Rising Inequality in the Global South: Practice and Solutions Symposium

Inequality in the global South – evidence and experience

The panel explore the shape and impact of inequality in the global South, and lessons learned.

The findings of the latest Global Wealth Report from Credit Suisse points to economic inequality rising sharply following the financial crisis, particularly in developing countries. What impact is inequality having in the global South? What is the impact of urbanization, rising inequality and patterns of control and ownership of land and productive resources? Is growth coupled with inequality leading to a new authoritarianism in some countries? How is inequality experienced along axes of gender, ethnicity, generational and economic income?

Panel: Prof. Nora Lustig, Professor of Latin American Economics at Tulane University, Prof. C.P. Chandrasekhar, Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Prof. Mick Moore, Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies. Moderator: Prof. Nic Cheeseman, Associate Professor in African Politics, University of Oxford.

Policy solutions: resources, taxation, governance and social spending

The panel explore solutions to inequality.

Inequality is not inevitable. Economic growth should enable increasing government revenue and social spending to reduce poverty. But states struggle to hold corporates to account, while having weak capacity for tax collection and spending; the extraction of natural resources too often fails to contribute to shared national wealth; and lack of transparency and accountability to citizens from states and companies harms social development. What are the solutions? How can policy makers, civil society and corporates better deliver shared growth and what role do global rules and institutions have to play?

Panel: Dr. Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank, Prof. Juan Alberto Fuentes, Professor at Universidad Rafael Landivar, and Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, Chairman of the Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism and CEO of E.L. Rothschild, Nora Lustig, Professor of Latin American Economics at Tulane University. Moderator: Ms. Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International.

Final address Dr. Jay Naidoo, Chair, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

Additional details about the event

This was the second annual symposium organized by the African Studies. The event was co-organized with Oxfam and was held on Monday 19th January 2015 at the Nissan Institute Lecture Theatre, St Antony’s College.

Find out more about the speakers and moderators.

Follow @Winnie_Byanyima @Oxfam @AfricaOxfordUni and the hashtag #inequality.