Readers in the Washington, D.C., area may wish to check out a workshop being held by the World Bank later this week. On
October 25-26, the Bank will host a meeting on "Using History to Inform Development Policy: The Role of Archives." Among the many speakers are business historians Michele Alacevich, William H. Becker, Stephanie Decker, Alexander Field, and Gianni Toniolo. As the organizers explain,
the "Using History to Inform Development Policy" workshop will bring together World Bank staff, outside scholars whose research has benefited from the opening of archives of the World Bank and other international
agencies, and the development community. Through a combination of case studies and thematic papers participants will explore how history strengthens the effectiveness of development work and discuss the benefits of using methodological tools from different social sciences—a mixture of narrative techniques and economic analysis. . . . The workshop is also a showcase to present the holdings of the World Bank archives, a vast repository of primary documents not only on the institution but also on the history of the member countries and development policy, and to explore future opportunities of collaboration with international scholars and archivists.
Several of the papers are available on-line, and the program is available
here. A full explanation and access to location information and the registration form are available on the
Workshop website.
