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Professor Bhagwati on a Knowledge Platform on Migration and Global Development

Submitted by Dilip Ratha on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 17:58

As I had mentioned in my blog on December 7, we at the Bank are working on a proposal to create an open knowledge platform on migration and global development. The proposed knowledge platform will: 

  • provide an open platform for debate and discussion; it will include divergent views, but with strong emphasis on rigor, peer review and quality control
  • act as a knowledge broker
  • attract researchers and practitioners from different disciplines
  • deliver a menu of policy options on migration

We asked Professor Jagdish Bhagwati for his thoughts on the knowledge platform. He likes it! He kindly agreed to record a video presentation for us (you can view it here).

Thank you Professor Bhagwati!

Home Again

Submitted by Dilip Ratha on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 17:20

   Photo © Dilip Ratha/ World Bank

I was in Sindhekela (India) last August. "Home again," as Jason DeParle put it after our last trip to Sindhekela together. It was hot and humid. There were more mosquitoes than I have ever seen. But with the monsoon came a season of festivity. For the first time in decades I was home for Ganesh Puja and Nuakhai.

Ganesh Puja offers homage to the Hindu God of wisdom, so wise that He has the head of an elephant. When I visited my school, I noticed that unlike other years, the students did not install the statue of Ganesh inside a classroom. A few days earlier, an old beam supporting the roof had come crashing down while a class was in progress. Miraculously no one was hurt - thanks to Lord Ganesh! But they did not take another chance, and installed the statue on the veranda. 

More Videos: Diaspora and Development in Africa

Submitted by Dilip Ratha on Fri, 07/31/2009 - 11:02

On the sidelines of the Diaspora conference I asked some colleagues how the crisis was impacting Africa and other regions, and how the diaspora could be of help. Please check out what they said, on video.

Diaspora Conference: What a successful event!

Submitted by Sonia Plaza on Wed, 07/22/2009 - 11:21

It was a bit of work, but felt like it was worth it. We wanted to go beyond remittances and discuss concrete initiatives to harness diaspora resources. Thanks to all the presenters and participants for making the conference a success. We had nearly 200 submissions, from which in the end only 35 presentations were selected. The discussion was rich. Take a look at the presentations here. 
 
Let me briefly highlight in the attached video some of the ideas and next steps coming from the exchanges during this conference.

Sonia Plaza on Diaspora from World Bank on Vimeo.

Video: Outlook for Remittances

Submitted by Dilip Ratha on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 15:15

As mentioned in my earlier post, our Brief outlining the revised outlook for remittances has drawn a lot of interest, from market players, analysts, policy wonks, and the media. The Financial Times wrote a great editorial on this matter. Even a small decline of 7.3% in remittance flows, as we predict, can make a great deal of difference to countries facing external financing gaps. Now we know that the resilience of remittances going forward was an important factor behind the successful launching of the $750 million mega-bond from the Philippines.
 
This week, I have decided to post a video highlighting some regional trends. Let's continue this discussion. Please send in your thoughts and comments.

Dilip Ratha from World Bank on Vimeo.