Events

Empowering Resilience: The case of weather shocks and air pollution

Environmental risks, along with economic instability and social disparities, can deepen existing inequalities and create new challenges. The Institute for Economic Development and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are organizing a special event to explore and identify solutions to enhance long-term resilience against environmental threats. The event will take place during the ADB Annual Meetings in Milan, Italy, and will convene experts, partners, and government representatives from around the world.

• Date: May 07, 2025
• Location: Milan, Italy
• Contact:

Growth Academy for Europe and Central Asia

How can we shape the future of policymaking in middle-income countries to boost economic growth in Europe and Central Asia? This special workshop aims to provide a clear roadmap, sharing strategies to overcome the middle-income trap. Organized by the Institute for Economic Development, the World Bank, the University of Chicago, and the National Bank of Romania, the workshop is structured around the key themes of the World Development Report 2024: The Middle-Income Trap to strengthen research capacity, inform policymaking, and contribute to sustainable development in the region.

• Date: May 22, 2025
• Location: Bucharest, Romania
• Contact: growthacademy@uchicago.edu

Rethinking Resilience: Building Sustainable Futures in a World of Polycrisis

Ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity on a livable planet requires actions that deliver inclusive growth while protecting people from weather shocks. Participants at this event, organized by the Institute for Economic Development in partnership with FAO, will discuss ideas for poverty reduction and promoting resilience to climate risks drawing from the World Bank Poverty, Prosperity, and Planet Report 2024: Pathways Out of the Polycrisis, and the World Bank Policy and Research Report on Rethinking Resilience.

• Date: May 08, 2025
• Location: Rome, Italy
• Contact:

e-Governance Conference: From Bytes to Benefits

Explore how digital transformation is driving economic growth and fostering innovation in the public sector. The Institute for Economic Development is pleased to co-organize this year's conference along with the e-Governance Academy (eGA) and Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Join global leaders and practitioners to address key challenges and unlock new opportunities. Register now to attend in person or online. 

• Date: May 28, 2025
• Location: Tallinn, Estonia
• Contact:

• Register now

Measuring Development 2025: Biodiversity on Land and at Sea

For over a decade, this conference has connected cutting-edge research with real-world policy solutions. This year’s theme will explore how to enable more effective conservation of the wildlife on which people depend. Organized by the Institute for Economic Development, the World Bank’s Development Economics Vice Presidency, and the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA). Register now to hear from experts and be part of the future of biodiversity measurement.

• Date: April 29, 2025
• Location: Washington, DC
• Contact: dimeanalytics@worldbank.org

• Register now

Enhancing External Debt Statistics for Greater Transparency and Sustainability

This workshop, organized by the Institute for Economic Development with the Government of Japan and the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific, will include a panel conversation with World Bank Chief Economist & Senior VP for Development Economics Indermit Gill, representatives from the Government of Japan, and regional academics. It will offer participants a chance to connect with World Bank practitioners, access the latest World Bank research and data, and explore new forms of debt instruments and methodologies. 

• Date: April 07, 2025
• Location: Chiba, Japan
• Contact:

Growth Academy for the Middle East and North Africa

The University of Chicago, the World Bank, and the Institute for Economic Development are partnering with the Economic Research Forum of Egypt to organize the Growth Academy for the Middle East and North Africa workshop in Cairo, Egypt. Structured around the key themes of the World Development Report 2024: The Middle-Income Trap, this intensive workshop and Modelling Long-Term Growth in Developing Countries training will focus on the middle-income trap and the concepts of creative destruction for middle-income economies. 

• Date: April 30, 2025
• Location: Cairo, Egypt
• Contact: growthacademy@uchicago.edu

Refugees & Other Forcibly Displaced Populations: VoxDevLit Launch Event

Forced displacement has reached unprecedented levels, with over 120 million individuals displaced globally as of mid-2024. World Bank Senior Economist Sandra Rozo discusses evidence from economic research on the impacts of refugees in low- and middle-income countries, and shares how policy can support forced migrants. Watch the discussion from this VoxDevLit Launch webinar.

• Date: March 11, 2025
• Location: Online
• Contact:

Escaping the Middle-Income Trap at the 1st Mile

Hosted by IFAD and the World Bank Rome Office, with support from the Institute, this closed-door event during the 48th session of the IFAD Governing Council highlighted key insights from the World Development Report 2024: The Middle-Income Trap. Somik Lall, Senior Adviser to the Chief Economist of the World Bank Group and lead author of the report, presented its main findings and discussed how rural investment can be a pathway for countries to transition from middle-income to high-income status.

• Date: February 13, 2025
• Location: Rome, Italy
• Contact:

Building data together: An international workshop on building-related open microdata

A growing volume of building-related microdata is now released with open data licenses and have become the focus of large-scale data integration undertakings, methodological developments, new data partnerships, and ultimately policy relevant analyses. This emerging data space has significant potential not only for single national statistical systems, but also for international harmonization and comparative analysis. The developments in this rapidly evolving data space were the focus of this workshop.

• Date: January 24, 2025
• Location: Paris, France
• Contact: Claudia.Baranzelli@oecd.org