Growth Versus Development: The Peruvian Example

In this Development Talk, Roberto Chang, Professor in the Department of Economics at Rutgers University and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, discusses his recently published books “Economia Peruana ¿Milagro o Ficción?” and “Los 10 Números Que Todo Peruano Debe Conocer” and explores relevant lessons for Peru and the developing world.

Speaker: Roberto Chang, Professor of Economics at Rutgers University, Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research

Moderator: Ricardo Villasmil, Senior Research Fellow, Growth Lab

The Startup State: What Drives Economies That Innovate

What does entrepreneurship really mean, and why does it matter? America has a unique entrepreneurial edge. Its innovation engine, shaped by culture, markets, and policy has powered some of the world’s most transformative Ideas. What makes it different, and why does it continue to matter today? This conversation with Howard Wolk dives into his book, “Launchpad Republic: America’s Entrepreneurial Edge and Why It Matters”, the “secret sauce” of entrepreneurship, and examines the past, present, and future of American innovation.

Speaker: Howard Wolk Co-CEO of The Cross Country Group (CCG)

Moderator: Yariv Gabay, Wolk fellow in the Center for Public Leadership and an MC/MPA 2026 candidate at HKS

Ecuador: Economic Reactivation at the Global Crossroads and the New Commercial Era

After a decade of stagnation, Ecuador finds itself at a critical yet promising moment to revitalize its economy. With its recent return to international markets and progress in strategic trade negotiations — such as those with the United States — the country has the opportunity to launch a new stage of economic and productive development.

In this Development Talk, Minister Luis Alberto Jaramillo discusses Ecuador’s economic outlook and, in particular, how, amid a backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions and the reconfiguration of global alliances, Ecuador seeks to redefine its positioning to attract investment, boost production, and secure a future of sustained growth and stability.

Speaker: Min. Luis Alberto Jaramillo, Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, and Investment, Ecuador

Moderator: Sebastián Bustos, Senior Research Fellow

Industrial Policy in Action: Lessons from Over a Decade at the Department of Energy

The 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.

Speaker: Garrett Nilsen, Co-Founder and Partner Waypoint Strategy Group

Moderator: Ketan Ahuja, Growth Lab Research Fellow

Getting Things Done: Issue Spotting in the Infrastructure Development Projects Ecosystem

In this Development Talk, Bill Dobbs shares a front‑row view of how public policy, governance, and engineering intersect in real‑world settings. He offers 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.

Speaker: Bill Dobbs, Former Civil and Structural Engineer and Project Manager

Moderator: Ricardo Hausmann, Director, Growth Lab

From Vacant Houses to Growth-Ready Capabilities: A Place-Based Growth Diagnostic

This 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. 

Speaker: Terrance Smith, Chief Innovation Officer for the city of Baltimore

Moderator: Tim O’Brien, Senior Manager, Applied Research

Exiting the Resource Curse: The Political Economy of Natural Resource Management in Latin America

In this Development talk, Osmel Manzano, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, discusses the key challenges and opportunities for effective natural resource management in Latin America, and its implications for economic development and productive diversification.

Speaker: Osmel Manzano, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service

Moderator: Lucas Lamby, Growth Lab Fellow

#DevTalks Green Growth by Design: The Science and Strategy of Greenplexity

A 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.

Speakers:
Ricardo Hausmann, Director, Growth Lab

Annie White, Director of Software Tools

Ketan Ahuja, Research Fellow

Moderator: Daniel Schrag, Director of the Harvard University Center for the Environment

AI and Economic Development: An Open-Source Angle on Opportunities, Challenges, and Policy Implications

Thomas Wolf, Co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Hugging Face, discusses 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.

Speaker: Thomas Wolf, Co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Hugging Face

Moderator: Pierre-Alex Balland, Visiting Fellow at the Growth Lab, and Chief Data Scientist at the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

A Computational View of Life and Intelligence

“Life” and “intelligence” are terms with heavily contested meanings. In this discussion, Blaise Agüera y Arcas, VP/Fellow, CTO of Technology & Society at Google offers a novel, unified perspective on both, life and intelligence as described in his new book, What Is Intelligence?: Lessons from AI About Evolution, Computing, and Minds.

Speaker: Blaise Agüera y Arcas, VP/Fellow, CTO of Technology & Society at Google

Moderator: Ricardo Hausmann, Director Harvard’s Growth Lab