"Accessing know-how for development"

In a new lecture series by Echelon and Advocata Institute, Prof Ricardo Hausmann of Harvard Uniersity's Centre for International Development speaks about how to access know-how for economic development.  

Economies grow by adding new products and services to their production portfolio, and not by producing more of the same kinds of products. The key to such diversification is access to know-how, but know-how often has to come from abroad. This is because it is often easier to move brains to new countries than to move new know-how into brains. In the experience of Singapore, India, Vietnam and most other dynamic economies, three channels of know-how transfer stand out: FDI, immigration and diaspora networks.

In this lecture, Professor Hausmann explores the relationship between economic development and the accumulation of know-how. He will in particular discuss how to tackle Sri Lanka’s limited export diversification.

Who is Prof Ricardo Hausmann? 

Prof Ricardo Hausmann is one of the most sought after experts in development economics in the world.  He is the Director of Harvard University's Center for Development and Professor of the Practice of Economic Development at the Kennedy School of Government. Previously, he served as the first Chief Economist of the Inter-American Development Bank (1994-2000), where he created the Research Department. He has served as Minister of Planning of Venezuela (1992-1993) and as a member of the Board of the Central Bank of Venezuela. He also served as Chair of the IMF-World Bank Development Committee. He was Professor of Economics at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion (IESA) (1985-1991) in Caracas, where he founded the Center for Public Policy. His research interests include issues of growth, macroeconomic stability, international finance, and the social dimensions of development. He holds a PhD in economics from Cornell University. His team at CID has been studying Sri Lanka’s economy, it’s constraints for growth and how to reform it’s trade policy. 

Agenda

5.30 PM -  Registrations and Refreshments
6.00 PM -  Introduction
6.10 PM -   Lecture by Prof Hausmann
6.45 PM -  Q&A with Prof Lawrenece moderated by Murtaza Jafferjee
7.45 PM -  Closing