World Bank Online Morning Seminar #101 “South Asia Economic Focus: South Asia Vaccinates”

Prospects of an economic rebound in South Asia are firming up as growth is set to increase by 7.2 percent in 2021 and 4.4 percent in 2022, climbing from historic lows in 2020 and putting the region on a path to recovery. But growth is uneven and economic activity well below pre-COVID-19 estimates, as many businesses need to make up for lost revenue and millions of workers, most of them in the informal sector, still reel from job losses, falling incomes, worsening inequalities, and human capital deficits, says the World Bank in its twice-a-year regional update.

Released on March 31, 2021, the latest South Asia Economic Focus: South Asia Vaccinates shows that the region is set to regain its historical growth rate by 2022. Electricity consumption and mobility data is a clear indication of recovering economic activity. India, which comprises the bulk of the region's economy, is expected to grow more than 10 percent in the fiscal year 2021-22-a substantial upward revision of 4.7 percentage points from January 2021 forecasts.

At this seminar, Maurizio Bussolo, Lead Economist, Valerie Mercer-Blackman, Senior Economist, Jean Nahrae Lee, Senior Economist, Office of the Chief Economist for South Asia Region, will present the main points of the report. This seminar will be conducted in English (no interpretation into Japanese).

Date/Time:

8am-9am, Friday April 16, 2021 (Japan Standard Time)

URL for livestreaming:

https://youtu.be/bstJom4mUb4

Presentation material:

SOUTH ASIA VACCINATES (PDF)

Questions to the speakers:

Please send your questions to the speakers via online form posted on this web page.

Speakers:

Maurizio Bussolo
Lead Economist, Office of the Chief Economist for South Asia Region, World Bank

Maurizio Bussolo, lead economist in the Chief Economist Office for South Asia, has been working on quantitative analyses of economic policy and development with research interests spanning both micro and macroeconomic topics. At the World Bank, he also worked in the Chief Economist Office for Europe and Central Asia and in the Development Economics Prospects Group; and he led operational teams in the aftermath of the 2008-09 crisis negotiating with Latin American and Caribbean governments the implementation of reforms to shield the most vulnerable. Before joining the World Bank in 2003, Bussolo worked at the OECD, at the Overseas Development Institute in London, and at Fedesarrollo and the Los Andes University in Colombia. He has extensively published in peer-reviewed journals on trade, growth, poverty and income distribution. Some of his recent publications include 'Toward a New Social Contract', 'Golden Aging: Prospects for Healthy, Active, and Prosperous Aging' and 'The Impact of Macroeconomic Policies on Poverty and Income Distribution'. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Warwick.

Valerie Mercer-Blackman
Senior Economist, Office of the Chief Economist for South Asia Region, World Bank

Valerie Mercer-Blackman is a Senior Economist at the South Asia Office of the Chief Economist, currently focusing on policy-based research and regional trends in South Asia. Her recent published research focuses on diversification, trade FDI productivity in services and global value chains. Her past analytical work includes growth drivers, investment and fiscal issues in developing countries, particularly commodity exporters. Previously she worked as a macroeconomist at the Asian Development Bank; at the Caribbean Department of the Inter-American Development Bank and on Latin America at the International Monetary Fund. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University.

Jean Nahrae Lee
Senior Economist, Office of the Chief Economist for South Asia Region, World Bank

Jean Lee is a Senior Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist for the South Asia Region. She received a doctorate in economics from Harvard University in 2010 and a bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard University in 2003. Her research interests are diverse and include a broad set of topics and both experimental and nonexperimental work in development economics and selected areas of domestic policy. Her work has been published in the American Law and Economics Review, the American Economic Review, the American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings issue, the Journal of International Trade and Economic Development and Health Economics and is forthcoming in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. She has work and research experience in Kenya, Zambia, Bangladesh, Uganda, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malawi and Burkina Faso and is currently starting new work in India and Pakistan.

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