BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Growth Lab - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Growth Lab REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260414T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260414T130000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20260407T172254Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T144425Z UID:17672-1776168000-1776171600@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Training in the Age of AI: A Theory of Career Viability DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nIn this Academic Research Seminar\, Luis Garicano will present his paper “Training in the Age of AI: A Theory of Career Viability.” \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Luis Garicano\, Professor of Public Policy\, London School of Economics \n\n\n\nAuthors: Luis Garicano & Luis Rayo \n\n\n\nPaper Abstract: Across the economy\, juniors pay for training by doing menial tasks. Al now performs an increasing share of that work\, putting the bargain at risk. We introduce Al into a dynamic career model with an automation threshold and possible complementarity for experts. The expertise leverage ratio\, measuring the output of a fully-trained graduate relative to that of a novice who has just enough knowledge to outperform Al\, governs the overall impact of the technology. Our central result is that careers are guaranteed viable\, in the sense that they are at least as profitable as they were before the arrival of Al\, when this ratio is above a critical threshold\, specifically Euler’s number e; in this case\, training has a fixed duration and the training path is not at risk. Below the threshold\, the senior’s sale-able knowledge shrinks and training compresses; in this case\, advances in Al threaten wholesale career collapse. \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. \n\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s Research Seminar series is a weekly seminar that brings together researchers from across the academic spectrum who share an interest in growth and development. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/training-in-the-age-of-ai-a-theory-of-career-viability/ CATEGORIES:Academic Research Seminars,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/unnamed.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260409T174500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260409T193000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20260402T163721Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T172644Z UID:17641-1775756700-1775763000@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:The Canadian Standard of Living\, Productivity and Innovation Lecture Series: Core Productivity Drivers and Diagnostics DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nThis event is part of the CIGI Speaker Series The Canadian Standard of Living\, Productivity and Innovation hosted by the Centre for International Governance Innovation. \n\n\n\nProductivity\, innovation adoption and standard of living are intrinsically linked. Due to lagging productivity\, Canada’s standard of living has dramatically declined\, particularly in the last two decades — a trend felt by individuals\, communities and businesses across the country. \n\n\n\nIn this lecture\, Growth Lab Director Ricardo Hausmann will examine how emerging forces including new technologies\, alongside enduring factors such as natural resources\, are reshaping productivity\, prosperity and Canada’s economic trajectory. \n\n\n\nThis hybrid event will be followed by a discussion with CIGI Senior Fellow Vass Bednar and closing remarks from physicist\, inventor\, entrepreneur and philanthropist Savvas Chamberlain. \n\n\n\nWhether you are attending online or in-person\, please RSVP. In-person attendees are invited to arrive at 5:00 p.m. EDT for networking and refreshments. The lecture will begin promptly at 5:45 p.m. EDT for online and in-person attendees. \n\n\n\nAbout the lecture series:\n\n\n\nThe Canadian Standard of Living\, Productivity and Innovation lecture series\, sponsored by Savvas Chamberlain and presented by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)\, brings together CEOs\, financiers\, manufacturers\, policy makers and influencers\, empowering them to champion the adoption of innovation — a critical step in reversing Canada’s productivity decline. \n\n\n\nEach lecture will feature a keynote presentation from a distinguished global or Canadian speaker\, followed by a forward-looking discussion focused on practical pathways for change\, highlighting how individual\, institutional and policy choices can shape Canada’s long-term economic performance and prosperity. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/the-canadian-standard-of-living-productivity-and-innovation-lecture-series-core-productivity-drivers-and-diagnostics/ CATEGORIES:Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/image.webp END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260226T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260226T130000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20260121T202009Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T153513Z UID:17427-1772107200-1772110800@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Industrial Policy in Action: Lessons from Over a Decade at the Department of Energy DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nThe energy sector stands at an inflection point. After 15 years of remarkable change\, the convergence of surging electricity demand\, climate pressures\, and emerging industries promises even more rapid transformation. This presentation and discussion draws on Garrett’s experience at the Department of Energy and Waypoint Strategy Group to explore the path from research to commercialization\, the impacts of policy on technology development and deployment\, and the broader ecosystem that makes modern energy systems work. We’ll close with a look at what the coming years may hold. \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Garrett Nilsen\, Co-Founder and Partner Waypoint Strategy Group  \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community. Lunch will be served. The Zoom session is open to the public. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Bio: Garrett spent over 13 years working in the US Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO)\, rising the roles of Deputy (and Acting) Director\, aiding the industry’s rise from a minor contributor to the US electricity sector to the nation’s fastest growing energy source. He managed a $300+ million-per-year portfolio spanning photovoltaics\, solar-thermal\, grid integration\, supply-chain resilience\, and non-hardware solar costs (e.g. workforce development\, siting\, community acceptance\, equitable access to solar). Under his leadership the office launched first of their kind programs to address technology commercialization\, solar energy and load forecasting\, renewable energy siting\, renewable energy grid interconnection\, new uses of solar\, and more. Prior to leadership roles at SETO\, he led teams working on accelerating technologies to market and got to see first hand how industrial policy can shape a technologies future. Garrett is now at Waypoint Strategy Group\, which he founded with 3 other senior DOE leaders in 2025 to bring lessons on technology research\, development\, and commercialization and effective funding program design to the world.  \n\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s “Development Talks” is a series of conversations with policymakers and academics working on economic growth and development in countries\, regions\, states\, and cities in the US and around the world. The seminar provides a platform for practitioners and researchers to discuss both economic growth and development and analytical work centered on policy. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/industrial-policy-in-action-lessons-from-over-a-decade-at-the-department-of-energy/ LOCATION:Allison Dining Room (T-520) CATEGORIES:Development Talks,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Garrett-N-Headshot.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260212T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260212T130000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20260126T141548Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260126T164824Z UID:17483-1770897600-1770901200@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:From Vacant Houses to Growth-Ready Capabilities: A Place-Based Growth Diagnostic DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nThis talk explores housing vacancy as a source of insight into how cities can unlock new growth opportunities. Using Baltimore as a case study\, it highlights how strengthening institutional coordination\, capital access\, and prevention capacity can shape more resilient development trajectories. The talk connects place-based innovation to Growth Lab frameworks on capabilities\, complexity\, and structural transformation.  \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Terrance Smith\, Chief Innovation Officer for the city of Baltimore \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community. Lunch will be served. The Zoom session is open to the public. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Bio: Terrance Smith is a public innovation leader focused on designing trustworthy public institutions that demonstrate ability\, humanity\, and integrity through how systems actually operate. \n\n\n\nHe currently serves as Chief Innovation Officer for the city of Baltimore\, leading two high-performing teams advancing public safety recruitment and retention and housing vacancy prevention\, while delivering system-level outcomes and building institutional capacity for trust and performance at scale. \n\n\n\nPreviously\, Terrance was a Public Innovation Fellow at the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University and served as Innovation Director for the City of Mobile\, Alabama\, where he founded the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Initiatives and led the city’s Innovation Team and Datacenter. In Mobile\, his work helped reduce blighted properties by 53 percent\, earning national recognition from Fast Company and catalyzing legislative change and new models for cities addressing long-term disinvestment. \n\n\n\nAcross housing\, public safety\, and service delivery\, Terrance’s work centers on a core insight: public innovation succeeds when trust is designed into systems\, not treated as a byproduct. He has been named a Bloomberg Cities CityLab Innovator to Watch and a Top Forty Under Forty by Mobile Bay Magazine. \n\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s “Development Talks” is a series of conversations with policymakers and academics working on economic growth and development in countries\, regions\, states\, and cities in the US and around the world. The seminar provides a platform for practitioners and researchers to discuss both economic growth and development and analytical work centered on policy. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/from-vacant-houses-to-missing-capabilities-a-place-based-growth-diagnostic/ LOCATION:Malkin Penthouse (L-P-9) CATEGORIES:Development Talks,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/terrance_smith_c_terrance_smith-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260210T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260210T111500 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20260206T165042Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260206T165338Z UID:17527-1770717600-1770722100@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Targeting Place-Based Policies for Canada's Low-Carbon Transformation DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nIn this Academic Research Seminar\, Jacob Greenspon will present his paper “Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Targeting Place-Based Policies for Canada’s Low-Carbon Transformation.” \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Jacob Greenspon\, Doctoral candidate in Economics\, University of Oxford and Research Manager\, HKS Reimagining the Economy Project \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. \n\n\n\nPaper Abstract: Negative labour demand shocks are often regionally concentrated. Policies that address their impacts are most effective and efficient when tailored to local circumstances. Using newly- assembled data on Canadian communities’ economic challenges and opportunities\, I analyze place-based policy targeting in response to workforce disruptions from GHG reductions. I first motivate and outline the goals of policies that aim to address local labour demand shocks. I next characterize the Canadian communities with workforces susceptible to GHG reduction efforts. I then analyze the suitability in each community of three broad policy responses based on regional characteristics and insights from prior literature. First\, to guide provision of income supports for early retirees\, I document large differences in the age profiles of susceptible local workforces. Second\, I argue retraining programs are most suitable for susceptible workers that have strong job transition opportunities and\, based on a newly-developed measure\, estimate substantial variation in the proportion of these workers across susceptible communities. Third\, I analyze nine domains related to challenges and opportunities for local job creation: high-speed broadband access; physical infrastructure; small business services and financing; higher-education attainment; childcare and housing availability; renewable energy generation; critical minerals production; and publicly-funded research. I assess the relative priority of interventions in each domain and identify four clusters of susceptible communities with similar priorities. I conclude with a discussion of how these results can be incorporated into collaborative federal and local policymaking processes. \n\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s Research Seminar series is a weekly seminar that brings together researchers from across the academic spectrum who share an interest in growth and development. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/beyond-one-size-fits-all-targeting-place-based-policies-for-canadas-low-carbon-transformation/ LOCATION:Perkins Room – R-429 Rubenstein 4th floor CATEGORIES:Academic Research Seminars,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/5819-0960.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260204T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260204T130000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20260116T184959Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260202T221240Z UID:17404-1770206400-1770210000@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Getting Things Done: Issue Spotting in the Infrastructure Development Projects Ecosystem DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this Development Talk\, Bill Dobbs will share a front‑row view of how public policy\, governance\, and engineering intersect in real‑world settings. He will offer Insights into how large public works succeed—or fail—depending on governance\, institutions\, and the quality of decision‑making and practical advice to future policy makers on infrastructure project management.  \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Bill Dobbs\, Former Civil and Structural Engineer and Project Manager \n\n\n\nModerator: Ricardo Hausmann\, Director\, Growth Lab \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community. Lunch will be served. The Zoom session is open to the public. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Bio: Over nearly fifty years as a civil and structural engineer and project manager\, Bill Dobbs has worked on major infrastructure projects in over 20 countries. Trained (B.Sc.\, and M.Eng.) at Cornell University\, Bill Dobbs has overseen the design and construction of\, inter alia\, hydroelectric dams\, tunnels\, water and wastewater systems\, transportation projects\, and U.S. government facilities across South Asia\, Southeast Asia\, Africa\, Latin America\, and Eastern Europe. Many of his projects were funded by international institutions such as USAID\, the Islamic Development Bank\, the Asian Development Bank\, the Inter‑American Development Bank\, and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency. \n\n\n\nMr. Dobbs brings a technically sophisticated\, but practical and culturally sensitive focus to world-class engineering projects. His assignments required navigating through complex stakeholder environments involving national government agencies\, local communities\, international lenders\, and private contractors. \n\n\n\nWhether dealing with funding agencies\, aligning infrastructure plans with social and environmental safeguards\, or helping governments build technical capacity\, he has worked at the point where policy objectives meet on-the-ground realities. He retired from full-time practice in 2024\, but continues to support international projects and maintains contact with his professional associates\, offering them guidance in their professional careers.  \n\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s “Development Talks” is a series of conversations with policymakers and academics working on economic growth and development in countries\, regions\, states\, and cities in the US and around the world. The seminar provides a platform for practitioners and researchers to discuss both economic growth and development and analytical work centered on policy. URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/getting-things-done-issue-spotting-in-the-infrastructure-development-projects/ LOCATION:Democracy Lab (414-AB) CATEGORIES:Development Talks,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Bill-Dobbs.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260203T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260203T111500 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20260121T174956Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260126T154913Z UID:17424-1770112800-1770117300@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Global Science Sustains U.S. Innovation DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nIn this Academic Research Seminar\, Chris Ross Esposito uncovers the structure of the U.S. knowledge supply chain by tracing multi-generational citation paths that connect NSF-funded research to downstream patents\, and assess its fragility by simulating barriers that impede the flow of scientific knowledge across the U.S. border. \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Christopher Ross Esposito\, Osborne Postdoctoral Fellow in the Strategy Unit at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management \n\n\n\nThe speaker will be online but a viewing will be held in the Perkins Room (R-429). Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community\, the Zoom session is open to the public. Whether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. \n\n\n\nPaper Abstract: Like physical products\, new technologies are developed using globally sourced inputs. But while the supply chains behind physical goods are well understood\, we know far less about the international ”supply chain” of scientific knowledge that powers U.S. innovation—and how vulnerable it may be to disruption. Here\, I uncover the structure of the U.S. knowledge supply chain by tracing multi-generational citation paths that connect NSF-funded research to downstream patents\, and assess its fragility by simulating barriers that impede the flow of scientific knowledge across the U.S. border. The results reveal that U.S. innovation is deeply reliant on foreign science: 56% of the intermediary papers linking NSF research to patents are produced outside the United States. Cross-border restrictions reduce the connectivity of these paths\, increase their length\, and lower innovation productivity\, as measured by the U.S. patent-to-publication ratio. Most consequentially\, such restrictions strand promising knowledge trajectories outside the U.S.: I estimate there are 104\,149 NSF-stimulated paths currently under development outside the U.S. Under the status quo\, 67\,965 are projected to return to the U.S. for patenting. However\, under scientific autarky\, virtually none would\, representing a loss of approximately $10.7 billion in invested capital. These impacts also affect U.S. firms that are critical to national priorities\, including innovation\, energy\, and security. For example\, autarky reduces outstanding path capture at Microsoft\, ExxonMobil\, and Lockheed Martin by between 48% and 57%. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Bio: Chris Ross Esposito is the Osborne Postdoctoral Fellow in the Strategy Unit at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management\, where he is also associated with the Price Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Previously\, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago and completed a PhD at UCLA in Geography. Chris uses computational and econometric methods to examine key issues in scientific and technological innovation\, including the global dynamics and geopolitical consequences of China’s expanding leadership in science\, the drivers of the innovative capacities of cities\, and the effects of knowledge obsolescence on the organization of the innovation economy. While grounded in theoretical inquiry\, his research generates critical insights for organizational innovation strategy and public policy at the national and metropolitan levels. \n\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s Research Seminar series is a weekly seminar that brings together researchers from across the academic spectrum who share an interest in growth and development.  \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/global-science-sustains-u-s-innovation/ LOCATION:Perkins Room (R-429) CATEGORIES:Academic Research Seminars,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Headshot1x1-MediumSmall.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260127T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260127T111500 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20260120T214205Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260126T155202Z UID:17420-1769508000-1769512500@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:The World is Not Flat: Persistence in the Hierarchy of Economic Complexity Across a Century DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nIn this Academic Research Seminar\, Gregor Semieniuk will discuss his paper “The World is Not Flat: Persistence in the Hierarchy of Economic Complexity Across a Century.” \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Gregor Semieniuk\, Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy and Department of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. \n\n\n\nThe speaker will be online but a viewing will be held in the Perkins Room (R-429). Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community\, the Zoom session is open to the public. Whether attending in person or virtually\, please register  in advance. \n\n\n\nAuthors: Isabella M. Weber\, Gregor Semieniuk\, Junshang Liang\, Tom Westland \n\n\n\nPaper Abstract: To explain long-run cross-country differences in income\, most studies focus on persistent non-economic factors as drivers such as culture\, institutions and geography. In this paper\, we examine a more distinctly economic explanation: persistence in countries’ economic complexity. We construct a new global commodity-level export dataset from the peak of the ‘First Globalization’ prior to the First World War to analyze economic complexity across the first and the current waves of globalization. We show that economic complexity is highly persistent\, and a powerful predictor of national income across the world today even when controlling for historical institutions\, colonial status\, geography and when considering alternative measures of complexity. We exploit the switch from sailing to steamboat transport\, which had heterogenous effects on global trading costs to argue that the persistence is not driven by omitted variables. We further confirm the plausibility of persistence by explicitly testing the transmission mechanism of path-dependence in capabilities\, showing that when countries moved into new export lines\, they were more likely to move into products that were proximate to ones they already exported. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Bio: Gregor Semieniuk is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy and Department of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research focuses on structural change and economic development in the context of climate change and its mitigation\, and he often studies these problems through the lens of economic inequality. Gregor’s work has been published in 24 peer-reviewed articles including multiple times in Nature Climate Change and Nature Energy\, and four of them are among the top 1% cited in their field according to Web of Science. Gregor’s work is often mentioned in the media\, including the Financial Times\, Guardian\, Bloomberg and the Economist\, and he has advised international organizations and testified before the Senate’s Committee on the Budget. From 2023 to 2025\, Gregor worked as a Senior Climate Change Economist on staff at the World Bank\, providing technical leadership on decarbonization strategies and industrial policy for clean tech investments with a focus on Eastern Europe. Before joining UMass Amherst\, Gregor was a Lecturer (the UK’s assistant professor) in Economics at SOAS University of London. \n\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s Research Seminar series is a weekly seminar that brings together researchers from across the academic spectrum who share an interest in growth and development. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/the-world-is-not-flat-persistence-in-the-hierarchy-of-economic-complexity-across-a-century-2/ CATEGORIES:Academic Research Seminars,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-20-at-1.08.12-PM.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251119T143000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251119T153000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20251107T203302Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251119T151235Z UID:17185-1763562600-1763566200@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Exiting the Resource Curse: The Political Economy of Natural Resource Management in Latin America DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nLatin America is one of the world’s most resource-rich regions\, with major oil reserves in Brazil\, Mexico\, and Venezuela\, abundant natural gas in Argentina and Bolivia\, and significant mineral deposits in Bolivia\, Colombia\, Chile\, and Peru. Yet\, natural resource management in the region is often shaped by shifting political and economic factors\, including ideological rifts and volatile commodity prices\, hindering consistent policy and institutional development to manage rents and foster broader economic development. \n\n\n\nOsmel Manzano will discuss the key challenges and opportunities for effective natural resource management in Latin America\, and its implications for economic development and productive diversification. \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Osmel Manzano\, Regional Economic Advisor for the Country Department for the Andean Group at the Inter-American Development Bank \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community. Refreshments will be served. The Zoom session is open to the public. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Bio: Osmel Manzano is an Adjunct Professor at the Walsh School of Foreign Service (Georgetown University) and the Elliot School of International Affairs (George Washington University). He is also Regional Economic Advisor for the Country Department for the Andean Group at the Inter-American Development Bank. He has taught courses on Macroeconomics\, Public Finance\, Energy Economics and Oil Economics. He is responsible for the economic work and macroeconomic monitoring of the IADB in the Andean Region. He has been working on the development challenges in Latin America\, with emphasis on resource abundance\, agriculture\, energy\, and growth and productivity. He has authored different publications on these subjects. Read more >> \n\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s “Development Talks” is a series of conversations with policymakers and academics working on economic growth and development in countries\, regions\, states\, and cities in the US and around the world. The seminar provides a platform for practitioners and researchers to discuss both economic growth and development and analytical work centered on policy. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/exiting-the-resource-curse-the-political-economy-of-natural-resource-management-in-latin-america/ LOCATION:Wexner 434 AB CATEGORIES:Development Talks,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Untitled-640-x-360-px.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251118T101500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251118T113000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20251111T141551Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T194659Z UID:17196-1763460900-1763465400@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:In Search of a D-ESG Framework for Emerging Markets: What about Environment? DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nLourdes Casanova will discuss the expanded ESG framework\, highlighting how sustainable growth in emerging economies requires aligning development\, environmental\, social\, and governance goals within corporate and policy strategies. \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Lourdes Casanova\, Senior Lecturer of Management at the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Business\, Cornell University \n\n\n\nPaper Abstract: “The Imperative of Growth: A D-ESG Framework” proposes an expanded ESG perspective integrating Development as a central dimension. The framework highlights how sustainable growth in emerging economies requires aligning development\, environmental\, social\, and governance goals within corporate and policy strategies. The discussion connects to our shared work on industrial policy\, sustainability\, and inclusive growth. \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community. The Zoom session is open to the public. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Bio: Lourdes Casanova is the co-author (with Anne Miroux) of the Emerging Market Multinationals Report (2016–2024)\, co-editor of From Copycats to Leaders: Innovation from Emerging Markets (Cambridge University Press)\, and co-author of The Era of Chinese Multinationals and Entrepreneurship and the Finance of Innovation in Emerging Markets (Elsevier). She is also the author of Global Latinas: Latin America’s Emerging Multinationals (Palgrave Macmillan\, 2009). In addition\, she serves on the Global Future Council on the Future of Economic Growth at the World Economic Forum and is a Trustee of Canning House. Read More >> \n\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s Research Seminar series is a weekly seminar that brings together researchers from across the academic spectrum who share an interest in growth and development. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/in-search-of-a-d-esg-framework-for-emerging-markets-what-about-environment/ LOCATION:Perkins Room (R429) – Rubenstein 4th Floor CATEGORIES:Academic Research Seminars,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/lourdes_casanova_lc683.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251117T101500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251117T113000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20251111T141154Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T193834Z UID:17194-1763374500-1763379000@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Investment in Infrastructure and Trade: The Case of Ports DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nTheodore Papageorgiou will discuss new research that quantifies the costs of port disruptions and evaluates transportation infrastructure investment. \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Theodore Papageorgiou\, Felter Family Professor of Economics at Boston College \n\n\n\nPaper Abstract: (joint with Giulia Brancaccio and Myrto Kalouptsidi) \n\n\n\nTransportation infrastructure is vital for the smooth functioning of international trade. Ports are a crucial gateway to this system: with more than 80% of trade carried by ships\, they shape trade costs\, and it is critical that they operate efficiently. Yet ports are susceptible to disruptions\, causing costly delays. With enormous budgets spent on infrastructure to alleviate these costs\, a key policy question emerges: in a world with high volatility\, what are the returns to investing in infrastructure? To address this question\, we introduce an empirical framework that combines insights from queueing theory to capture port technology\, with tools from demand estimation. We use our framework\, together with a collection of novel datasets\, to quantify the costs of disruptions and evaluate transportation infrastructure investment. Our analysis unveils four policy-relevant messages: (i) investing in port infrastructure can lead to substantial trade and welfare gains\, but only if targeted properly– in fact\, net of costs\, the marginal return to investment is positive at a minority of US ports; (ii) there are sizable spillovers across ports\, as investing in one port can decongest a wider set of ports\, suggesting that decision-making should not be decentralized to local authorities; (iii) the economies of scale arising from queuing would lead a planner to concentrate investment in large\, geographically dispersed megaports; (iv) macroeconomic volatility can drastically change returns to investment. \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community. The Zoom session is open to the public. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Bio: Theodore Papageorgiou’s recent research examines transportation markets\, their impact on global trade\, and the policies that can improve their efficiency and resilience. His work also analyzes the sources of disruptions and the optimal level of infrastructure investment. In addition\, he has investigated how occupations shape labor market outcomes\, the role of cities and firms in facilitating occupational matching\, and the role of learning in shaping firm performance. His research integrates insights and tools from labor economics\, macroeconomics\, spatial/urban economics\, and applied microeconomics more broadly. Read more >> \n\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s Research Seminar series is a weekly seminar that brings together researchers from across the academic spectrum who share an interest in growth and development. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/investment-in-infrastructure-and-trade-the-case-of-ports/ LOCATION:Wexner G02 CATEGORIES:Academic Research Seminars,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Theodore-Papageorgiou-e1649542481465.webp END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251105T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251105T114500 DTSTAMP:20260414T161411 CREATED:20251027T153911Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251105T135121Z UID:17020-1762338600-1762343100@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Green Growth by Design: The Science and Strategy of Greenplexity DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nA live demo and Q&A with Professor Ricardo Hausmann on the release of next-gen Greenplexity\, a groundbreaking data and strategy tool that reveals how countries can identify their most promising opportunities across ten value chains at the heart of the global energy transition. \n\n\n\nWe’ll also reveal the Greenplexity Index\, a new country ranking that spotlights which nations are building the broad\, complex green industries that will supply the world’s race to decarbonize. \n\n\n\nAdditional speakers:Annie White\, Director of Software ToolsKetan Ahuja\, Research Fellow \n\n\n\nModerator: Daniel Schrag\, Director of the Harvard University Center for the Environment \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community. Refreshments will be served. The Zoom session is open to the public. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/green-growth-by-design-the-science-and-strategy-of-greenplexity/ LOCATION:Democracy Lab 414AB CATEGORIES:Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/faculty_hausmann_ricardo_ms022_square_0.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251104T101500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251104T113000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161412 CREATED:20251028T165113Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251102T203423Z UID:17034-1762251300-1762255800@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Industrial Policy: Managing Trade-Offs to Promote Growth and Resilience DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s Research Seminar series is a weekly seminar that brings together researchers from across the academic spectrum who share an interest in growth and development. \n\n\n\nCountries increasingly seek to reshape their economies by targeting public support to specific firms and sectors. Their motives vary widely but often include an emphasis on developing strategic industries\, with a view to raising future productivity and growth\, and reducing reliance on imports in key sectors such as energy. Sebastian Wende\, an economist in the Economic Modeling team of the International Monetary Fund’s Research Department\, will discuss new research that leverages theoretical models\, empirical data\, and case studies to investigate the conditions under which such industrial policies are most likely to succeed.  \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community. The Zoom session is open to the public. \n\n\n\nAbstract: Countries are increasingly using industrial policy to reshape their economies by supporting strategic sectors and firms. Motivations include boosting productivity\, reducing reliance on imports—especially in energy—and enhancing resilience. Industrial policies can help jump-start domestic industries\, but their efficacy is sensitive to sector-specific characteristics that can be hard to determine in advance. And industrial policies present trade-offs. Onshoring production in a strategic sector might lead to higher consumer prices for a prolonged period. And the fiscal cost of industrial policy can be substantial at a time of elevated debt and constrained public finances. Even when sector-level outcomes are positive\, industrial policy can generate negative cross-sector spillovers and reduce overall productivity by drawing resources inefficiently away from sectors that are not targeted. Effective industrial policy requires careful targeting and implementation\, strong institutions\, complementary structural reforms\, and sound macroeconomic policy. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biography: Sebastian Wende is an economist in the Economic Modeling team of the IMF’s Research Department. His work includes both developing and harnessing models\, including the IMF’s Global Macroeconomic Model for the Energy Transition (GMMET\, featured in the Oct 2025 WEO Chp3) and the Global Dynamic Network Model (used in the Oct 2024 WEO Chp2). He has both extensive public and private sector experience\, having worked at the Australian Treasury\, BHP\, and the Reserve Bank of Australia. Sebastian is motivated by enhancing welfare through public policy and fascinated by macro dynamics. He has a PHD from the Australian National University in computational macroeconomics\, focusing on tax efficiency in when financial frictions\, and heterogeneity of households and firms are accounted for. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/industrial-policy-managing-trade-offs-to-promote-growth-and-resilience/ LOCATION:HYBRID Perkins Rubenstein 429 / Zoom CATEGORIES:Academic Research Seminars,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1655455097964.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251030T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251030T130000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161412 CREATED:20251027T152405Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251029T162444Z UID:17017-1761825600-1761829200@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:AI and Economic Development: Opportunities\, Challenges\, and Policy Implications DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nAs artificial intelligence capabilities advance rapidly\, they are beginning to reshape patterns of economic development\, productivity growth\, and labor markets around the world. The emergence of open-source AI is transforming how these technologies diffuse across economies and who can access them. These shifts raise fundamental questions about which sectors and regions will benefit most and what policy frameworks are needed to navigate them. \n\n\n\nThomas Wolf\, Co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Hugging Face\, will discuss how AI is influencing dynamics in economic development\, and explore the key challenges facing policymakers and researchers as they work to understand and guide these transformations. HuggingFace operates the leading open platform for collaboration in AI. \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Thomas Wolf\, Co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Hugging Face \n\n\n\nModerator: Pierre-Alex Balland\, Visiting Fellow at the Growth Lab\, and Chief Data Scientist at the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community. The Zoom session is open to the public. \n\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s “Development Talks” is a series of conversations with policymakers and academics working on economic growth and development in countries\, regions\, states\, and cities in the US and around the world. The seminar provides a platform for practitioners and researchers to discuss both economic growth and development and analytical work centered on policy. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/ai-and-economic-development-opportunities-challenges-and-policy-implications/ LOCATION:Allison Dining Room (T-520) CATEGORIES:Development Talks,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/thom-wolf-professional_headshot-copy64.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251021T101500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251021T113000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161412 CREATED:20251016T170043Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251016T204410Z UID:16872-1761041700-1761046200@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Research Seminar: Real Effects of Academic Research Revisited DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s Research Seminar series is a weekly seminar that brings together researchers from across the academic spectrum who share an interest in growth and development \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Adam Jaffe\, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Brandeis University\, Chair of the National Academies Board on Science\, Technology\, and Economic Policy \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community. The Zoom session is open to the public. \n\n\n\nAbstract: This Chapter surveys the findings of social science research on the contribution of universities to innovation and economic growth\, both locally/regionally and globally. In the last several decades research has demonstrated universities’ causal effects through the mechanisms of knowledge creation\, education and training of students and technology transfer/entrepreneurship. \n\n\n\nThe Chapter summarizes how the literature has studied these mechanisms in different disciplines and industrial sectors. The depth and breadth of understanding have been advanced by new microdata and new methods of linking data across inventions\, scientists and institutions\, and by application of methods from network science. These findings have implications for public policy to foster innovation both regionally and globally. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Bio: Adam Jaffe is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Brandeis University and chair of the National Academies Board on Science\, Technology\, and Economic Policy. At Brandeis\, he served as Chair of Economics and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He was previously Co-Chair of The OECD Global Science Forum Experts’ Group on “Effective Operation of Competitive Research Funding Systems\,” and was the founding Coordinator of the National Bureau of Economic Research Innovation Information Initiative (“I3”). Jaffe is currently an Editor for Research Policy. He is the co-author of two books\, Innovation and its Discontents and Patents\, citations\, and innovations: A window on the knowledge economy. He holds an S.B. in chemistry and S.M. in technology and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/research-seminar-real-effects-of-academic-research-revisited/ LOCATION:HYBRID Perkins Rubenstein 429 / Zoom CATEGORIES:Academic Research Seminars,Hybrid ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/jaffe-adam.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T113000 DTSTAMP:20260414T161412 CREATED:20251006T183900Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251007T211107Z UID:16783-1759831200-1759836600@growthlab.hks.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Job Transformation\, Specialization\, and the Labor Market Effects of AI DESCRIPTION:Development Talks Hybrid\n\n\nThe Growth Lab’s Research Seminar series is a weekly seminar that brings together researchers from across the academic spectrum who share an interest in growth and development. \n\n\n\nSpeaker: Lukas Freund\, Assistant Professor of Economics at Boston College \n\n\n\nWhether attending in person or virtually\, please register in advance. Room attendance is permitted for the Harvard community. The Zoom session is open to the public. \n\n\n\nAbstract: Who will gain and who will lose as AI automates tasks? While much of the discourse focuses on job displacement\, we show that job transformation—a shift in the task content of jobs—creates large and heterogeneous earnings effects. We develop a quantitative\, task-based model where occupations bundle multiple tasks and workers with heterogeneous portfolios of task-specific skills select into occupations by comparative advantage. Automation shifts the relative importance of tasks within each occupation\, inducing wage effects that we characterize analytically. To quantify these effects\, we measure the task content of jobs using natural language processing and estimate the distribution of task-specific skills. We construct projections of automation effects due to large language models (LLMs)\, exploiting a mapping between model tasks and automation exposure measures. Within highly exposed occupations\, like office and administrative roles\, workers specialized in information-processing tasks leave and suffer wage losses. By contrast\, those specialized in customer-facing and coordination tasks stay and experience wage gains as work rebalances toward their strengths. Our findings challenge the common assumption that automation exposure equates to wage losses; and highlight that AI\, through job transformation\, may be disruptive even absent job displacement.   \n\n\n\nAbout the Speaker: Lukas Freund is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Boston College. His research focuses on macroeconomics\, technological change\, and labor markets. Before joining Boston College\, Lukas was a postdoctoral scholar at Columbia University. He obtained his PhD at Cambridge University\, as a Gates Scholar\, and his undergraduate degree from Oxford University. He also held visiting positions at the OECD\, Bank of England\, and Deutsche Bundesbank.  \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n Share URL:https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/event/job-transformation-specialization-and-the-labor-market-effects-of-ai/ LOCATION:Perkins Room (R429) – Rubenstein 4th Floor CATEGORIES:Academic Research Seminars,Hybrid END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR