The subcontinent of South Asia is the focus of two events taking place on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Governance issues in South Asia
On that day, the Economic Growth Center is sponsoring a workshop on "Governance Issues in South Asia," which is funded by the Ford Foundation.
One theme that will be explored at the workshop is how democracy -- unlike authoritarianism -- promotes development by encouraging the people who will be affected by development activities to participate in the decision-making process, thereby improving the quality of the decisions reached and minimizing the likelihood of political and economic corruption. Other issues to be examined include the role of nongovernmental organizations in governance; the rights, responsibilities and powers of local, state and central governments within pluralistic societies; and how governance is affected by the policy pronouncements and special interest groups spawned by economic liberalization and reform.
The workshop will feature two sessions. The first, focusing on India, will be held
10 a.m.-noon in Rm. 16 of the Economic Growth Center, 27 Hillhouse Ave. The second, on Bangladesh and Pakistan, will take place 2-4 p.m. in Rm. 203 of Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Ave. Both sessions are open to the public free of charge.
Several South Asian government officials will participate in the workshop, including: Montek Singh Ahluwalia, formerly with the World Bank and now India's secretary of finance; Javed Burkhi, formerly Pakistan's finance minister and now vice president of the World Bank (see Visiting on Campus, page 9); Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Bangladesh's secretary of energy and mineral resources, and coauthor of "Bangladesh: Government That Works -- Reforming the Public Sector"; and Sanjeevi Guhan, formerly India's alternative executive director at the World Bank and finance secretary for the state government of Tamil Nadu and now a senior fellow at the Madras Institute of Development Studies in Chennai, India.
Mr. Ahluwalia, Mr. Burkhi and Mr. Guhan will be spending the week of Nov. 16 at Yale, while Mr. Chowdhury will be on campus for two weeks, beginning Monday, Nov. 10. During his stay, Mr. Ahluwalia will present the Rustigi Lecture on Thursday, Nov. 20. (See Visiting on Campus, page X.)
Members of the Yale community who are interested in meeting or speaking with any of the visitors should contact Louise Danishevsky by telephone at 432-3630 or by email at louise.danishevsky@yale.edu.
50th anniversary celebration
Later that day, the Friends of the South Asian Committee at Yale will sponsor a reception, dinner and panel discussion celebrating the 50th anniversary of India's and Pakistan's independence from British rule. The events will be held at the Regal Inn, 1605 Whalley Ave. in New Haven.
The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a reception and dinner. At 7:45-8:30 p.m., there will be a panel discussion on the theme "South Asia After 50 Years of Indepencence." T.N. Srinivasan, director of the Economic Growth Center and the Samuel C. Park Jr. Professor of Economics, will moderate the panel. Participants will include Mr. Chowdhury, Mr. Ahluwalia and Mr. Burki, as well as John Williamson, chief economist for the South Asia Region of the World Bank.
The dinner is open to the public; there is a charge of $20 per person ($15 for students). To make a reservation, call Pravin Bhatt at (203) 281-6208.