CDE 50th Anniversary

The Center for Development Economics (CDE) will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its master’s degree program with “A Half Century of Searching and Learning,” a series of public panels and lectures to be held Oct. 12-15 on the Williams campus. The principal speakers will be Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate and University Professor at Columbia University, who will deliver the address “A Half Century of Changing Perspectives on Development,” and Dani Rodrik, Rafiq Hariri Professor of International Political Economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, speaking on “Diagnostics before Prescription?” The subjects of the panel discussions include “The CDE: Lessons Learned and Paths Forward,” “Whither the Washington Consensus? Perspectives on Development Strategy,” “The Financial Crisis of 2007-09: Lessons from Developing Countries for the U.S.” and “Macroeconomic Reforms in Developing Countries: What Has Been Gained?” The CDE was the brainchild of Williams economics professor Emile Despres, who, after visiting Pakistan in 1958, proposed a program to improve economics training for officials in developing countries. Since opening in September 1960, the CDE has awarded more than 1,100 degrees to civil servants from 105 nations. Many CDE alumni will be returning to campus for the celebration. For a full schedule and listing of discussion participants, see http://cde.williams.edu/ 50th-anniversary.