#Infra4dev Conference: Infrastructure, Recovery & Growth: Building out from the Pandemic

Dates; 3-4 March, 2022

Modality: Online
 

The Infrastructure for Development Conference series (#Infra4Dev) is an initiative of the World Bank’s Infrastructure Vice-Presidency, aiming to promote dialogue and exchange between leading edge economic researchers and the wider community of policymakers and practitioners on leveraging infrastructure for development.

Policy makers around the world are currently grappling with the immediate economic recovery from the global pandemic, while at the same time trying to steer the global economy on to a more sustainable long-term development path. Accordingly, the theme for this year’s conference is the impact of infrastructure on economic development. We will explore how a range of infrastructural developments – including digital, urban transport, economic corridors, and energy systems – contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

The first day will focus on the policy implications of the economic literature. Academic researchers will present framework papers that synthesize the literature on development impacts of different types of infrastructure, from growth, employment and trade to poverty and inequality, and policy makers will discuss practical insights into the opportunities and challenges of each type. Framework speakers will include Stephen Redding (Princeton University) on large-scale, integrated infrastructure projects, Jonas Hjort (Columbia Business School) on internet penetration and Nick Tsivanidis (University of California at Berkeley) on urban rapid passenger transport and national urban strategies, among others.

The second day will focus on the methodological challenges involved in capturing the development impact of infrastructure. It will be framed by a keynote presentation from Dave Donaldson (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), followed by a series of papers highlighting cutting edge methodological approaches.

On both days, there will also be sessions of lightning talks to present a range of policy and methodological insights from the latest research.