43rd FAEA Annual Conference

Keynote Address (Day 1)

Dr. Yasuyuki Sawada

Chief Economist
Asian Development Bank

Technology and Inclusion in Asia

The keynote address will discuss two closely-related challenges in Asia: rising inequality and the impact of technologies. As to the first challenge, growing income inequality is a global concern. Especially in the aftermath of the Asian and global financial crises, widened inequality has received a great deal of public attention. While income disparities across countries including Asia have narrowed significantly over the past several decades—thanks to the robust economic growth achieved by many low- and middle-income economies—, income gaps within countries, both advanced and developing, have widened. As a source of increasing inequality, there are a number of factors listed in the literature: 4th industrial revolution, globalization, and market deregulation. Notably, on the arrival of new technologies, demand for jobs that require non-routine cognitive tasks has grown faster than jobs requiring routine and manual tasks, widening wage disparities. A detailed analysis of selected Asian economies shows that over the past decade, wages have also grown faster in non-routine/cognitive types of jobs. This would create further income inequality. Hence, there are many ways in which governments can achieve inclusive growth. Supports to infrastructure investments are also critical in setting the “enabling” environment of inclusive growth.

Keynote Address (Day 2)

Dr. James Roumasset

Professor of Economics Emeritus
University of Hawaii, Manoa

Principled Populism: The Road from Disruption to Cooperation

Getting from division to cooperation requires making the best out of divergent ideologies. Right-wing populism seeks to boost the middle class through nativism while left-wing populists seek redistribution. Both are perceived to be protectionist. Both also see rent-seeking as the root of evil, but of very different types. Before finding fault with either philosophy, I attempt to put the best face on each, in the spirit of Charles Krauthammer and Andrew Natios. Finally, I will suggest how modest revisions in both views can promote greater domestic and international cooperation.

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For the details on the keynote addresses, click here on the following links:

Day 1 | Day 2