This year’s conference was jointly organised by the IZA/FCDO Gender, Growth and Labor Markets in Low-Income Countries Programme (G²LM|LIC), the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD), and Pathways to Development (Path2Dev), together with the Chaudhry Nazar Muhammad Department of Economics (MGSHSS) and Mahbub Ul Haq Research Centre at LUMS, the Institute of Development Studies, the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan, the Consortium for Development Policy Research, the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives, the International Growth Centre, and the United Kingdom Aid Direct Programme.

It featured both an academic program and panel discussions and gave leading global economists, policymakers, and practitioners the opportunity to engage with the most urgent development challenges facing the world – and especially South Asia.

Sessions explored new evidence on climate change, energy, employment, human capital, taxation, and governance. Research on climate change showed how rising temperatures and prepaid electricity meters disproportionately affect the poorest. Studies on employment and human capital demonstrated how investments in education and health remain transformative for inclusive societies, and how better information flows can strengthen female economic participation.

Taxation and governance were central themes. In his keynote address, Dr Imran Rasul of UCL argued that social insurance systems are most effective when designed around firms rather than individual workers. Delivering the Chaudhry Nazar Muhammad Distinguished Lecture, Dr Sheheryar Banuri of the University of East Anglia used a behavioural economics lens to show that corruption is not intrinsic but shaped by institutions and incentives – creating a need for trust, mission-driven motivation, and better decision-making environments in the public sector.

Dr Ali Cheema of LUMS presented experimental evidence on property tax reforms in Punjab, demonstrating how bureaucratic preferences often blunt progressive reforms, even as citizens are supportive and local politicians more open to change than commonly assumed.

The conference's mentorship programme brought junior researchers, particularly from South Asia, into dialogue with senior scholars. Panel discussions brought academics in conversation with policymakers to find actionable pathways toward development, including Dr Hamid Ateeq (Inland Revenue Service), Umme Laila Azhar (National Commission on the Status of Women), and Ahmed Khan of the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF).

We thank our partner institutions for helping us set out to bridge rigorous research and practical policy solutions. At the Mahbub Ul Haq Research Centre, we remain committed to fostering dialogue that connects research with policy, and to generating knowledge that contributes to inclusive growth and resilient governance in South Asia. and visit our 

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