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EU-AFD Research Facility on Inequalities Final Conference
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When
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From Monday march 22 2021 to Thursday march 25 2021
What do we know about socio-economic inequalities in emerging and developing countries? How are they changing? What are the causes and consequences ? How can they be reduced? How can they be taken into account in development policies in the current context, where the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbates them?
After three years of research, the EU-AFD Research Facility on Inequalities will hold its final conference which will take place online from March 22th to the 25th 2021.
The Research Facility on Inequalities, a program funded by the European Commission's Directorate General for International Partnerships and carried out by the AFD, was designed to deepen the understanding of socio-economic inequalities in low- and middle-income countries and analyze the public policy and development policy levers for reducing them.
23 research projects focused primarily on economic and social inequalities while exploring various topics such as health, education, taxation, and perceptions on inequalities. These projects were conducted jointly with research centers around the world in coordination with partner governments and development cooperation institutions.
Why such a conference? To share the results of the Facility’s studies, discuss them with a wide audience and spark debates on the strategies to reduce inequalities.
Who will participate? Partner researchers, academic experts, practionners and policymakers will exchange views on these results and in particular discuss implementation of policies that can contribute to the reduction of inequalities. The Conference will also be an opportunity to highlight other initiatives around the topic of inequality and to present the second phase of this Facility.
It will be organized with the support of the European Commission.
Funded by the Directorate-General for International Partnerships of the European Union
Read the final synthesis of the Research Facility on Inequalities and find out more about some of the emblematic projects of this program:
- CITY STUDIES
Water: Inequalities in urban water services, La Paz, El Alto (Bolivia)
- COUNTRIES STUDIES
Labor market: Understanding the dynamics of the earnings distribution, South Africa
Social policies: Analyzing inequalities from the perspective of health, education and employment trajectories, Burkina Faso
Social mobility: Inequalities, social mobility and perceptions, Mexico
- GLOBAL RESEARCH PROJECTS
Taxation: Understanding the role of taxation in the fight against inequalities, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal
Social protection: The distributional impact of social protection: short- and longer-run inequalities, Ethiopia, India, Peru
Regional policy: Analysis of multidimensional inequalities and impact of regional policies on inequalities, Central America, West Africa
Climate change: Climate variability and inequalities, Vietnam, Indonesia
- TOOLS
Diagnostic: Inequalities diagnostics: A tool for analyzing inequalities in Africa, South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya
Day 1- March 22nd, 2021
15h-15h30: Keynote speeches
- Jutta URPILAINEN, EU Commissioner of the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA), European Commission
- Clément BEAUNE, French Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs
15h30-15h35: Release of a short video on the EU reference document on inequality
15h35-17h: High-level panel on “Inequalities in a world in crisis”, moderated by Nozipho TSHABALALA
- Branko MILANOVIĆ, Senior scholar - the Stone Center on socio-economic inequality
- Gabriela BUCHER, Executive Director - Oxfam International
- Koen DOENS, Director General - Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA) European Commission
- Rémy RIOUX, Director General – Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
- Nora LUSTIG, Founding director – Commitment to Equity Institute (CEQ)
- Magdy MARTINEZ-SOLIMAN, Director General - Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) - pre-recorded video
Day 2- March 23rd, 2021
10h-12h: Session 1.1 - African inequalities, moderated by Krisztina BOMBERA
- Murray LEIBBRANDT, Director - University of Cape Town, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) - African Center of Excellence for Inequalities Research (ACEIR)
- Vimal RANCHHOD - University of Cape Town, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU)
- Robert OSEI - University of Ghana, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER)
- Damiano MANDA KULUNDU - University of Nairobi
- Vera SONGWE, Executive Secretary – Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) (TBC)
- Cécile VALADIER, Deputy Director - Economic Analysis and Public Policy Department – Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
10h-12h: Session 1.2 - Climate change, natural resources and inequality, moderated by Suyin AERTS
- Carlos GRADIN, Research fellow - United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER)
- Grazia PACILLO - International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
- Linh HUYNH - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)
- Moussa SALL - Institut sénégalais de recherche agricole (ISRA), Université de Thiès
- Stefano SIGNORE, Head of Unit - F1. Climate change and Sustainable Energy; Nuclear Safety – Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA) – European Commission
15h-17h: Session 2.1 - Tools, moderated by Krisztina BOMBERA
- Anda DAVID – Scientific Coordinator EU-AFD Research Facility – Agence française de développement (AFD)
- Jon JELLEMA (TBC) - Commitment to Equity Institute (CEQ), Tulane University
- Murray LEIBBRANDT - African Centre of Excellence for Inequality Research (ACEIR)
- Ana CLAVER - Oxfam Intermón
- Christian MORABITO - Escuela de Alta Dirección y Administración (EADA)
- Philippe GALLAND, Deputy Head of "Social Link" Division - Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
- Udo BULLMANN, Member of the European Parliament
15h-17h : Session 2.2 - Inequality drivers, moderated by Suyin AERTS
- Denis COGNEAU, Professor Paris School of Economics, Research Director IRD, Directeur d'études EHESS
- Mongi BOUGHZALA - Agence Nationale pour la Promotion de la Recherche Scientifique (ANPR), Université de Tunis El Manar
- Koffi Christian N’DA - Laboratoire d’analyse et de modélisation des politiques économiques (LAMPE)
- Isaac TAMBA - Institut national de la statistique du Cameroun (INS)
- Françoise RIVIERE, Head of Economy and Strategy Unit, Africa Department - Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
Day 3 – March 24th, 2021
10h: Release of short videos with testimonies from the country projects
- Manuela DE ALLEGRI, Leader of Research Unit “Health Economics and Finances” - University of Heidelberg
- Dr. PHUNG Duc Tung, Director - Mekong Development Research Institute (MDRI)
- Florent SASSATELLI, Head of the "Social Sectors" cluster - AFD Office in Burkina Faso
- Riina KLONKA, EU Ambassador to South Africa.
- Javier Marcelo ARROYO, Municipal Executive Secretary - Autonomous Municipal Government of La Paz, Bolivia
15h-17h: Session 3.1 - Public and private services, moderated by Christopher BURNS
- Shahra RAZAVI, Director - Social Protection Department - ILO
- Lisa CHAUVET - Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne – Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) – Centre d’Economie de la Sorbonne (CES)
- Akim AL MOUKSIT - Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique - Développement, institutions, mondialisations (DIAL)
- Manuela DE ALLEGRI - University of Heidelberg
- Liyousew BORGA - University of Luxembourg
- Jaime ARAGON FALOMIR - Université des Antilles - Centre Population et Développement (CEPED)
- Holger KUHLE, Policy Advisor - Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
15h-17h: Session 3.2 - Spatial inequalities, moderated by Krisztina BOMBERA
- Raymundo CAMPOS, Professor-researcher - Centro de Estudios Económicos (CEE), Colegio de México (COLMEX)
- Sarah BOTTON – Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
- Ivan TUROK - Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
- Jean-François KOBIANE - Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP)
- Aurora RAMIREZ and Roberto VELEZ, Colegio de Mexico (COLMEX) and Centro de Estudios Espinosa Yglesias (CEEY)
- Palesa RYAN, Head: Social Health and Education - Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)
Day 4 – March 25th, 2021
15h-16h: Keynote and discussion
- Thomas PIKETTY, Director - World Inequality Lab (WIL)
- Minister Arturo HERRERA GUTIERREZ, Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, Mexico
16h-17h: Closing panel discussion, moderated by Nozipho TSHABALALA
- Minister Arturo HERRERA GUTIERREZ, Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, Mexico
- Lucas CHANCEL, Co-director - World Inequality Lab (WIL)
- Martin SEYCHELL, Deputy General Director - Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA), European Commission
- Tanya COX, Director – Concord (TBC)
- Thomas MELONIO, Director of Innovation, Research and Knowledge Division – Agence Française de Développement
Opening session - Keynote speeches and High-level panel on “Inequalities in a world in crisis”
The 2020 UNDP report on “Covid-19 and Human Development” argues that crises, even of short duration, have unequally distributed long-term effects on human development. The impact of the current health crisis is economic and social, but weights more on the most vulnerable households. The aim of this panel was to discuss the implications of this crisis for the reduction of inequalities and for international solidarity.
Speakers:
- Jutta URPILAINEN, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, European Commission
- Clément BEAUNE, French Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs
- Branko MILANOVIĆ, Senior scholar - the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality
- Gabriela BUCHER, Executive Director - Oxfam International
- Koen DOENS, Director-General for International Partnerships (INTPA), European Commission
- Rémy RIOUX, Chief Executive Officer – Agence Française de Développement (AFD) - Chairman – International Development Finance Club (IDCF)
- Nora LUSTIG, Founding director – Commitment to Equity Institute (CEQ)
- Magdy MARTINEZ-SOLIMAN, Director - Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) – pre-recorded video
Parallel session - African inequalities
The aim of this session was to discuss inequality in Africa, building on the results of three studies conducted in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa under the aegis of the African Centre of Excellence for Inequality Research. The discussion was an opportunity to present an overview of inequalities in Africa and to review specific topics tackled in these research projects, such as fiscal policy, vulnerability and inequality of opportunity.
Setting the scene:
- Murray Leibbrandt, Director - University of Cape Town, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) - African Center of Excellence for Inequalities Research (ACEIR)
Projects:
- Understanding the dynamics of the earnings distribution in South Africa – Vimal Ranchhod, University of Cape Town, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU)
- The dynamics and interactions of income inequality and inequality of opportunity in Ghana – Robert Osei, University of Ghana, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER)
- Inequalities and fiscal policy in Kenya – Damiano Kulundu Manda, University of Nairobi
Discussant:
- Cécile Valadier, Deputy Director - Economic Analysis and Public Policy Department – Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
Parallel session - Climate change, natural resources and inequality
The negative effects of inequality and climate change on socioeconomic outcomes are mutually reinforcing and difficult to disentangle. This session focused on projects that have studied not only the links between environmental changes and inequality but also how strategies to respond to climate change, such as agroecology, might affect income distribution.
Setting the scene:
- Carlos Gradín, Research fellow - United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER)
Projects:
- Climate variability and inequalities in Indonesia and in Vietnam – Grazia Pacillo, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
- Inequalities and environmental changes in the Lower Mekong river basin – Linh Huynh, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)
- Agroecology and income inequalities in rural regions in Senegal – Moussa Sall, Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA), Université de Thiès
Discussant:
- Stefano Signore, Head of Unit - F1. Climate change and Sustainable Energy; Nuclear Safety – Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA) – European Commission
Parallel session - Tools
Reducing inequalities implies being able to measure and describe them. This session was an opportunity to present the various tools developed or expanded through the Research Facility on Inequalities. These tools, ranging from inequality diagnostics to fiscal incidence assessments and distributional analysis of development cooperation projects, offer a wide array of options for both policymakers and development practitioners to mainstream and efficiently tackle inequalities in their policies and strategies.
Setting the scene:
- Anda David, Scientific Coordinator EU-AFD Research Facility – Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
Projects:
- Fiscal incidence analysis – Jon Jellema, Commitment to Equity Institute (CEQ), Tulane University
- Inequality diagnostic tool – Murray Leibbrandt, African Centre of Excellence for Inequality Research (ACEIR)
- Multidimensional inequalities framework analysis – Ana Claver, Oxfam Intermón
- The distributional impacts of development cooperation projects – Christian Morabito, Escuela de Alta Dirección y Administración (EADA)
Discussants:
- Philippe Galland, Deputy Head of "Social Link" Division - Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
- Udo Bullmann, Member of the European Parliament
Parallel session - Inequality drivers
To understand inequalities and their evolution, it is crucial to understand their determinants. The three studies presented in this session focused on the territorial nature of inequalities, their reaction to shocks and policies, and the structural causes of their evolution. Building on the cases of Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Tunisia, the three projects provide an overview of both macro and microlevel drivers of income distribution.
Setting the scene:
- Denis Cogneau, Professor Paris School of Economics (PSE) - Research Director, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) - Directeur d'études, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)
Projects:
- Economic, social and regional inequalities in Tunisia – Mongi Boughzala, Agence Nationale pour la Promotion de la Recherche Scientifique (ANPR), Université de Tunis El Manar
- Inequalities in access to basic services and impact of public policies in Côte d'Ivoire – Koffi Christian N’da, Laboratoire d’Analyse et de Modélisation des Politiques Economiques (LAMPE)
- Structural change, growth models and inequalities in Cameroon – Isaac Tamba, Institut National de la Statistique du Cameroun (INS)
Discussant:
- Françoise Rivière, Head of Economy and Strategy Unit, Africa Department - Agence Drançaise de Développement (AFD)
Parallel session - Public and private services
Fiscal policy is one of the most important tools policymakers have to reduce inequality. However, its effects depend on the social policies in place and the structure of services available. This session focused on the projects that have analyzed not only different angles of social policy and their impact on income distribution, but also the situations in which the private sector can be an alternative.
Setting the scene:
- Shahra Razavi, Director - Social Protection Department – International Labour Organization (ILO)
Projects:
- Understanding the role of taxation in the fight against inequalities – Lisa Chauvet, Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne – Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) – Centre d’Economie de la Sorbonne (CES) – Akim Al Mouksit, Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique - Développement, Institutions, mondialisations (DIAL)
- Assessing equity in health spending in Sub-Saharan Africa – Manuela de Allegri, University of Heidelberg
- The distributional impact of social protection – Liyousew Borga, University of Luxembourg
- Public policies, private higher education development and inequalities – Jaime Aragón Falomir, Université des Antilles - Centre Population et Développement (CEPED)
Discussant:
- Holger Kuhle, Policy Advisor - Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Parallel session - Spatial inequalities
Measures at the national level often mask significant disparities among territories. The projects presented in this session use approaches that go beyond the national averages to conduct precise analyses at the local level. Covering topics that go from access to basic services to intergenerational mobility, the studies presented in this session highlighted the importance of spatial inequalities in shaping the global picture.
Présentation d’ouverture :
- Raymundo Campos, Professeur-chercheur – Centro de Estudios Económicos (CEE), Colegio de México (COLMEX)
Projets:
- Inégalités d’accès aux services d’eau urbains à la Paz et El Alto, Bolivie – Sarah Botton, Agence française de développement (AFD)
- L’impact des politiques de logement abordable sur les inégalités urbaines – Ivan Turok, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
- Analyser les inégalités au regard des trajectoires de santé, d’éducation et d’emploi au Burkina Faso – Jean-François Kobiané, Institut supérieur des sciences de la population (ISSP)
- Inégalités, mobilité sociale et perceptions au Mexique – Aurora Ramirez et Roberto Vélez, Colegio de Mexico (COLMEX) et Centro de Estudios Espinosa Yglesias (CEEY)
Discutant:
- Palesa Ryan, Directrice – Santé sociale et education - Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)
Closing session - Keynote and closing panel discussion
The closing plenary was a panel discussion on policies to overcome inequalities and the political economy barriers that might exist. This panel was also be the opportunity to launch the second phase of the Research Facility on inequalities, which aims to support four countries (Mexico, South Africa, Colombia and Indonesia) in designing and implementing policies to reduce inequality.
Speakers:
- Lucas CHANCEL, Co-director - World Inequality Lab (WIL)
- Minister Arturo HERRERA GUTIERREZ, Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, Mexico
- Emilia GARCIA, Executive Director – TECHO Mexico
- Thomas MELONIO, Director of Innovation, Research and Knowledge Division – Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
- Martin SEYCHELL, Deputy General Director - Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA), European Commission