Four Visions: OECD
“It’s all about people”— this was the message at the heart of the debate for the discussions at the 2013 annual OECD Week held in May. The event served as a platform to address major issues on the global agenda, and to get a broad range of stakeholders involved – not just ministers, but also key players from the worlds of business, labor, civil society and academia.
Participants in the conference, which focused on jobs, equality and trust, included two IE MBA students, Benedikt Broil from Germany and Agnes Blanco from Brazil, and two IE Professors, Celia de Anca and Lee Newman.
Here they discuss diversity and prejudice issues in the light of the demonstrations against the gay marriage that recently took place in France. Check out the students’ replies to the professors!!!
Do I Belong?
Community Finance Prof. Celia de Anca responds in Rabat to different questions, like Do I belong? What´s the market…
One Friday morning back in November I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and not particularly enthusiastic about life or work. You know what I mean, just one of those days. That same morning I had arranged to have coffee with community finance professor Celia de Anca. You can’t imagine how much I wanted to skip that meeting. Obviously not because of her, but because I was out of sorts. There is no denying that our state of mind is what dictates our likes and dislikes.
To cut a long story short, I dragged myself to the coffee shop and began to listen to her. She talked about how we ended up with a global economic crisis, how we have destroyed the idea that money is trust, and other burning issues. But it was not the subject that was remarkable. What was remarkable was her belief in what she was talking about. Prof. de Anca is one of those people who truly believe in changing the world. Just the fact of finding someone who still genuinely thinks that change is possible made me feel happier. And I am grateful to her for that, because that’s what life is all about, spreading and enjoying the feel-good factor at every opportunity.
Don’t miss Prof. de Anca’s answer to the question that gives the title to this piece, namely “Do I belong?” Prof. de Anca is also the author of the recently published book headed “Beyond Tribalism”.
