Roundtable discussions will explore problems faced by developing nations

During the past year and a half, the emphasis in the developing world has been on financial instability, falling exchange rates and International Monetary Fund rescue packages. However, experts caution, there are long-term dimensions of development that will determine whether these countries will be able to resume their march to economic maturity.

Two critical "Dimensions of Development" will be addressed in roundtables to be held on Thursday, Oct. 29, in Rm. 203 of Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Ave. The events are free and open to the public.

The day will begin at 9:15 a.m. with coffee and refreshments, followed by opening remarks by Gustav Ranis, the Franks Altschul Professor of International Economics and director of the Yale Center for International and Area Studies (YCIAS).

The two roundtables -- "Demography, Resources, and Development," (10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) and "Social Capital and Development," (3-5:30 p.m.) -- will bring together scholars and practitioners who will offer insights into the most recent research and practical approaches to the problems of social, economic and political development.

The first panel will focus on how to understand and manage political, social and economic change in the face of resource constraints, population growth and migration pressures. Featured speakers will include Margaret Cately-Carlson of The Population Council, Timothy Dyson of the London School of Economics, Robert Evenson of Yale's Economic Growth Center and Jeffrey Williamson of Harvard University.

The second roundtable, "Social Capital and Development," addresses the horizontal linkages that provide developmental glue for society. Panelists include Yale political scientist Arun Agrawal, Avner Greif of Stanford University; Richard Locke of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Michael Woolcock of the Development Research Group at the World Bank.

The roundtables are being held in honor of Malcolm Brachman (Yale '45), president of Northwest Oil Company in Dallas, Texas. A long-time supporter of Yale, Brachman is chair of the Advisory Committee for the Economic Growth Center and an associate fellow of Timothy Dwight College.

This event is sponsored by the YCIAS. For more information, call 432-3410 or send email to ycias@yale.edu.