How do we build the ecosystems of the future? At this year’s ANDE Global Conference in Riviera Maya, we’ll explore this question with one of the most influential economists of our time.

Esther Duflo—Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab—will join ANDE’s Executive Director Devin Chesney for a conversation titled The Evidence Effect: A Conversation with Esther Duflo on the Future of Development, Growth, and Entrepreneurship.

Her life’s work has shaped how we understand and address poverty, especially through the growing use of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and evidence-based policymaking. Now, as development practitioners face global challenges that transcend sectors—climate adaptation, economic informality, health systems collapse, gender and racial inequality—Duflo’s voice offers clarity, humility, and, most of all, rigorous optimism.

“The new challenges of our planet must—and will—become the new challenges of development economics,” she writes. “I cannot wait to be surprised by what comes next.”

At ANDE, we believe our community of practitioners, researchers, funders, and entrepreneurs should be part of this dialogue. That’s why we’re inviting you to submit questions you would like Devin Chesney to raise during the session. Whether you work on enterprise acceleration, inclusive finance, local capital markets, or climate-smart business models, we want to hear from you.

This interview will be featured during the ANDE Global Conference at Haven Riviera Cancún. It’s a unique moment for the ANDE network to reflect on where development thinking has taken us—and where it needs to go next.