Dr. Nanak Kakwani, former professor of economics at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, will discuss some of the findings of a study he co-authored with Hyun Hwa Son of the Asian Development Bank. In their book, “Social Welfare Functions and Development: Measurement and Policy Applications”, Drs. Kakwani and Hyun make use of social welfare functions to derive indicators of development relevant to specific social objectives, such as reduction of poverty and inequality. Arguing that the measurement of development cannot be value-free, the authors assert that if indicators of development are to have policy relevance, they must be assessed on the basis of the social objectives in question.
Specifically, Dr. Kakwani will present a methodology to estimate the average deprivation suffered by various social groups. The methodology identifies social groups that suffer greater deprivation relative to the average for the whole society. Identifying such groups is important because reducing inequality can be more effective through policies that directly target these social groups rather than specific individuals.
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This event will be livestreamed at http://livestreaming.pids.gov.ph.
THE SPEAKER:
Dr. Nanak Kakwani was Professor of Economics for 30 years at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and until 2006 was Principal Researcher and Director at United nations Development Programme’s International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth in Brazil. He was an elected fellow of the Australian Research Committee of Social Science, and has been awarded the Mahalanobis gold medal for outstanding contribution in quantitative economics. He has published over 100 articles in international journals, as well as four books.
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