Let’s Talk Development

Host Dr. Adeel Tariq

Assistant Professor of Economics, LUMS

Guest Dr. Nasir Iqbal

Associate Professor, PIDE

Season 3 Episode 7
  • Environment and Climate Change
  • Cities

When Floods Hit the Poor: Rethinking Poverty Graduation

When climate shocks hit the poorest, what happens to the programmes meant to lift them out of poverty? In this episode, Dr. Nasir and Dr. Adeel explore the National Poverty Graduation Programme (NPGP) - a flagship initiative aimed at moving households beyond short-term cash transfers toward sustainable livelihoods through asset transfers and skills. Drawing on his fieldwork in South Punjab, Dr. Nasir shares how beneficiaries coped during high inflation, why the 2022 floods turned assets like livestock into liabilities and what all this means for building resilience. This timely conversation offers lessons for policymakers in Pakistan and beyond on designing poverty programmes that can withstand an era of rising climate vulnerability.
Host Ijaz Nabi

Country Director Pakistan, IGC & Director, CDPR

Guest Ayesha Jalal

Mary Richardson Professor of History at Tufts University

Season 3 Episode 6
  • Taxation
  • State
  • Inclusive Growth

Revisiting Pakistan’s Past to Understand Its Present: Ayesha Jalal in Conversation

What can history teach us about Pakistan’s current economic dilemmas and its future? In this episode, Ayesha Jalal joins Ijaz Nabi to reflect on the country’s enduring political and economic challenges.The conversation touches on Jinnah's constitutional vision, the fractured nature of Pakistan’s federal politics, the recurring cycles of aid inflows during military regimes and the missed opportunities for building sustainable growth through trade and taxation.
Host Shahrukh Wani

Senior Country Manager, IGC

Guest Roberta Gatti

Chief Economist, World Bank

Season 3 Episode 5
  • Governance
  • State
  • Inclusive Growth

How to Deliver Economic Growth in an Uncertain World?

Global growth is slowing, debt burdens are rising and climate pressures are intensifying, what does this mean for the future of economies? In this episode, Dr. Roberta Gatti from World Bank and Shahrukh Wani from IGC explore some of the most pressing questions shaping growth today: the changing role of industrial policy, how governments can promote stronger business environments and why data and evidence are crucial for effective policymaking. They discuss the MENAAP region’s debt challenges, the risks and opportunities from trade realignment, and the importance of measuring what works - and admitting what does not. With insights from one of the World Bank’s leading economists, this conversation offers valuable perspectives for policymakers, researchers and anyone interested in the future of growth.
Host Saba Shahid

Manager of R&D and Partnerships at the LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship

Guest Ahmed Khan

CEO, Punjab Skills Development Fund

Season 3 Episode 4
  • State
  • Inclusive Growth

Unlocking Pakistan’s Youth Potential: How to develop a skilled workforce

64% of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30. This “youth bulge” holds immense promise if equipped with the right skills. In this episode, Ahmed Khan and Saba Shahid discuss how Pakistan can turn its growing youth population into a productive economic force. They discuss how PSDF is addressing this challenge through industry aligned, digitally delivered and outcome focused training programs across urban and rural locations in the country. They shed light on initiatives taken by PSDF for women, the transgnder community and other marginalized groups aiming to improve job opportunities at the grassroot level.
Host Hina Shaikh

Senior Country Economist, IGC

Guest Nausheen Anwar

Fellow of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS)

Season 3 Episode 3
  • Environment and Climate Change
  • Cities

Cities on the Brink: Climate Risks and Urban Realities in Pakistan

Pakistan is facing a dual burden of rapid urbanisation and increasing climate vulnerability, with low-income and marginalised communities bearing the greatest impact. In this episode, Hina Shaikh and Nausheen Anwar discuss the lived realities and politics of urban transformation in Pakistan’s cities. They unpack the complex relationship between urban development and climate challenges, examining how issues such as air pollution, urban flooding and heatwaves manifest differently across cities, shaped by each city’s unique geography, infrastructure, and inequalities.
Host Maha Qasim

Founder and CEO, Zero Point

Guest Yasir Hussain

Director, Climate Action Center

Season 3 Episode 2
  • Environment and Climate Change
  • Cities

Mapping Karachi: Spatial Vulnerability and Climate Change

In this episode, Maha Qasim and Yasir Hussain dive into the historiography of Karachi’s spatial vulnerabilities to discuss problems of climate change linked to heat, water and agriculture.
Host Usman Khan

Investment Lead, REMIT

Guest Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh

Team Leader, REMIT

Season 3 Episode 1
  • State

Gateway to Growth: Export Policy as a Catalyst for Pakistan’s Economy

In this episode, Usman Khan and Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh talk about trade solutions ranging from tariff reforms, non-tariffs and locally-based solutions, export-oriented growth, and diversification of the textile industry.
Host Dr. Ijaz Nabi

Executive Director CDPR, Country Director IGC

Guest Dr. Shanta Devarajan

Professor of International Development, Georgetown University

Season 2 Episode 12
  • Governance

Sri Lanka’s Economic Recovery: Lessons for Pakistan

In this episode, Dr. Ijaz Nabi and Dr. Shantayan Devarajan discuss Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, compare it to Pakistan’s situation at home, and therein explore potential solutions.
Host Dr. Uzma Afzal

Assistant Professor, LUMS

Guest Dr. Farah Said

Assistant Professor, LUMS

Season 2 Episode 11
  • Education
  • Inclusive Growth

The Unbalanced Scale: Gender, Work and Productivity

Dr. Farah Said and Dr. Uzma Afzal talk about the gender dynamics affecting productivity and the impact on overall productivity levels on marginal communities because of the male/female gender ratios.
Host Amen Jalal

PhD Economics Candidiate, LSE

Guest Dr. Muhammad Azeem Ali Shah

International Researcher, Water Governance Institutions, IWMI

Season 2 Episode 10
  • Environment and Climate Change

From Crisis to Resilience: Rethinking Water Management in Pakistan

In this episode, Dr. Muhammad Azeem Ali Shah and Amen Jalal discuss water management issues prevailing in the country, recurring floods as a result of the climate crisis as well as climate smart agricultural interventions to improve water productivity.
Host Numair Liaqat

Policy Economist, IGC

Guest Dr. Fatima Khusnud

Executive Director, Pakistan Environment Trust

Season 2 Episode 9
  • Energy
  • Environment and Climate Change

The Climate-Energy Nexus: A Critical Review

In this episode, Numair Liaqat and Dr. Fatima Khushnud explore the climate-energy nexus and examine its implications for the general public. They discuss Pakistan’s energy policies, pricing strategies, and the ongoing energy crisis.
Host Dr. Sanval Nasim

Assistant Professor, Colby College

Guest Dr. Kulsum Ahmed

Director, ILM

Season 2 Episode 8
  • Health
  • Environment and Climate Change

Enveloped in Haze – 
Pakistan’s Air Quality & Health Challenges

In this episode, Dr. Kulsum Ahmed and Dr. Sanval Nasim distinguish between the emissions that cause global warming and emissions that cause local health problems and navigate through the policy-related aspects of bringing air pollution down.
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