URU, Alm.del - 2010-11 (1. samling) - Bilag 131: Invitation til seminar den 5. april 2011 med Francois Bourguignon

Inequality, Development and Development AidTuesday, 5 April 2011, 13.00-16.00, DIIS, Main AuditoriumStrandgade 71, ground floor, 1401 Copenhagen KBackgroundThe Human Development Report (HDR) 2010notes that despite much progress, inequality both within andacross countries is growing. On average per capita income in rich countries grows consistently more than inpoor countries creating a widening gap between countries.HDR 2010provides the following example:“A person born in Niger can expect to live 26 fewer years, to have 9 fewer years of education and to consume53 times fewer goods than a person born in Denmark. While the Danes have elected their parliament in freeand open elections since 1849, Niger’s president dissolved parliament and Supreme Court in 2009 – and wasthen ousted in a military coup. More than 7 of 10 people surveyed in Niger say there were times in the pastyear when they did not have enough money to buy food for their families. Very few Danes would be in suchstraits.”Also within countries, inequality is so significant that it severely affects human development. Sub-SaharanAfrica suffers particularly from inequalities with respect to income, health and education. If the HumanDevelopment Index (HDI) is adjusted for these inequalities, human development decreases even further inmany Sub-Saharan countries. For instance in Mozambique, the decrease amounts to 45 per cent after anadjustment of HDI for inequality.Inequality is in itself a problem as it is an expression of poverty and lack of human development. However, italso constitutes a barrier to development in the sense that it reduces the impact of economic growth onpoverty. The more unequal a society, the less economic growth reduces poverty.Internationally and in Denmark, development aid is increasingly supposed to stimulate pro-poor economicgrowth. There is a sense that aid has focussed too much on health and education and too little on productivesectors and growth. The specific content of pro-poor economic growth, however, is not clear. Given theincreasing significance of inequality and its detrimental impact on poverty reduction, redistribution may be asignificant element of pro-poor economic growth. This raises the question whether aid should start focussing onthe reduction of inequality.The series “Kapuscinski Lectures”, named for Ryszard Kapuscinski, a Polish reporter and writer who covereddeveloping countries, is organized jointly by the European Commission, the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP) and partner universities and development think-tanks. The series consists of distinguishedspeakers delivering lectures in countries in the European Union on development-related issues.SpeakersFrancois Bourguignon, Professor and Director of the Paris School of EconomicsGiorgia Giovannetti, Professor of Economics, University of FlorenceHenrik Hansen, Professor of International Economics and Policy, University of CopenhagenPoul Engberg-Pedersen, former Director General, NoradKamel Qureshi, Member of the Folketing, Socialist People’s PartyLars Engberg-Pedersen, Senior Researcher, DIISJakob Simonsen, Director, Nordic Office, UNDPProgramme13.00-13.1013.10-14.10IntroductionLars Engberg-Pedersen,Senior Researcher, DIISInequality, Development and Development AidFrancois Bourguignon,Professor and Director, Paris School ofEconomicsCoffee Break