World Bank Group & GWU Workshop Series – Housing in Developing Urban Areas

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The Institute for International Economic Policy is pleased to announce Workshop 7 of the World Bank Group–GWU Livable and Sustainable Cities Workshop Series, Housing in Developing Urban Areas: The Respective Roles of the Private and Public Housing Sectors, taking place on Thursday, November 19th, 2026 at the World Bank (MC C2-350) and online via Zoom.

The WBG–GWU Livable and Sustainable Cities workshop series brings together academics and development practitioners to present and discuss questions relating to sustainable urbanization. Each workshop in the series focuses on a particular topic relating to cities in developing countries. The workshops are hosted by the World Bank (Urban, Subnational Finance, Tourism and Disaster Management Global Department) and George Washington University (Institute for International Economic Policy; Department of Economics).

Workshop Agenda:

First Session — Chair: Tanner Regan (GWU)

8:30-8:35 a.m. – Opening Remarks

• Angelica Nunez (Manager, Urban, Subnational Finance, Tourism and Disaster Management – Policies & Regulation Unit, World Bank)

8:35-9:00 a.m. – Policy Keynote

• Catherine Lynch (Global Lead for Housing, World Bank)

9:00-9:07 a.m. – Academic Reflections 1: “Hong Kong Experience”

• Michael Wong (University of Hong Kong)

9:07-9:14 a.m. – Academic Reflections 2: “Singapore Experience”

• Jing Li (Singapore Management University)

9:14-9:30 a.m. – Q&A
9:30-9:50 a.m. – Academic Talk: “Public Housing and Juvenile Crime: Evidence from a Large-scale Lottery”

• Valentina Duque (American University)

9:50-9:55 a.m. – Discussant

• Paula Restrepo Cadavid (Lead Urban Specialist, World Bank)

9:55-10:05 a.m. – Q&A
10:05-10:25 a.m. – Policy Talk: “Multiphase Approach to Strengthening the Housing Sector in El Salvador”

• Karima Ben Bih (Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, World Bank)

10:25-10:30 a.m. – Discussant

• Daniel Agness (University of Maryland)

10:30-10:40 a.m. – Q&A
10:40-11:00 a.m. – Coffee break

Second Session — Chair: Simon Walley (Lead Financial Specialist, World Bank)

11:00-11:20 a.m. – Policy Talk: “Angola Secondary Cities Support Program”

• Diana Tello (Senior Urban Specialist, World Bank)

11:20-11:25 a.m. – Discussant

• Sarah Winton (Dartmouth College)

11:25-11:30 a.m. – Q&A
11:30 a.m.-12:05 p.m. – Academic Keynote

• Matthew A. Turner (Professor of Economics, Brown University)

12:05-12:10 p.m. – Discussant

• Leah Brooks (GWU)

12:10-12:15 p.m. – Policy Discussant

• Yan Zhang (Senior Urban Specialist, World Bank)

12:15-12:35 p.m. – Q&A
12:35 p.m. – Closing Remarks

• Mark Roberts (Global Lead for Urban Economics & Analytics, World Bank)

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