AMES, Iowa — An expert on the world's developing markets and poorest populations, bestselling author Paul Collier will discuss his latest book —an analysis of immigration and its impacts— in a talk at Iowa State University on Oct. 15.
Collier's presentation, "How Migration is Changing Our World," will be at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. It is part of the university's World Affairs Series, and is free and open to the public.
At Oxford University, Paul Collier is a professor of economics and public policy and director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. His research covers the causes and consequences of civil war, the effects of aid, and the problems of democracy in low-income and natural resource-rich societies. During a five-year public service leave, Collier was director of the World Bank's research development department. In 2008, he was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services to scholarship and development.
The Economist magazine describes Collier as "one of the world's most thoughtful economists," saying that his "books consistently illuminate and provoke." He is the author of "The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It," "The Plundered Planet: Why We Must - and How We Can - Manage Nature for Global Prosperity," "War Guns and Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places" and several others. Published this month, "Exodus: How Migration is Changing Our World," clearly and concisely lays out the effects of encouraging or restricting migration. Collier examines this explosive issue from three perspectives: the migrants, the people they leave behind and the societies where they relocate.
Collier also is advisor to the strategy and policy department of the IMF and to the Africa region of the World Bank. He regularly writes columns and commentary for The New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.
Collier's presentation is co-sponsored by the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Department of Economics, as well as the World Affairs Series and the Committee on Lectures, which are funded by the Government of the Student Body.
More information on ISU lectures is available at http://www.lectures.iastate.edu, or by calling 515-294-9935.
