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2nd SANEM International Development Conference (SIDC) 2021
“COVID-19 Recovery: Contexts and Priorities”
17-19 June 2021
Live on Zoom, Facebook Page and YouTube Channel of SANEM
All time mentioned in Bangladesh Standard Time (GMT+6)
About the Conference
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered one of the worst global economic crises in recent times. As more and more businesses are facing risks of closure, unemployment is on the rise globally with millions of livelihoods upended by the pandemic. Moreover, nationwide lockdowns and international mobility restrictions have disrupted global supply chains and negatively affected the interconnected system of international trade. The pandemic has also placed enormous strain on healthcare systems, exposing fragilities in public health infrastructure, particularly in the developing world. Governments and policymakers around the world are now faced with a daunting challenge of devising effective restoration policies to bring back employment and poverty figures to pre-pandemic levels. Undoubtedly, drawing lessons from the gaps and vulnerabilities of the current economic system is instrumental to build back better and embark towards a sustainable recovery process. In this regard, this conference aims to bring together empirical and theoretical research on the emerging development challenges and areas that must be prioritized in the COVID-19 recovery strategies.
Schedule
02:00 PM – 04:00 PM
Session 1: Trade and Macroeconomics I
Chair:
Dr Posh Raj Pandey, Chairman, South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics
and Environment (SAWTEE), Nepal
Opening remarks from the Chair
Paper presentation
- • “Is the global economy on the verge of re-globalization?”, Dr Abdullah Altun, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Gebze Technical University, Turkey; Dr Halit Yanikkaya, Professor, Department of Economics, Gebze Technical University
- • “Food loss in trade: A case study of South Asia using the Import Refusal Reports of the United States Food and Drug Administration”, Dr Thadchaigeni Panchalingam, Postdoctoral Scholar, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Longevity Science, University of California, USA; Dr Asanka Wijesinghe, Research Economist, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka
- • “A time series analysis of food security with selected macroeconomic variables in Bangladesh: A Vector Autoregressive Approach (VAR)”, Mst. Shila Khatun, Student, Department of Economics, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU), Bangladesh; Dr Md. Nazmus Sadekin, Associate Professor, MBSTU
- • “Potential role of compulsory licensing in the post-COVID recovery: contexts, challenges and prospects”, Dr Muhammad Zaheer Abbas, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Discussant: Dr Arpita Mukherjee, Professor, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), India
Open discussion
Closing remarks by the Chair
04:30 PM – 06:00 PM
Session 2: Keynote Presentation- Coping with Bad Shocks: Lessons from Growth Dynamics
Keynote Speaker:
Professor Lant Pritchett, RISE Research Director, Blavatnik School of
Government, University of Oxford, UK
Moderator:
Dr Selim Raihan, Professor, Department of Economics, University of
Dhaka and Executive Director of SANEM
Opening remarks by the Moderator
Keynote speech
Open discussion
Closing remarks by the Moderator
06:30 PM – 08:30 PM
Session 3: COVID-19 and Public Health
Chair:
Dr Sabina Faiz Rashid, Professor and Dean, BRAC James P Grant School
of Public Health, BRAC University, Bangladesh
Opening remarks from the Chair
Paper presentation
- • “Perception and attitudes towards vaccination against COVID-19: Evidence from Bangladesh”, Dr Mofakhar Hussain, Adjunct Lecturer, University of Toronto; Dr Shafiun Nahin Shimul, Associate Professor, Institute of Health Economics (IHE), University of Dhaka; Dr Abul Jamil Faisel, Public Health Expert; Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, Professor, IHE, University of Dhaka; Dr Nasrin Sultana, Professor and Director, IHE, University of Dhaka; Sirajul Islam, MPhil Researcher, IHE, University of Dhaka; Muhammad Ihsan-Ul-Kabir, Research Student, IHE, University of Dhaka
- • “Evaluating South Asia’s pandemic preparedness”, Chathuni Pabasara, Senior Research Assistant, Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute (LKI), Sri Lanka; Ravindri Paranagama, Research Assistant, LKI
- • “Impact of alternative Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions strategies for controlling COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh: a modelling study”, Dr Mofakhar Hussain, Adjunct Lecturer, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Canada; Dr Shafiun Nahin Shimul, Associate Professor, IHE, University of Dhaka; Dr Abul Jamil Faisel, Public Health Expert; Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, Professor, IHE, University of Dhaka; Nusrat Jabin, Student, University of Oxford; Dr Nasrin Sultana, Professor and Director, IHE, University of Dhaka; Abdul Kuddus, PhD Student, James Cook University, Australia
- • “COVID-19 and mental stress among the urban youths of Dhaka city”, Sarah Farheen Khan, Programme Assistant, International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), Bangladesh
Discussant: Dr Rumana Huque, Professor, Department of Economics,
University of Dhaka
Open discussion
Closing remarks by the Chair
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Session 4: South Asian Economics Students’ Group Research Project
Special Guest:
Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud, Eminent Economist, Bangladesh
Moderator:
Dr Deb Kusum Das, Associate Professor, Ramjas College, University of
Delhi, India Presentations from 8 South Asian Countries
- • "The impact of remittance inflows on consumption in South Asia", Nishat Tasnim Anika, Samvid Uday, Shaezal Naveed Cheema, Thisarani Jayasundara, Sujaan Aryal,
- • “Disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on female and informal workers: Evidence from South Asia”, Mohammad Ahmadi, Mehr-un-nisa Amin, Sudarshan Gautam, Bhagya Ranasinghe & Jahnvi Toshniwal, Tanjim-Ul-Islam
- • "Learning losses of undergraduate students in South Asia during COVID-19 and its determinants", Farzin Mumtahena, Kaustav Sen, Mahnoor Imran Sayyed, Pasan Wijyawardhana, Roya Zafari, Shrijya Kafle
- • "Understanding learning losses due to COVID-19 school-shutdowns", Ashwini Ratnayake, Ihsanullah Hasaand, Jahanvi Agrawal, Javeria Yusuf, Namira Shameem, Samiksha Khanal
- • “Biofortification in South Asia: Problems and Policies”, MD. Anik Islam, Bakhtyalai Ahmedzai, Daksh Walia, Oshani Pallege, Yati Shah, Zainab Khan
- • "Comparative advantage and its determinants: A study of the South Asian textile and clothing sector", Shagnik Chakravarty, Istiak Ahmed, Aziza Akrami, Taimur Ali Azfar, Nikita Shahi, Kanchana Geeth Samaraweera
- • "Assessing the impact of trade disruptions on food security in South Asia: implications for COVID-19", Aditya Tiwari, Anmol Baral, Hashini Wijeskera, Muhammad Bashir, Said Masih Sadat, Sheikh Rafi Ahmed
- • "Silver lining amid the turmoil: Unlocking the potential of RMG cotton RVCs in South Asia under the light of COVID-19 pandemic", Md. Abdul Aahad, Sarthak Malhotra, Minahil Javed, Aimal Ahmad Shah, Shakyani Ranchagoda, Maya Koirala
03:00 PM – 04:30 PM
Session 5: Panel Discussion on “COVID-19: Contexts and Priorities- Gender Perspective”
Panelists:
Dr Nisha Taneja, Professor, Indian Council for Research
on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), India
Dr Mona Shrestha Adhikari, Chief Executive Officer, Enterprise for Management, Economic Reform and Gender Equality (EMERGE), Nepal
Dr Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh
Dr Mona Shrestha Adhikari, Chief Executive Officer, Enterprise for Management, Economic Reform and Gender Equality (EMERGE), Nepal
Dr Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh
Moderator:
Dr Sayema Haque Bidisha, Professor, Department of Economics,
University of Dhaka and Research Director, SANEM
05:00 PM – 07:00 PM
Session 6: Trade and Macroeconomics II
Chair:
Dr Prabir De, Professor, ASEAN-India Centre (AIC), Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi
Opening remarks from the Chair
Paper presentation
- • “The impact of the pandemic on the business sector in Bangladesh: Evidence based on a quarterly panel survey”, Dr Selim Raihan, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka; Mahtab Uddin, Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka; Md. Tuhin Ahmed, Senior Research Associate, SANEM
- • “Regional value chains: Opportunities for India and ASEAN post COVID-19?”, Dr Saon Ray, Professor, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), India; Vasundhara Thakur, Research Assistant, ICRIER
- • “Can electricity consumption track economic fluctuations in Bangladesh?”, Selvia Arshad, Consultant, The World Bank; Dr Robert C. M. Beyer, Senior Economist, The World Bank
- • “Supporting export competitiveness in Pakistan’s industrial sector amid COVID-19”, Syed Shujaat Ahmed, Consultant, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan; Dr Vaqar Ahmed, Joint Executive Director, SDPI; Asif Javed, Project Associate, SDPI; Maaz Javed, Project Associate, SDPI
- • “Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement: Initial framework and lessons from existing trade policy of South Asia”, Dr Asanka Wijesinghe, Research Economist, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka; Chathurrdhika Yogarajah, Research Assistant, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka
Discussant: Dr Prabir De, Professor, ASEAN-India Centre (AIC),
Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi
Open discussion
07:30 – 09:00
Session 7: Panel Discussion on “COVID-19: Contexts and Recovery- South Asian Perspective”
Panelists:
Professor Rehman Sobhan, Chairman, Centre for Policy
Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka, Bangladesh
Professor Deepak Nayyar, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
Professor Deepak Nayyar, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
Moderator:
Dr Selim Raihan, Professor, Department of Economics, University of
Dhaka and Executive Director of SANEM
Opening remarks by the Moderator
Professor Rehman Sobhan
Professor Deepak Nayyar
Open discussion
02:30 PM – 04:30 PM
Session 8: Labour Market
Chair:
Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, Sustainable Development
Policy
Institute (SDPI), Pakistan
Opening remarks from the Chair
Paper presentation
- • “Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Bangladesh’s labour market”, Dr Sayema Haque Bidisha, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka; Dr Selim Raihan, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka; Md. Biplob Hossain, Independent Researcher, Tanveer Mahmood, Research Associate, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies
- • “Determinants of youth’s informal employment in Sri Lanka: An empirical analysis”, Navaratnam Balamurali, Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Studies, The Open University of Sri Lanka; Dr Priyanga Dunusinghe, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
- • “The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on labour market outcomes in Pakistan”, Dr Zubaria Andlib, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, Pakistan; Dr Mesfin G. Genie, Research Fellow, Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, UK
- • “Informal workers and labour organisations- the interplay: An empirical study from West Bengal, India in the context of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown”, Tanima Banerjee, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Adamas University, India; Suraya Roy, PhD Research Scholar, University of Calcutta, India
Discussant: Dr Sher Verick, Head, Employment Strategies Unit,
International
Labour Organization
Open discussion
Closing remarks by the Chair
05:00 – 07:00
Session 9: Poverty, Inequality and Development Challenges
Chair:
Professor S. R. Osmani, Professor of Development Economics,
University of
Ulster, UK
Opening remarks from the Chair
Paper presentation
- • “Dynamics of new poor in Bangladesh”, Dr Selim Raihan, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka; Mahtab Uddin, Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka; Md. Tuhin Ahmed, Senior Research Associate, SANEM
- • “Could the COVID-19 crisis affect remittances and labour supply in ASEAN Economies? Macroeconomic conjectures based on the SARS epidemic”, Dr Alberto Posso, Professor of Economics and Director, Centre for International Development, RMIT University, Australia
- • “COVID-19 and digital learning in higher education: evidence from India”, Dr Pradeep Kumar Choudhury, Assistant Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India; Amit Kumar, Research Scholar, JNU
- • “Socio-economic vulnerability of household to COVID-19 in Pakistan: A microdata study”, Dr Bushra Yasmin, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Pakistan; Aiman Khan, Student, Department of Economics, Fatima Jinnah Women University
Discussant: Dr Balwant Singh Mehta, Fellow, Institute for Human Development (IHD), India
Open discussion
Closing remarks by the Chair
07:30 – 09:00
Session 10: Panel Discussion on “COVID-19 Recovery: Contexts and Priorities- Developing Countries’ Perspective”
Panelists:
Professor David Hulme, Professor of Development
Studies,
University of Manchester, UK
Dr Martin Rama, Chief Economist, Latin America and the Caribbean region, The World Bank
Dr Martin Rama, Chief Economist, Latin America and the Caribbean region, The World Bank
Moderator:
Dr Selim Raihan, Professor, Department of Economics, University of
Dhaka and
Executive Director of SANEM
Opening remarks by the Moderator
Professor David Hulme OBE
Dr Martin Rama
Open discussion
Closing remarks and vote of thanks from the Conference Convener