A two-day long 5th SANEM Annual Economists' Conference (SAEC) 2020, arranged by South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), a Bangladesh-based think tank begins today (Sunday).
SANEM has been organising this conference for the last four years, said a statement.
The theme of the conference is "Institutions for Development".
The conference will host academicians, researchers, scholars, development practitioners and students from around the world and Bangladesh.
The inauguration ceremony will be chaired by SANEM's chairman Dr. Bazlul Haque Khondker. The opening remarks will be delivered by the Executive Director of SANEM, Dr. Selim Raihan.
Eminent economist, Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud will deliver the keynote speech at the inauguration ceremony.
A total of 65 researchers, 27 of whom are from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, will present their research papers in the conference, focusing on macroeconomic issues, trade, climate change, institutional development, labour market, poverty and inequality.
The second day of the conference will host a panel discussion titled "Reflecting Youth's Perspective on Development". Another panel discussion titled "Challenges of Export Growth and Diversification in Bangladesh: The Case of Bonded Warehouse Modernization" will be organized in the second day, where delegates from the World Bank and National Board of Revenue will participate along with private sector leaders. This will be followed by a panel discussion titled "Political Economy of Development in Bangladesh", which will be chaired by Professor Rehman Sobhan. Later, Dr. Iyanatul Islam will deliver a special lecture on "Structural Transformation and the Transition to Formality".
The conference will also have a special session for budding researchers where 12 students will present their research papers.
