Events

The 10th South Asia Economic Policy Network Conference on Migration in South Asia

November 7-8, 2022

Kathmandu, Nepal

illustration of family migrating to urban area

The Office of the Chief Economist for the South Asia Region of the World Bank, in collaboration with the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) and the Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice of the World Bank is pleased to announce the 10^th South Asia Economic Policy Network conference on Migration in South Asia.

Internal and international economic migration, largely temporary in nature, is a major factor in the lives of the poor in South Asia, helping millions of households improve their lives by enabling large remittance inflows and insurance from local shocks, and through the contribution of return migrants to local economies. The act of migration entails potentially high returns but also considerable risks and costs. The COVID crisis has also brought to the fore several long-standing policy concerns related to economic migration in South Asia. Join our two days of hybrid sessions featuring paper presentations, a keynote lecture, policy and expert panel discussions, and a short presentation on the main findings of the World Bank’s South Asia Economic Focus Fall 2022 | Coping with Shocks: Migration in South Asia.

REPLAYS
Program Agenda + Materials
SPEAKERS

Watch the replays of our two-day hybrid sessions featuring paper presentations, a keynote lecture, policy and expert panel discussions, and a short presentation on the main findings of the World Bank’s South Asia Economic Focus Fall 2022 | Coping with Shocks: Migration in South Asia.
You can watch all the conference replays by clicking on buttons below.

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DAY 1 | Monday, November 7, 2022
_{9:15 am - 5:00 pm (NPT)}

09:15–09:50	OPENING REMARKS • Dr. Martin Raiser, Vice President, South Asia Region, World Bank • Dr. Richard Howard, Director, ILO Nepal • Mr. Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank Welcome Remarks: Arun Joshi, Director, IIDS Center for Human Assets
09:50–10:15	OVERVIEW: MIGRATION IN SOUTH ASIA Fall 2022 South Asia Economic Focus: COVID and Migration in South Asia • Dr. Siddharth Sharma, Lead Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank • Dr. Jean Nahrae Lee, Senior Economist, South Asia Region, World bank
10:15–11:25	PANEL DISCUSSION: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES - MIGRATION AND SOUTH ASIA • Dr. Imran Matin, Executive Director, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development • Dr. Ganesh Gurung, Former Executive Chair of Policy Research Institute, Former Member of the National Planning Commission • Dr. Bilesha Weeraratne, Research Fellow and Head of Migration and Urbanization Research, Institute of Policy Studies • Mr. Prajwal Sharma, Head of Labour Mobility and Human Development Department, IOM Nepal • Dr. Irudaya Rajan, Chair of the KNOMAD (The Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development) Remarks: Mr. Hans Timmer, Chief Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank Moderator: Dr. Stefano Paternostro, Practice Manager, Social Protection and Jobs, South Asia Region, World Bank Open Discussion (Q&A)
11:25–11:40	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
11:40–12:40	SESSION 1: MIGRATION AND REMITTANCES PAPER I: The 2015 Earthquake in Nepal: Remittances as Risk-coping Mechanism \| Author:* Ms. Esther Maria Bartl* PAPER II: Can Migrant Workers’ Remittances Cushion the Macroeconomic Crisis in Sri Lanka? \| *Author:* Dr. Bilesha Weeraratne *Discussant:* Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha, Executive Director, Economic Research Department, Nepal Rastra Bank *Moderator:* Ms. Xiao'ou Zhu, Consultant, South Asia Region, World Bank Open Discussion (Q&A)
12:40–13:40	LUNCH
13:40–14:40	SESSION 2: MIGRATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PAPER I: International Labor Migration and Economic Development: Evidence from Bangladesh \| Author: Dr. Mahreen Khan PAPER II: The Impact of Large-scale Migration on Poverty, Expenditures, and Labour Market Outcomes in Nepal \| Author: Dr. Maheshwor Shrestha *Discussant*: Dr. Biswash Gauchan, Executive Director, IIDS *Moderator:* Dr. Siddharth Sharma, Lead Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank Open Discussion (Q&A)
14:40–15:40	SESSION 3: IMPACT OF MIGRATION ON WOMEN AND CHILDREN PAPER I: Learning Levels of Children from Short-term Migrant Families in Rural India \| Author: Dr. Leena Bhattacharya PAPER II: Labor Market Shocks, Social Protection and Women’s Work \| *Author:* Dr. Swati Sharma and Ms. Nikita Sangwan *Discussant:* Ms. Neha Choudhary, ILO National Project Coordinator *Moderator:* Ms. Priti Shrestha, Gender and Social Inclusion Officer, UN Women Open Discussion (Q&A)
15:40–15:55	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
15:55–16:55	SESSION 4: TECHNOLOGY AND EMERGING MARKET ECONOMIES PAPER I: Technological Change and Demographics in a Model where Consumption is Time-constrained \| Author: Dr. Manoj Pant and Ms. Sugandha Huria PAPER II: Labour Outmigration, Farmland Fallowing, Livelihood Diversification and Technology Adoption in Nepal \| Authors: Dr. Mani Nepal, Dr. Apsara Karki Nepal and Dr. Randall Bluffstone *Discussant:* Ms. Alice Joan Brooks, Senior Economist, World Bank *Moderator:* Dr. Valerie Mercer-Blackman, Senior Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank Open Discussion (Q&A)
16:55–17:00	CLOSING DAY 1

DAY 2 | Tuesday, November 8, 2022
_{8:30 am - 3:30 pm (NPT)}

08:30–08:45	OPENING REMARKS Day 1 Recap by Mr. Hans Timmer, Chief Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank Welcome Remarks: Arun Joshi, Director, IIDS Center for Human Assets
08:45–09:30	KEYNOTE SPEECH Seasonal Poverty, Migration and Remittance Frictions Speaker: Professor Mushfiq Mobarak, Yale University Open Discussion (Q&A)
09:30–10:30	SESSION 5: NON-TRADITIONAL THREATS AND WAGE SPILLOVER PAPER I: Wage Spillovers and Internal Migration in India \| Author: Dr. Çaglar Özden, Dr. He Wang and Ms. Maggie Liu PAPER II: Weather Shocks, Domestic Migration and Human Capital \| *Author:* Dr. Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay, Dr. Papiya Mazumdar, Dr. Sumit Mazumdar and Dr. Ajay Sharma *Discussant:* Dr. Nele Warrinnier, Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank *Moderator:* Dr. Syud Amer Ahmed, Lead Economist, World Bank Open Discussion (Q&A)
10:30–10:45	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
10:45–11:45	SESSION 6: AGRICULTURE AND LIVELIHOODS SUPPLY CHAIN PAPER I: Local Nonfarm Opportunities and Migration Decisions: Evidence from Bangladesh \| Author: Dr. Kazi Iqbal, Mr. Md. Nahid Ferdous, Mr. Mohammad Rezoanul Hoque and Ms. Nahian Azad Shashi *Discussant*: Dr. Devendra Gauchan, Agricultural Economist, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, CGIAR *Moderator:* Dr. Jean Nahrae Lee, Senior Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank Open Discussion (Q&A)
11:45–12:45	LUNCH
12:45–13:45	SESSION 7: RETURNEE MIGRANTS AND DIASPORAS PAPER I: Loan Choice and Indebtedness of Bangladeshi Return Migrants \| Authors: Dr. Syud Amer Ahmed and Ms. Esther Bartl PAPER II: Return Reimagined: Diaspora Interactions with Protracted Internal Displacement \| Authors: Mr. Mohamed Munas and Dr. Gayathri Lokuge *Discussant:* Dr. Jeevan Baniya, Assistant Director, Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility, Social Science Baha *Moderator:* Dr. Siddharth Sharma, Lead Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank Open Discussion (Q&A)
13:45–14:00	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
14:00–15:00	FIRESIDE CHAT: Rallying evidence for programs and policies • Dr. Richard Howard, Director, ILO Nepal • Ms. Nusrath Ghazzali , Deputy Chief of Mission, IOM, Bangladesh • Dr. Syud Amer Ahmed, Lead Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank • Hon’ble Dr. Ram Kumar Phuyal, National Planning Commission, Nepal Moderator: Dr. Swarnim Wagle, Chair, IIDS Open Discussion (Q&A)
15:00–15:30	CLOSING SESSION • Mr. Rajeev Pokharel, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security • Mr. Faris H. Hadad-Zervos, Country Director, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, South Asia, World Bank