Most economists argue that increasing international trade contributes to economic growth and therefore to the alleviation of poverty. Beyond basic questions and theoretical costs and benefits, however, the relationship between trade and poverty becomes considerably more complicated. Even in the most successful cases, the impact of increased trade depends heavily on the condition of existing institutions, public investments in education and infrastructure, the presence of safety nets, and the impact of the world economy.
Who:

• Neil McCulloch, The World Bank Group Indonesia
  
• Ann Harrison, University of California at Berkeley
• Bruce Stokes, The National Journal
• Borany Penh, USAID
• Thomas Hertel, World Bank and Purdue University
• William Masters, Purdue University
• Caren Grown, International Center for Research on Women
• Sebastian Mallaby, The Washington Post
• Theodore Antwi-Asare, University of Ghana
• Debapriya Bhattacharya, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh
• Rebeca Grynspan, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, UN
• Rosario Bella Guzman, IBON Foundation, Philippines
• Aseema Sinha, Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Masood Ahmed, Director General, Policy and International, DFID
• Ruth Jacoby, Director-General for International Development Cooperation, Sweden
• Gawain Kripke, Oxfam
• Kamal Malhotra, UNDP
• Walter North, USAID

Where: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 6th floor Auditorium. The Woodrow Wilson Center is located in the Ronald Reagan Building at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.