Fourth IZA/World Bank Conference on Employment and Development

The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) and the World Bank held their fourth annual conference on labor market dynamics in developing countries. This year, the keynote speakers and panel sessions focused on the topic of “Causes and Consequences of Formality and Informality.”

Keynote Speakers:

Gary Fields, Professor of Labor Economics, Cornell University
Santiago Levy, Vice President for Sector and Knowledge at the Inter-American Development Bank

Labor is often the only asset of the poor and a growth process that is not associated with job creation may therefore fail to reduce poverty. A well functioning labor market can be key for an environment where new firms are created and private agents find the proper incentives to invest and innovate. Sound labor policies that promote the creation of more and better jobs are needed to guarantee the success of structural reforms, to maintain the social support for those reforms, and to ensure that the benefits are widely distributed. Achieving these targets is crucial to an effective implementation of poverty-reduction strategies and, hence, progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

For enquiries, please visit the IZA website or contact the organizers at development@iza.org.