The
conference was organised jointly by the Chaudhry Nazar Muhammad Department of
Economics and the Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre at LUMS, the Institute of
Development & Economic Alternatives (IDEAS), the Institute of Development
Studies at University of Sussex (IDS), Consortium for Development Policy
Research (CDPR), International Growth Centre, and Centre for Economic Research
in Pakistan (CERP).
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Rector,
LUMS, Mr. Shahid Hussain, formally inaugurated the conference and expressed
great pride in the University for being the frontrunner in furthering dialogue
for development. He said, “The role of any academic institution is to nurture
an environment where people with curious minds can pursue their goals. Higher
education has a huge role to play in exchange of new ideas and research. For
that reason, we are proud to be hosting this conference this year.” The
inauguration session included participation from Mr. Mueen Afzal Chairperson of
the Board of Director from Institute of Development & Economic
Alternatives, Mr. Maroof A. Syed, President & CEO of Centre for Economic
Research in Pakistan and Ms. Shandana Khan Mohmand, Cluster leader and Research
Fellow at Institute of Development Studies.
With an
exceptional speaker line-up, the theme for day one revolved around how Pakistan
can become more growth and export-oriented. The programme began with a
well-attended panel discussion on macro stability and growth in Pakistan,
featuring, Dr. Hafeez Pasha, renowned economist; Mr. Mohsin Khan, Advisor to
the Board of Director, IDEAS; Mr. Murtaza Syed, Deputy Governor, State Bank of
Pakistan, and Ms. Aliya Khan, Former Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences,
Quaid-e-Azam University. The session was moderated by Mr. Ijaz Nabi, Pakistan
Country Director International Growth Centre. Pressing issues like inflation,
foreign exchange reserves and taxation in Pakistan, were highlighted.
The sessions
featuring Justice Mr. Athar Minallah and Mr. Gonzalo Varela, senior economist
at the World Bank, focused on the failings, lessons and challenges of the
justice system as well as export and innovation challenges in Pakistan. The
subsequent plenary session with Ms. Ghazala Mansuri, Lead Economist, Poverty
Reduction & Equity Group, World Bank and Mr. Imran Rasul, Professor of
Economics, University College London, shed light on climate change, building
resilience and the importance, challenges, and future of agribusiness.
Day one
concluded with a much-awaited panel discussion on fostering inclusive
development with Dr. Sania Nishtar, Senator; and Dr. Miftah Ismail, former
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Government of Pakistan. The
discussion was moderated by Dr. Ali Hasanain, Associate Professor of Economics,
LUMS. The speakers discussed the gender and geographic inequities in the
country, factors leading to impaired inclusive growth, lack of public policy
measures rooted in law, and transparency of an audit entity as the pathway to
accountability.
Conference
Day 2 involved several sessions discussing issues of critical importance for
sustainable development in Pakistan. These included teachers, systems and human
capital, population challenges, gender and labour markets, reforming energy for
development, universities, development and building back better and
institutional frictions, climate, and the rural economy. Some notable speakers
from this day included Dr. Attiya Inayatullah, President Emeritus FPAPAK and
Former Federal Minister for Population Welfare, Govt. of Pakistan, who addressed
the population challenge in Pakistan and Mr. Makhdum Hashim Jawan Bakht, Former
Minister of Finance Punjab, MPA who chaired the session on institutional
frictions, climate, and the rural economy.
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While
talking about Gender and Labour Market, Dr. Hadia Majid, Assistant Professor at
the Department of Economics, talked about gender discrimination in an online
marketplace, “We are trying to figure out whether women who come as buyers in
the online marketplace face any discrimination.”
Dr. Leonard
Wantchenkon, Professor of Political Economy Princeton University, and Dr.
Shandana Khan Mohmand, Research Fellow IDS University of Sussex, had a
discussion on “Political Distortions, Institutional Experimentation and
Development”. Dr Leonard explained, “For institutions to deliver good policies,
we need inclusive and open institutions with an orientation towards common
goals, deliberation about means to achieve goals and joint ownership of
decisions”
With this
conference, the audience had the opportunity to hear from renowned specialists
from several fields, as they presented their most recent research on growth and
development in Pakistan over 20 riveting sessions. Such initiatives help start
meaningful conversations towards building the foundation of a growth-oriented
and sustainable Pakistan.