World Bank E-Conference On Globalization Starts May 1, 2000 (fwd)

Though I suspect that the main purpose of this "e-conference" is either PR
or attempted co-optation by the IBRD (much needed in light of recent
events), I thought this might be of some interest to folks on the list.  I
would note that the announcement makes it clear that it will be a
"moderated" discussion, ostensibly "to permit greater participation from
developing countries" (but possibly to "channel" the discussion in certain
ways?).  While I'm frankly, skeptical (and I already get PLENTY of
e-mail), it might be entertaining to at least "listen in"... 

dave smith
sociology, uc-irvine

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2000 22:34:50 -0400 (EDT)
From: T Nguyen <nguyen2@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca>
To: Vietnamese Economics Network <vecon-l@watarts.uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: [vecon-l] E-Conference On Globalization Starts May 1, 2000

Dear VECONers:

For your information, the month-long Panos-World Bank "Electronic
Conference On Globalization, Poverty And Development" will start
on May 1, 2000 with the following topics:
o Week 1. Globalization, Development and Poverty: What Do We Know?
o Week 2: Poverty, Basic Needs, and Development
o Week 3; Modes of Development
o Week 4: Whose Development? Globalization, Empowerment and the Poor

Sign up at the World Bank web site

http://vx.worldbank.org/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=globalization&text_mode=0

or simply send a blank email to

   join-globalization@lists.worldbank.org

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Here are the details:


Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 15:26:07 -0400
From: Devforum@worldbank.org
Subject: Globalization E-Conference

 ELECTRONIC CONFERENCE ON GLOBALIZATION, POVERTY AND DEVELOPMENT

The Panos Institute London http://www.panos.org.uk and World Bank
Institute will co-sponsor a month-long public electronic
conference, open to global participation, on "Globalization,
Development and Poverty", beginning on May 1. This electronic
conference, the first in a proposed series on this topic, will
build on the broad public debate on the impact of globalization
on the world's poor that is occurring in the context of the World
Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, DC.

Open to anyone with access to electronic mail, the e-conference
will bring together activists, scholars, development specialists,
staff of the World Bank and other international institutions, the
media, NGOs, and others who deal with these issues on a daily
basis.  The 4-week conference will not seek to cover every issue
or settle every disagreement relative to the impact of
globalization on development and poverty.  Rather, its aim will
be to clarify the dimensions of the debate, the state of our
knowledge of the key issues, the main areas of disagreement, and
the areas of greatest need for further analysis.  In this
fashion, it will lay the groundwork for a proposed longer series
of electronic conferences over the next several months devoted to
a more in-depth investigation of the issues. Many have observed
that, in the recent public debates on these matters, there has
been a tendency for those with differing views to "talk past each
other".  The goal of this electronic conference is to chart the
dimensions of the debate, so as to permit a longer, more focused
and more productive public discussion of these issues in the
months ahead.

The electronic conference will be hosted by the World Bank's
online discussion facility, the Development Forum
                http://www.worldbank.org/devforum
and co-moderated by a team from the World Bank Institute and the
Panos Institute London. The Panos Institute London is an
independent non-governmental organization working to stimulate
open debate on development issues, and particularly to facilitate
access to such debates by people in developing countries.  To
permit greater participation from developing countries, the
discussion will be in the form of a moderated email list archived
to the Development Forum website, with links to related sites and
background information on globalization and development.  The
organizers will make a special effort to reach out to networks in
developing countries to invite greater global participation in
the debate.

Participants will be welcome to post messages in English, French,
Spanish or Portuguese.  While messages will not be translated,
the moderators will take into account messages in all four
languages in their preparation of the weekly discussion
summaries, and these summaries will be made available in all four
languages.

The proposed themes for the 4 weeks of the discussion are as
follows:

* Week 1. Globalization, Development and Poverty: what do we
  know? This first week will focus on "taking the measure" of the
  issues; trying to understand better what we know, what we don't
  know, what the fundamental disagreements are; what some of the
  underlying assumptions of the debate are.

* Week 2: Poverty, Basic Needs, and Development The second week
  will focus in particular on the world's poorest and their stake
  in the debate, particularly by focusing on basic needs (such as
  food security) and how they relate to globalization and its
  impact.

* Week 3; Modes of Development Underlying much of the debate
  about globalization is a set of disagreements about models of
  growth, consumption and sustainability.  The third week will
  focus on mapping those issues, particularly relating to whether
  globalization imposes or implies a dominant mode of
  development.

* Week 4: Whose Development?  Globalization, Empowerment and the
  Poor The fourth week will focus on how globalization shapes and
  constrains the choices facing nations and communities (and
  particularly the poor) about their development.