Leading global academics participate in IFMR GSB Research Symposium on Inclusion and Sustainability
IFMR Graduate School of Business (GSB) at Krea University organised a one-day virtual Research Symposium, focusing on ‘Inclusion’ and ‘Sustainability’. The event had a commendable line-up of sessions by eminent speakers, researchers and practitioners from India and across the globe, sharing their research and findings through seminars, distinguished lectures and showcase events.
IFMR GSB’s Research Symposium 2020 touched upon a wide range of topical issues and themes such as Financial Inclusion, Sustainable Finance, FinTech, and Digital Inclusion. Students, faculty, researchers and several attendees witnessed presentations and evidence-based research that answered burning questions on inclusion and sustainable development in our societies. Speakers from the United States of America, Singapore, London, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Switzerland and other parts of the world brought multiple perspectives to the discussion, exchanging ideas and sharing their point of view and ways to move forward.
Dr Shobha Das, Dean-IFMR Graduate School of Business, in her welcome address, highlighted the three meanings of inclusion that the symposium aims to define – social, financial, and digital inclusion. “During the COVID-19 crisis, we have seen and learnt about the problems that may arise when there is exclusion and unsustainable practices. Therefore, in IFMR GSB’s Research Symposium 2020, we have chosen two topics – Inclusion and Sustainability. These are two topics relevant for societies, important for businesses that operate in our society and are well aligned with the values of Krea University.”
Vice-Chancellor of Krea University, Dr Sunder Ramaswamy shared in his opening message about the relevance of hosting symposiums in today’s world and how it helps take the discussion forward. “The mission of Krea is to prepare humanity for an unpredictable world. When we designed it, we had no idea that 2020 would really test that mission statement. We’re in the midst of three crises – a health crisis, an economic crisis, and a social justice crisis. I think all of us are just waiting for 2020 to get behind us so that we can start the new year on a different note. But these issues will be there with us in the next year and we need to work out ways to effectively address them. Conferences and symposiums like this are critical in terms of finding solutions to the various facets of exclusion and the impact these facets have on sustainability,” he shared, ending his message with the philosophy of renowned American economist Alan Blinder on ‘hard heads and soft hearts’.
Prof Karthik Muralidharan, Tata Chancellor’s Professor of Economics from the University of California, San Diego, was the keynote speaker of the symposium. His keynote address focused on an inclusive growth dividend, shedding light on the role of income transfers in India’s development strategy. “It’s a great honour to be a part of a conference of such an important and timely theme. The economic impacts of the pandemic have been highly unequal and it’s unambiguously clear that the working class have been, by far, terribly affected. Rebuilding the economy on a sustainable footing will require attention to both growth and inclusion,” he shared, where he moved on to explain conceptual issues, design scopes and classes of policies that can promote both equity and efficiency.
Academics from reputed Indian institutions, entrepreneurs and representatives of the Indian government and IFMR’s own cutting-edge research centres were active participants, too, sharing reports and insights on inequalities and exclusions in the Indian context.
Thought leaders such as Dr Avik Sarkar from the Indian School of Business, Prof Lore Vandewalle from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies – Geneva, Prof Alex Edmans from the Centre for Corporate Governance – London Business School, and Dr Charity Troyer Moore from MacMillan Center – Yale University, discussed, in their respective seminars and lectures, a range of topics such as the importance of a valuable data source, how companies deliver purpose and profits effectively, banking and savings in rural India, the impact of strengthening women’s financial control and lots more.
In addition to discussing policies and reforms in the country, the symposium also put the spotlight on various Indian government initiatives. Rama Devi Lanka – Director, Emerging Technologies, Officer on Special Duty, ITE&C Dept, Government of Telangana – shared her insights on the government’s contribution to inclusion in technology. In her session, she shared her experience of developing a strategy, toolkit and procurement guidelines to enable cloud adoption by various state and central government departments. With respect to Fintech in agriculture, in her session, Suniti Nanda – Fintech Officer, Government of Maharashtra – shed light on how multiple Fintech companies are gearing up to build businesses to support agriculture.
