Help Wanted: More and Better Jobs in a Globalized Economy

Description:

With their narrow focus on macroeconomic stabilization, international development initiatives often ignore a true engine of growth, one that matters to developing-country citizens on a day-to-day basis: employment. GPI is exploring new ways that investing in jobs can bring about positive change for impoverished societies, and co-sponsoring Help Wanted: More and Better Jobs in a Globalized Economy was the first step in this direction. In his opening comments, Juan Somavia (Director-General, International Labour Organization) set the tone for the conference, saying that the demand for decent work is a universal political demand throughout all societies, and the most serious challenge governments face today.

Held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in partnership with the Global Fairness Initiative, the conference was a follow-up to the release of A Fair Globalization: Creating Opportunities for All. The report, a publication of the World Commission on the Social Impact of Globalization, stresses the ethical and practical importance of full employment and decent work as central goals of development.

The discussion at Help Wanted: More and Better Jobs in a Globalized Economy went beyond the conclusions of the report to examine the impact of economic globalization on the political and economic structures that generate employment. The conference also added weight to a growing consensus on the need for a new development agenda that puts people to work. GPI, with its focus on investing in jobs, is propelling the debate in this direction. 

The keynote panel included:

• Juan Somavia, director-general, International Labor Organization
• Deepak Nayyar, vice-chancellor, University of Delhi and member, World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization
• Rep. Sherrod Brown, Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives
• Francois Bourguignon, chief economist and senior vice president, World Bank

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Event Components:

• CONFERENCE AGENDA
• LISTEN: Archived audio of the keynote panel.

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Event Co-Sponsors:

• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Global Fairness Initiative

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Further Resources:

• Conference Synopsis by ILO’s Malte Luebker
• Conference Synopsis by the Carnegie Endowment’s Jennifer Maul

Participants: James Heintz, Sanjaya Lall, Rolph van der Hoeven, Colin Bradford, Yilmaz Akyuz, Sandra Polaski, Deepak Nayyar

Location:
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20036