Call for Papers

Sir Arthur Lewis Memorial Conference
September 25-27 2008

The Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of the West Indies (St Augustine Campus), in collaboration with the Department of Economics and the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social & Economic Studies, is issuing a call for papers for The Sir Arthur Lewis Memorial Conference on the theme:

Development Challenges in the 21st Century

The conference will be held in Trinidad & Tobago over the period September 25-27, 2008.

Economies in the Caribbean and all over the world are grappling with the consequences of globalization and the accompanying changes in the rules of international trade, including loss of preferential markets and erosion of preferences due to tariff reduction. This has resulted in increasing competition for traditional products from these economies, a situation compounded by rising energy costs and accompanying negative social ills like unemployment, rising criminality, overburdened health and educational facilities and the like. To compound these problems, many of these economies are facing a serious threat from climate change and the accompanying rising sea levels and increase in number and ferocity of hurricanes. What are realistic development options, given the policy space now available to these economies? It is to answer questions like these that the Sir Arthur Lewis Memorial Conference is being hosted on the theme indicated. Participation is open to scholars, policy makers, graduate students, professionals and all persons interested in the burning issues associated with this theme.

A non exhaustive list of possible topics for written submissions includes:

Social and Economic development in theory and practice: retrospect and prospect.
Crime and violence.
Regional trading blocs (CSME, FTAA etc.) and other trade related issues (EPA).
Sport, Culture and Recreation in the developmental process.
Governance, democracy and development.
The role of Migration in development and underdevelopment.
Poverty and living standards: the challenge to development.
Issues in the development and maintenance of social capital (health, education, entrepreneurship).
Developmental platforms: tourism, oil and gas, non traditional goods and services.
Disaster preparedness and coping with the aftermath of disaster.
The environment: coastlines, fisheries.
Sustainable development.