PRB

PRB and the Population and Poverty Research Network (PopPov) co-hosted the “Canning-Karra-Wilde (CKW) Model Workshop: Policy Implications for African Development” workshop at Harvard University on May 11 and 12, 2017. A macroeconomic model that estimates the impact of fertility declines on economic growth, the CKW Model was developed by PopPov researchers David Canning and Mahesh Karra from Harvard University and Joshua Wilde from University of South Florida.

The workshop encouraged researchers in Africa to use the CKW Model in country-level policy planning by providing instruction on using the model, interpreting policy implications of the results, and communicating these to policymakers in Africa. The workshop also provided an opportunity for the authors of the model to receive feedback from African researchers on the model’s applicability to various countries in Africa and suggestions for improvements.

The three authors of the model presented and facilitated the workshop, assisted by two PRB staff—senior program director, Marlene Lee and senior research associate, Toshiko Kaneda. The 12 workshop participants included doctoral students and early-career researchers in economics, sociology, and demography from countries across Africa, including Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

With a short advance-planning period, PRB relied heavily on its network of Policy Communication Fellow alumni to successfully attract participants to the workshop. PRB reached out to alumni studying or working in the United States and Canada to invite them to participate in the workshop and to nominate other strong candidates from their networks. Four participants out of the 12 were former Fellows, while the remaining participants were referred by former Fellows.

The workshop took place over a day and a half at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies and included a technical overview of the CKW Model and discussion sessions covering comparisons with other demographic dividend models, country-specific results, applicability of results to planning and policymaking, and feedback on the model.

The workshop participants were a group of outstanding researchers who actively contributed to the discussions, making for a successful and productive meeting in which both the participants as well as the CKW Model authors learned significantly from each other.

For more information on the workshop, view:

• Slideshow