Have globalization and rapid technological development given developing countries unprecedented opportunities to improve the lives of their citizens, or have they instead just led to an inexorable rise in income and wealth inequality? The East Asia and Pacific Region has come to symbolize how rapid, broadly shared, growth can improve the lives of millions. Yet past successes also mean that expectations are running high that growth will continue to deliver significant improvements in welfare in an increasingly challenging global environment. Concerns have also been raised about a possible growing divide between the prospering middle-class and pockets of the poor and vulnerable left behind. This panel discussion brings together senior policymakers and policy analysts from East Asia and beyond to talk about their countries’ recent experiences and lessons learned in this area.

At a public event at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim will outline the opportunities and challenges facing the economic development of Indonesia and East Asia, and how the World Bank Group can help end extreme poverty and share prosperity more widely in the region.