International Conference titled ‘Income Distribution and Globalization Issues and Policy Challenges’ Organised by MINISTRY OF LABOR OF ARGENTINA, IDEAs, UNDP, ILO, ECLAC at Buenos Aires, September 22 - 23, 2008.

Site: Ministry of Labor of Argentina, Islas Malvinas Auditorium

Argentina has experienced fast economic growth along with budgetary and trade surpluses, in recent years. As a consequence, many labor market indicators have shown a reversal of the negative trend experienced in the 1990s. Strong employment creation, steady improvement of jobs quality and lowered inequality have restored the role of employment as a factor in social inclusion and exit from poverty. Despite this successful performance, the goal of equity in income distribution still requires the implementation of additional public policies.

This international conference organized by the Ministry of Labor of Argentina, in collaboration with the International Labor Organization, the network IDEAs, the United Nations Development Programme and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, intends to examine several issues related to globalization and income distribution. The participation of national and international researchers and experts will enable a comparative perspective on current challenges and policy options to improve the welfare of population.

Monday September 22

Opening

Carlos Tomada, Minister of Labor of Argentina
Carlos Felipe Martínez, resident representative of United Nations Development
Programme in Argentina
Javier González Olaechea, director of the International Labor Organization office for
Argentina
Bernardo Kosacoff, director of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean office in Buenos Aires

Session I: “Globalization and income distribution: trends and prospects”

Keynote speaker: Raymond Torres, Director, International Institute for Labor Studies,
Geneva
Discussant: Giovanni Andrea Cornia, University of Florence

Session II: Macroeconomic regime, employment and inequality

Macroeconomic Policy Changes in Argentina at the Turn of the Century, Roberto
Frenkel, CEDES and University of Buenos Aires
Macroeconomic Policy Regime, Employment and Inequality: Inflation Targeting in Brazil
1999-2008, Franklin Serrano, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Growth and distribution, Martín Abeles, Secretary of Economic Policy, Ministry of the
Economy of Argentina

Discussant: Arnaldo Bocco, Central Bank of the Argentine Republic

Lunch break

Session III: Productive structure, employment and equity

Elites and Structural Inertia in Latin America: An Introductory Note on the Political           Economy of Development, Mario Cimoli, Economic Commission for Latin America           and the Caribbean, Santiago
Estructura productiva, empleo y equidad en Argentina (Productive structure,           employment and equity in Argentina), Matías Kulfas, Bank of the Argentine           Nation
Efectos del nuevo patrón de crecimiento sobre el empleo femenino (Effects of the new           growth pattern on female employment in Argentina), Victoria Castillo, Ministry           of Labor of Argentina

Discussant: Diego Coatz, Center of Economic Studies-Argentine Association of           Industrial Employers

Session IV: Social security and equity

Sistema previsional y equidad en América Latina (Social security and equity in Latin             America, Fabio Bertranou, ILO Santiago
Movilidad jubilatoria en Argentina (Pension adjustment in Argentina), Walter Arrighi,             Secretary of Social Security, Ministry of Labor, Argentina
Sistema previsional y equidad en Brasil (Social security and equity in Brazil), Rogerio             Nagamine Costanzi, Ministry of Social Security of Brazil
Discussant: Rafael Rofman, World Bank office in Argentina

Tuesday September 23

Session V: “Policy coordination to improve income distribution”

Keynote speaker: Giovanni Andrea Cornia, University of Florence

Discussant: Saúl Keifman, University of Buenos Aires

Session VI: Money transfer policies and inequality 

La Distribución de Ingresos y los Programas de Transferencia: Una Comparación entre           Brasil, Chile y México (Income distribution and transfer programs: A comparison           between Brazil, Chile and Mexico), Sergei Soares, Instituto de Pesquisa           Econômica Aplicada-International Poverty Centre, Brasilia
Políticas de transferencias monetarias y desigualdad en Uruguay (Money transfer           policies and inequality in Uruguay), Ernesto Murro, Bank of Social Security,           Uruguay
Políticas de transferencias monetarias en Argentina: Una evaluación de su impacto           sobre la pobreza y la desigualdad (Money transfer policies in Argentina: An           appraisal of their impact on poverty and inequality), Roxana Maurizio, National           University of General Sarmiento, Argentina

Discussant: Marita González, General Confederation of Labor, Argentina

Lunch break

Session VII: Distributive impact of the tax regime

Justiça tributária: iniqüidades e desafios no Brasil (Tax justice: inequities and             challenges in Brazil), Marcio Pochman, Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica             Aplicada, Brasilia
La reforma tributaria en Uruguay (Tax reform in Uruguay), Gabriel Lagomarsino, Bank             Social Security, Uruguay
Incidencia distributiva del sistema tributario argentino (Distributive incidence of the             Argentine tax system), Juan Carlos Gómez Sabaini, independent consultant

Discussant: Roberto Pereyra, ILO consultant

Session VIII: Inequality and poverty in Asia and Latin America

China’s Income Inequality in the Globalization Era, Andong Zhou, Tsinghua University,            Beijing * 
Desigualdad y Pobreza en América Latina (Inequality and poverty in Latin America),           Oscar Altimir, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean,           Santiago

Discussant: Luis Beccaria, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Santiago

Roundtable: The social impact of globalization

Jan Kregel, University of Missouri-Kansas City
Marta Novick, Ministry of Labor, Argentina
Jayati Ghosh, Jawarhalal Nehru University

* Due to last minute complications, Andong Zhu was not able to attend the conference. Therefore, Luis Beccaria, the session discussant, summarized Zhu’s presentation, before proceeding to the comments.