“Disparity, a thin line divides human realities” is the theme of the 2023 Pearson Global Forum, the flagship annual event put on by The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts at the Harris School of Public Policy.
“We see issues of disparity in all global conflicts,” said Sheila Kohanteb, the Forum’s executive director. “Often people are not aware of how disparities play out on a day-to-day level in their own communities, let alone on a global scale. At the Forum, we want to call attention to specific global disparities, and perhaps this will encourage people to reflect on how this relates to their local communities.”
“Inequality of income is but one aspect of disparity and is part of an intersecting set of differences in society which relate to power and status,” said James A. Robinson, the Reverend Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflicts and institute director for The Pearson Institute. “We thought that the larger topic of disparity might be sociologically very rich and would perhaps suggest new ideas and connections.”
The Pearson Global Forum, to be held on Oct. 20, will bring together academics, political leaders, policymakers, journalists and members of the general public – and will examine the ripple effects at the intersection of disparity and global conflict, and ways to find resolution, peace, and stability for those affected. Participants at this year’s Global Forum will discuss not just disparities in economics and power, but also disparities in gender, justice, religion, technology, housing, and distribution of natural resources.
The topic of disparity has consumed Robinson’s scholarly work for years. “Most of my work for 30 years has been about the disparity between poor and rich nations,” he said. “Why is it that some societies are capable of generating such better living standards and life chances than others?”
Disparities are not always as stark as those divided by a border like that between the United States and Mexico. Sometimes disparities can exist along gendered lines, as is clear when one looks to the example of recent turmoil in Iran.
“One year after the uprising in Iran, I am very eager to hear from the experts on this subject,” Kohanteb said. “The Iranian people have made their voices heard more profoundly than any time since the 1979 revolution, and there is no turning back.”
Last year, a young woman named Mahsa Amini died in police custody after being arrested for improperly wearing her headscarf.
“People are rising up and risking their lives and that of their families by protesting and walking around with their hair uncovered,” Kohanteb said. “The sessions on Iran will discuss existing disparities with a look toward the future and how/if the country will progress and move forward.”
The Pearson Global Forum, an annual conference that began in 2018, was designed to convene academics, policymakers, practitioners, and the general public for the purpose of developing new strategies to prevent, resolve, and recover from conflict. Since the second annual forum in 2019, the Forum’s organizers have focused on one issue every year, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the political impact of climate change, and the use of misinformation to manipulate conflict.
“At this Global Forum, we will cover a range of global disparities from economic and social, to gender and power,” Kohanteb said. “The reality is, everything is tied together. One cannot look at human disparity in a vacuum; it is the cumulation of disparities that has protracted conflicts. “We’re not only discussing disparities – but also how they can be decreased.”
There will be considerations of disparity at the global level: a panel discussion between public policy and economics scholars about social mobility and a flash talk about restorative justice in schools. There will also be examinations of specific case studies around the world: how disparities are impacting Mexico’s development, the disparity in access to water between Israel and the Palestinian territories, and how disparities have grown in Afghanistan since the Taliban reoccupied the country.
The 2023 Pearson Global Forum will take place Oct. 20 at the David Rubenstein Forum. Register here.
This story was adapted from the Harris School for Public Policy website.
—Prof. Chuan He
