Handbook of Development Economics Conference

The Handbook of Development Economics serves as a seminal reference text, bringing together in-depth analyses from leading scholars and covering a wide range of development challenges faced by low- and middle-income countries. Economists Pascaline Dupas, Penny Goldberg, and Rohini Pande are co-editing the upcoming (sixth) edition of the Handbook of Development Economics, which will include 15 chapters on a range of pressing topics, from technology and international trade to state capacity and climate change, by pioneering researchers who have advanced the frontiers of knowledge in these domains.

On September 4-5, 2025, the Yale Economic Growth Center and Yale Inclusion Economics, in collaboration with the MacMillan Center’s South Asian Studies Council, organized a Handbook Conference hosted at Yale University. Each session focused on a chapter from the forthcoming Handbook, featuring a presentation by one of the chapter’s authors on their in-progress work, highlighting key learnings and takeaways, and reflecting on the broader literature. Presentations were followed by discussant remarks and open discussion.

Given the evolving nature of the international development landscape, this convening provided an opportunity to take stock of the lessons we have learnt, highlight the progress we have made in different domains and regions - from sub-Saharan Africa to South Asia - alongside identifying key policy-relevant challenges and questions for future research.

This conference received support from the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University, the Edward J. and Dorothy Clarke Kempf Memorial Fund and the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale, and the Economic Growth Center.

• Handbook of Development Economics Conference
• Date: September 4-5, 2025
• Organizers: Yale Economic Growth Center, Yale Inclusion Economics, MacMillan Center South Asian Studies Council
• Location: On campus, Yale University

Conference Program