​TOPIC A: THE WORRYING WORLD OF WORK: ADDRESSING REALITIES OF (UN)EMPLOYMENT IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH

​

Many social protection systems in highly industrialised countries are designed under the assumption that unemployment is a temporary condition, and that full-time formal employment is the norm. What happens when this assumption doesn't hold? Long-term structural unemployment and a bustling informal economy are features in many countries, particularly in the Global South. What might development policies and social protection systems in this world of work look like? Are there paradigms in the international development space that need to be challenged and reformulated? 

 

​

TOPIC B: THE COST OF INTELLIGENCE: AI IN A RESOURCE-LIMITED WORLD

​

The advent and explosion of artificial intelligence has impacted every aspect of our lives. For better or worse, demand for it is only growing. In order to keep up, resources are being depleted. Water, raw materials, electricity—countries must grapple with the real environmental and socioeconomic costs that being part of this technological race incurs. How will the resource-heavy nature of increasing AI reliance measure up to the resource-limited status quo? How should governments approach development policy to ensure that both people and the environment are protected?

​​​

CHAIR: Maki Flauta

​​