September 2013


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Poverty and inequality are phenomenal issues that are at the core of development policies and initiatives. Yet, what defines development and what it means to manage for development have been the subjects of much debate, and increasingly so in the Caribbean.

This region, a melting pot of diversity, hosts a contingent of Small Island Developing States (SIDs) whose economies have been plagued with a number of challenges, mainly as a result of their shared colonial past, peculiar territorial construct, and the fact that their economies are driven by one productive sector

It is against the backdrop of these challenges that one can locate the Conference on the Economy (COTE), an annual event held by the Department of Economics at The UWI. This conference has sparked the interest of many stakeholders who have a vested interest in the path to sustained development. It has stimulated discussions on current and relevant issues that address the social, economic and environmental problems of communities and by extension, nationalities across the region as well as in the global community. Currently, in its seventh year, the theme of this year’s COTE is ‘Managing for Development in Caribbean Economies: Addressing the Challenge of Poverty and Inequality’.

The theme of this year’s COTE is critical as the issues to be discussed affect the engine of the economy. Figuratively, the economy can be seen as a ‘car’ and development the ‘ultimate destination of the driver’ while the engine is its ‘people’. Inherently, people have always been at the heart of development. Hence, the theme of the conference addresses problems of ‘the engine’ such as poverty, the inaccessibility of an individual to basic amenities of life, and inequality, the uneven distribution of wealth and opportunities. Both problems are direct impediments to sustained development.

From its inception, the role of COTE has been to inform and educate, in the hope of shedding light and arousing attention to germane concerns of economies nationally, regionally and internationally. In addition to meaningful discussions, the conference also seeks to encourage the participation of the next generation of economists and social scientists through a strong youth component that encompasses sixth form students from our secondary schools as well as UWI’s undergraduate and postgraduate students. These activities involve an essay writing competition, two debating competitions and two poster competitions that specifically target these groups.

A key feature of COTE is that of acknowledging and recognising past Heads of the Department of Economics. This year’s conference will honour Dr Ralph Henry, a wellknown and outstanding scholar in the field. Dr Henry holds a B.Sc. degree in Economics from The University of the West Indies and is a graduate from the University of Alberta, Canada where he attained his doctorate in Education Administration in 1972. He has held a number of prominent positions, including that of Senior Lecturer at The University of the West Indies in 1980- 1998, Chairman at the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago in 2003-2005 and the Chairman at the Kairi Consultants Limited from 1990 to present among notable others. To date, Dr Henry has published a variety of scientific papers that have contributed significantly to the field of economics specifically in relation to that of social economic theory and application. It is only fitting that TheDepartment of Economics commends his achievements and contributions to the ield by choosing to honour him at this year’s conference and allowing his work on poverty and inequality inspire the theme of the conference.

The Conference on the Economy (COTE 2013) will be held from October 10th to October 11th, 2013 at the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) at the St Augustine Campus at The University of the West Indies, Trinidad. The Feature Speaker at the Opening Ceremony of the Conference will be by Former Governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Euric Bobb. The Conference will also host informal Arm Chair Discussions on the 18th September and the 10th October to highlight issues in Poverty Reduction, Income Distribution and Intergroup Inequality in the Caribbean.

CONFERENCE THEMES:

• Poverty Reduction, Income Distribution and Intergroup Inequality in the Caribbean
• Labour and Migration Nexus in the Caribbean
• Pursuing Diversification and Development through Culture
• Export-led Development in the Caribbean and Global Value Chains
• Deepening Caribbean Regional Integration in the Eclipse of the North Atlantic
• Trans-nationalisation and the Underground Economy in the Caribbean
• Education and Human Resource Development for Caribbean Competitiveness

COTE 2013 takes place at the Learning Resource Centre Auditorium, UWI St. Augustine, from October 10-11 from 9am to 4pm. For more information, please visit http://sta.uwi.edu/conferences/13/cote/index.asp.