About
About the Inequality - Conference

Many low- and middle-income countries are achieving good rates of economic growth, but high inequality remains a priority concern. Some countries meanwhile have low growth, high inequality, and pervasive poverty―often linked to their fragility. There is now an active debate on whether countries should set themselves goals for not only achieving absolute poverty reduction, but also lower inequality. But policy action needs to be better served by analysis and data.

This conference on ‘Inequality – measurement, trends, impacts, and policies’ focuses on the latest developments in the measurement of inequality in income, wealth, and human development, drawing also on advances in measurements in the advanced economies. It will examine what we know about trends in inequality. It will discuss the impact of inequality on development, and the impact of development on inequality. And as the global development debate moves from the Millennium Development Goals to the post-2015 development agenda, the conference will draw out the implications of inequality for development policy and poverty reduction. This includes ways to develop efficient and equitable social protection and tax systems for redistribution. The conference will share country and regional experiences in containing and reducing inequality, including those from advanced economies as well as low- and middle-income countries.

Papers will discuss the following aspects of the issues:

  • theoretical and conceptual papers;
  • country case studies;
  • regional comparative papers; and
  • papers on the political, economic, and policy dimensions of inequality and its reduction.