LACEA (The Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association) is the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) representative of the Global Development Network (GDN). Since its inception in 1999, GDN has supported and linked research institutes that generate, share and apply knowledge about development. It was founded on the premise that good policy research, properly applied, can accelerate development and improve people’s lives. GDN’s approach to policy relevant research is a multidisciplinary one, in that efforts to address development challenges must be informed by knowledge based on a variety of methodological approaches. In 2005, GDN relocated its Secretariat from Washington DC to New Delhi, India.

GDN sponsors five core activities, which together serve the goals of investing in human capital, unearthing and mentoring new talent and advancing development policies in developing and transition countries.

Regional Research Competitions (RRCs)

Held every year by GDN’s regional network partners in eight regions to promote high-quality research in developing and transition countries, GDN had disbursed more than $19 million and awarded more than 800 grants through this program.

Global Development Awards and Medals Competition (GDAs)

The largest annual international competition for researchers on development, each year roughly $300,000 is awarded in grants to researchers and development practitioners from developing countries. More than 3,000 scholars have participated in this competition to date.

Global Research Projects (GRPs)

Major projects involving research teams worldwide address the most pressing issues of development. Till date, four projects have been implemented within the comparative, cross country context – Explaining Growth, Understanding Reform, Bridging Research and Policy and Impact of Rich Countries Policies on Poverty. The 265 grants awarded under the GRPs include country studies, thematic papers, regional syntheses and global studies.

Annual Global Development Conferences

GDN’s annual conferences provide a forum for the exchange of ideas on sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Of the 3681 participants from over 100 countries who have attended GDN’s seven annual conferences since 1999, nearly 2,500 were researchers from the developing world. GDN’s Eighth Annual Global Development Conference Shaping a New Global Reality: The Rise of Asia and its Implications will be held from January 14 – 16, 2006 in Beijing, China.

GDNet: The Electronic voice of GDN

GDN’s internet-based resource, GDNet is rapidly emerging as the primary depository of research output from the developing world with nearly 10,000 research papers available online. In addition, GDNet provides developing country researchers with online access to sophisticated research tools. The monthly newsletters GDNews and Research in Focus reach nearly 17,000 subscribers.

Managed by the secretariat in New Delhi, India, the GDN aims to link researchers around the global through its ten regional networks:

• Asia Pacific:
  http://www.gdn-japan.jbic.go.jp/
• South Pacific - Oceania
  http://www.gdn-oceania.org/
• East Asia:
  http://www.eadn.org/
• Eastern and Central Europe:
  http://www.cerge-ei.cz
• Europe:
  http://www.eudn.org
• Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States:
  http://www.eerc.ru
• Latin America and the Caribbean:
  http://www.lacea.org
• Middle East and North Africa:
  http://www.erf.org.eg
• South Asia:
  http://www.saneinetwork.org/
• Sub-Saharan Africa:
  http://www.aercafrica.org

Since the first year of funding from GDN, LACEA has worked through its own research networks and activities to achieve its goals and those of the GDN. In addition LACEA is showcasing GDN’s services such as a database of researchers, research organizations, publications and the GDN Data Initiative.