International Development Speaker Series

RAND International Research and Analysis supports the International Development Speaker Series (IDSS) organized by doctoral students at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. The series offers the opportunity for people interested in the field of international development to attend seminars by leading experts in the field.

Recent Events

History of the Series

IDSS provides a forum for visiting policymakers, scholars and development practitioners to stimulate research ideas and dialogue on international development-related topics.

Created in 2008 by three doctoral fellows at the Pardee RAND Graduate School (PRGS), the series alternates between panels of RAND researchers and external speakers.

Recent speakers include Dr. Francis Fukuyama, political scientist and best-selling author; Dr. Edward Miguel, economist and author; Dr. Esther Duflo, Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, and Dr. Joseph Nye, former Dean of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Our audience consists of PRGS students as well as RAND researchers with an interest in international development. The great majority of the audience has some form of training in economics or statistics.

The speaker series are typically hosted at the RAND Corporation headquarters in Santa Monica during a weekday lunch hour, although alternative time slots are used. The program lasts approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. At the beginning of the presentation, an IDSS member or a RAND researcher introduces our guest speaker. The speaker then delivers a 45-55 minutes presentation followed by 15 to 20 minutes of audience Q&A.

How to get involved?

IDSS is open to anyone interested in development topics. More information about how to attend the seminars or recommend upcoming speakers can be found on the IDSS Mailing List page.