Two-way learning

Long-standing connections among members of the Poverty Research Network’s organizing team have contributed to the strength of the program. For example, John Whalley, whose engagement with China stretches back more than 20 years, is a familiar face in Beijing. The University of Western Ontario professor of economics and CIGI Distinguished Fellow coordinates the program at the Canadian end and also mentors several of the young scholars.

Of the 15 mentors, nine are from China, four from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, and one each from the University of Oxford in Britain and Jawaharlal Nehru University in India.
Leading economists have presented papers at a seminar series on poverty and inequality hosted by network coordinator Li Shi at Beijing Normal University. Government officials have sometimes attended the seminars, which have also given the young scholars a venue to present an early draft of their paper for critique.

The current phase of the Poverty Research Network winds up in the first half of 2009. Over the past three years, the young scholars have taken advantage of opportunities provided by the network to present, polish, and publish their work. They have forged useful new connections with their peers, and been guided by preeminent experts in their field.

But the intergenerational learning has not all been one-way. The young researchers are more adept at using the latest econometric techniques and software, so senior scholars also learn from them, Li Shi notes.

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