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INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR

SOCIAL CAPITAL, ETHICS AND DEVELOPMENT
NEW CHALLENGES


Date: Monday 25 and Thursday 26, November, 2002
Place: Bolivian Catholic University - La Paz, Bolivia

Organized by:

THE INTER-AMERICAN INITIATIVE ON SOCIAL CAPITAL, ETHICS AND DEVELOPMENT OF
THE INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
(Established with the support of Norway Government)

BOLIVIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

THE ANDEAN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

REPRESENTATION OF THE INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK IN BOLIVIA

NATIONAL GOVERNANCE PROGRAM (PRONAGOB)

I. THE ETHICS OF DEVELOPMENT, A FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE

The Latin American community is showing an increasingly strong concern for the ethics of development. Their interest is not limited to the theme of corruption; it is much broader. Latin Americans demand the eradication of all corrupt practices, but at the same time, they question what kind of society the ongoing development process generates. The masses are challenging their government to act without further delay to overcome poverty, to provide adequate care for children, to protect the family, to furnish opportunities for youths, and to address gender inequality issues. They demand that their officials formally address basic ethical issues, that they work to overcome discrimination against indigenous communities, African American groups, people with disabilities, and against the elderly.

The demands of the community are aimed at certain concrete goals. The community requests that the main actors in development efforts take on all of the ethical responsibilities that are their duty, and that they do so immediately. They desire ethical behavior from political leaders, social responsibility in private enterprises, dedicated public servants working for the interests of the general population, ethical behavior from union leaders, NGOs, universities and all kinds of organizations of civil society.

On the other hand, in the sphere of economics, there is an increasingly active dialog related to the need to recover the relationship between ethics and economics for analytical purposes. The two fields were closely related when economics was founded, and the recreation of this strong link between the fields is a top priority. Nobel Prize recipient Amartya Sen has emphasized that the distance between ethics and economics has been to the detriment of economics.

The interest in the relationship between ethics and economics has been fueled by the development of a new, related field of analysis, that of social capital. Social capital revalorizes and puts the invisible aspects of development at the center of the development debate. These invisible aspects include interpersonal trust, the associative capacity of a society, the levels of community conscience, and the predominant values embraced by a society.

The themes of social capital, ethics and development can enrich the Latin American debate about the path of development and contribute in an effective way to the design of public policies and to the action of principle social actors. In this effort, universities can play an important role if they incorporate the themes of social capital, ethics, and development into their curricula .

This International Seminar is an effort to incorporate these innovative themes into the schools of economics and administration, so that those in the field can further a debate on these themes and the responsibilities of the university in teaching these topics.

The seminar has been created by uniting the efforts of the Inter-American Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics and Development, created by the Inter-American Development Bank with the support of the government of Norway, The Andean Development Corporation, the Bolivian Catholic University, the Representation of the Inter-American Development Bank in Bolivia, and the National Governance Program (PRONAGOB). The Initiative's aim is to promote in the entire region the investigation, analysis and discussion of the ethical challenges of development and social capital. To that end, this Initiative has constructed a network of integrated academic centers from many universities of Latin America, Europe, and the United States. The Bolivian Catholic University, which undertakes vigorous social and academic efforts, has this purpose as part of their central mission.

The Andean Development Corporation, which is vigorously active in the promotion of development, is also highly involved in promoting keys themes such as governance and social capital.

All these groups believe that this is a debate that cannot be postponed. As has been suggested by the people of the region, this debate has long been necessary, but has been put off. As such, Latin American universities can and should play a decisive role in initiating this important debate.

II. WORKING PROGRAM

Monday, November 25, 2002

• Carlos Gerke. President of the Bolivian Catholic University.
  
  
• Carlos Mesa Gisbert. Vice President of Bolivia.
  
  
• Carlos Melo. Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank in Bolivia.
  
  
• Paulo Paiva. Vice President of Planning and Administration of the Inter-American Development Bank.
  
  
• Elvira Lupo. Director of Governance and Technical Cooperation of the Andean Development Corporation.
  
  
• Bernardo Kliksberg. General Coordinator of the Inter-American Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics and Development.
  

• Bernardo Kliksberg. General Coordinator of the Inter-American Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics and Development.

• Joan Prats I Catalá. Director of the United Nations' Institute of Governance, Barcelona, Spain.

• Guillermo Justiniano. Ministry of Sustainable Development.
  

• Elvira Lupo. Director of Governance and Technical Cooperation of the Andean Development Corporation.
  
  
• Walter Guevara. Superintendent of Civil Service in Bolivia.
  
  
• José Itzigsohn. Professor and Researcher, Brown University, United States.
  
  
• Luis Fuenmayor. Director of the Planning Office of the University Sector (OPSU), Venezuela.

• Jorge Etkin. Director of Business Administration, School of Economic Sciences, National University of Buenos Aires.
  
  
• François Vallaeys. Professor, Catholic University of Perú.
  

Tuesday, November 26, 2002

• Mirtha Quevedo. President of the Senate, Bolivia.

• José Pisconte. Founding Associate of the Higher School of Municipal Management, Officer of the Municipality of Villa El Salvador, Perú.

• Alicia Cytrynblum. Director of Tercer Sector Magazine, Argentina.

• Guillermo Pou Munt. Member of the Institute for Studies of Professional Ethics.

• Jorge Chamón and Juan Carlos Amurrio. Members of the Institute for Studies of Professional Ethics of the Bolivian Catholic University.

• Bernardo Kliksberg. General Coordinator of the Inter-American Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics and Development.
  

• Alejandro Blacutt. Director of the Department of Administration of the Bolivian Catholic University.
  
  
• Marcelo Siles. Co-Director of the Initiative on Social Capital, Michigan State University, United States.
  
  
• Ignacio Moreno León. President of Metropolitan University, Venezuela.
  

• Armando Díaz-Romero. Representative of the Institute for Studies of Professional Ethics.
  
  
• Bernardo Kliksberg. General Coordinator of the Inter-American Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics and Development.
  
  
• Elvira Lupo. Director of Governance and Technical Cooperation of the Andean Development Corporation.

III. ORGANIZATION

El Seminario es organizado conjuntamente por el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, a través de su Iniciativa Interamericana de Capital Social, Ética y Desarrollo, la Universidad Católica Boliviana (UCB), la Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF), la Representación del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo en Bolivia y el Programa Nacional de Gobierno (PRONAGOB).

Inter-American Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics and Development
Wep page: www.iadb.org/etica/ingles/index-i.htm
Email: etica@iadb.org
Fax: (202) 312-4058.

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