On Wednesday, April 2, at 4 PM in the Alcoa Room of Barco Law Building (Room 229), Vijayendra Rao will present, “Doing Policy that Prioritizes People: The Challenge of Reflexivism.” The talk will explore why traditional international policies often fail to address people’s real needs and will introduce a new approach called “Reflexivism,” which emphasizes listening directly to communities, helping people overcome inequalities related to power, decision-making, and their aspirations. Rao will share examples from India, illustrating how local democracy and citizen-driven research can create meaningful, lasting improvements in people’s lives.
Vijayendra Rao, is a Lead Economist in the Development Research Group of the World Bank who works at the intersection of scholarship and practice. He integrates his training in economics with theories and methods from anthropology, sociology, and political science to study the social, cultural, and political context of extreme poverty in developing countries.
This talk is part of the Reimagining Development Assistance Project at the Center for Governance and Markets.