World Bank’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice President Professor Justin Lin Yifu will be the distinguished speaker of this year’s Eminent Speakers Series. The event will be held at the Singapore Conference Hall on 25 June 2009 at 4.30pm.
The Eminent Speakers Series is jointly organised by Lianhe Zaobao and Business China, and supported by the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Foundation. Back for the second year, the Series invites prominent personalities who are highly regarded authorities in their respective fields to share their unique perspectives and insights on a broad range of topics, including current affairs, politics, business, economics, media, culture and the arts.
Launched last year, the inaugural Eminent Speakers Series featured Mr Yau Lop Poon, Editor-in-Chief of Yazhou Zhoukan and Mr Nan Fangshuo, Taiwan’s leading political commentator.
This year’s event features Professor Justin Lin Yifu, who will speak on the topic “Beyond Keynesianism: A Global Challenge for Development” and discuss how it is crucial for governments of developing countries to provide the necessary reforms and supports to foster economic growth.
Dr Tony Tan, Chairman of SPH and SPH Foundation, said: “Supporting the Eminent Speakers Series is in line with the foundation’s objective of promoting life-long learning in the community. It is our honour to have Professor Justin Lin, World Bank’s Chief Economist and a leading expert on economic development, as this year’s Eminent Speaker. He will be sharing with us his views and understanding on the government’s role in fostering economic growth in the current economic climate.”
Mr Chua Thian Poh, Chairman of Business China, said: “Professor Lin is aptly qualified to address us in this respect. He is effectively bilingual and bi-cultural and had played key roles in China’s economic modernization. Last year, he became the first Chinese to be appointed as the Chief Economist in The World Bank. It is therefore our privilege to have Professor Lin to share his expertise with us and hear from him first hand this afternoon. Eminent Speakers Series is a platform to enhance Singapore’s global connectivity and this is in line with Business China’s vision.”
Professor Lin’s lecture will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience, comprising business leaders, policy makers, researchers, academics, and media practitioners.
The talk is chaired by Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
About Professor Lin Yifu
Professor Justin Lin Yifu joined the World Bank as Chief Economist and Senior Vice President in June 2008, after serving 15 years as Professor and Founding Director of the China Centre for Economic Research (CCER) at Peking University. He received his PhD in economics from the University of Chicago and is the author of a number of books on China. Among his many public roles in China, Prof Lin served as deputy of China’s People’s Congress and Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.