domestic market, were connected to potential importers abroad. It took some time for them to get going, but eventually, they started exporting and making more money, and perhaps more interestingly, weaving higher-quality carpets in the same amount of time. The authors called this learning-by-exporting. The alternative view is sometimes described, confusingly, as learning-by-doing. It is better described as learning-by-not-importing. The idea is that it takes some time to learn how to produce quality, and if you are new to the business, there is an apprenticeship period where the competition from abroad might make it impossible to sell profitably. Knowing that they are in for a prolonged period of loss before things turn around, firms may not take on certain products that would otherwise be natural for their country to produce. This argues for temporarily shielding domestic firms from foreign competition to allow them to find their feet. The idea goes back at least to Alexander Hamilton, author of the Federalist papers and now a subject of a great musical, and is often referred to as the 'infant industry argument'. A recent paper in the American Economic Review by Reka Juhasz finds support for this theory in France during the Napoleonic wars. Before the war, France was slow to adopt mechanised cotton spinning technology developed in Britain. Instead, they imported British cotton yarn. A war-time blockade of British manufacturers changed that, especially in the north of France. This was where trade was particularly effectively blocked, unlike in the south, where exports from Britain continued to seep in. Juhasz shows that this difference in access to British cotton leads to an interesting reversal. The south, the part of France which had more mechanised spinning before the war, fell behind the north during the blockade. After the war ended and trade resumed, the north kept its lead and managed to compete successfully with the cotton from across the Channel. The infant industry grew up. It didn't need protection anymore. The timing of take-off in the Indian denim industry is consistent with a learning-by-exporting view, since it mostly happened after liberalisation in 1991. However, given that the industry actually started in the 1980s behind the tariff wall, it is possible to argue that the trade barriers helped the infant industry to get prepared to meet global competition. The take-off still happened after the economy opened up, perhaps because importing the machines and other inputs for making denim became much easier after 1991. I remember working with locally available inputs in the 1970s, the goal in my case being to replicate the Black Forest cake that I had loved at the then-famous Kolkata restaurant called Skyroom. I had my prized can of Himachali cherries for the filling, but the chocolate batter made from several slabs of domestic chocolate refused to look anything like the rich brown viscous liquid that they showed in the photo, and I eventually gave up. Perhaps it was a bit the same for the denim-makers. Whether it is helping the exporters or stopping the imports, the intervention is meant to be temporary, just long enough that the industry can get going. The traditional position of economists is that if a country needs permanent refuge behind a high tariff wall to keep a particular sector going, it is probably better to shut down and focus on whatever the country is good at. Exports of successful products can pay for the imports of the ones that don't do well. Politicians, including President Trump, often have a very different view on this. The problem is that trade has winners and losers, and they are not the same people. In the US, the big winners are relatively well-educated people who live on the coast; the losers are less educated residents of the middle of the country. The winners win more than the losers lose, economists would say, so why not tax the former to compensate the latter? The catch is that the US, unlike many European countries, has no tradition of large-scale redistribution through taxes and transfers. Instead, Trump wants to permanently block the imports of a wide range of products in the hope that it 'reshores' the industries that were lost due to trade and brings back the associated jobs to the mid-Western workers. At one level, this is not very different from what we do in India to protect the livelihoods of farmers: we have essentially permanent tariffs of 35% or more on things like corn, which is what annoys the US. At another level, however, it is vastly more audacious. We are merely trying to keep the farmers in business: Trump wants firms to start new businesses, businesses that have been gone for a generation or more, and create jobs. They will need fresh, large investments and newly trained workers. Buyers will need to be willing to pay the premium and swallow the lowered quality, like we did in India in my youth. Retailers will need to not look for alternatives, if not from China, from Brazil or Rwanda. Managers will need to hire workers rather than deploy robots to do all the work. The investors will need to believe that this new regime will last, and they won't fall victim to some new deal that the President (or the next President) likes better. The reshoring probably won't happen. But in its name, the world economy is being upended; no one knows where it will land. In the meanwhile, I remain on the lookout for shifty men on Boston streets selling illicit bags of the wonderful Chinese black walnuts and sweet salty candied plums. This is part of a monthly column by Nobel-winning economist Abhijit Banerjee Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Eyeing trillion $ goal, T sets sights on defence, aerospace, biotech
Hyderabad: The Telangana govt will focus on three high-potential sectors - defence, aerospace, and biotechnology - to achieve its goal of becoming a trillion dollar economy by 2047. Chief minister A Revanth Reddy has said at a number of fora that the state would achieve this goal well ahead of the national timelines. Sources in the expert group working with the state govt on numerous projects told TOI that Telangana has so far followed the Karnataka model, which emphasised services as a major driver of growth. Now, the state may follow a model similar to that of Tamil Nadu, where manufacturing is expected to play a crucial role in boosting the economy. This strategic shift comes at a pivotal moment. India has recently become the fourth largest economy in the world, surpassing Japan. "One specific reason for this potential shift is availability of skilled manpower across Telangana, not just in Hyderabad. This creates an ideal situation for sectors like defence, biotechnology, and aerospace," said a senior official. For an added impetus, the state has been requesting the Centre to make Telangana part of the National Semiconductor Mission. "The government is working closely with some experts to strengthen the economy," an official added. Several prominent economists, including Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee and Montek Singh Ahluwalia, have visited the secretariat in recent months in a bid to steer the state towards its goal. However, experts caution that apart from identifying key sectors to boost the economy, there is a need for a strategic shift in the way the govt operates. "Freebies or welfare schemes that simply dole out cash need to be rationalised, and everyone must be encouraged to work. Job creation in the private sector is essential for achieving balance," said Krishna Reddy Chittedi, associate professor at the School of Economics, University of Hyderabad. Telangana's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for 2024-25 (advanced estimates) at current prices is pegged at Rs 16,12,579 crore, reflecting a growth rate of 10.1%. This surpasses the national GDP growth rate. "At this rate, it would take Telangana more than a decade to reach the trillion dollar mark," Krishna Reddy added. INDUSTRY TAKES LEAD Industries contributed Rs.2,77,270 cr to the state gross state value added (GSVA) in 2024-25, manufacturing (47.60%) & construction (29.07%) being largest contributors State aims for 15% annual growth in MSME registrations Share of jobs in the industrial sector stood at 23%, according to Periodic Labour Force Survey for 2023-24
New Indian Express
18-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Economist Abhijit Banerjee joins upcoming Telangana Rising Vision Board
HYDERABAD: Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee will join the soon-to-be-announced Telangana Rising Vision board as adviser. The board will also have as members renowned economists, policy experts and others offering suggestions and advice that would help the government project Telangana as a state to watch out for. Sources confirmed that four to five eminent personalities have already agreed to join the board, which the government is expected to formally announce soon. On Saturday, Prof Banerjee met Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and discussed several innovative ideas in urban development, economic growth, augmenting public revenues, fiscal discipline, large-scale skilling and job creation. While discussing large-scale jobs creation, Prof Banerjee spoke of the need to create unique short-term courses in traditional skills with modern design and appeal, marketing, use of social media technology to help traditional artisans turn into modern entrepreneurs. He also suggested to the chief minister to include crafts, arts and creativity as a significant part of the Future City. During the discussions, Prof Banerjee expressed great appreciation for the chief minister for the recruitment of transgender persons into police and municipal departments, envisioning the Hyderabad core urban area within the ORR as a pure-services zone, and the creation of skills and sports universities. Revanth, while outlining the global vision of Hyderabad for centuries and the global reach of products made in the region, spoke of the need to create global awareness. He also elaborated on the various empowerment programmes for women Self-Help Groups, youth and farmers.
