Date: March 8, 2016

Venue: Planning and Development Department, Government of Punjab, Lahore

Time: 9:30 am to 1:30 pm

The seminar was organized by the Consortium for Development Policy Research (CDPR) in collaboration with the International Growth Centre (IGC)’s Pakistan Program and Planning and Development Department, Government of Punjab to connect policymakers and academics. The event was hosted in partnership with CDPR affiliates, the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP) and the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS). The target audience included local and international researchers, academics and members of the civil society and donor community based in Lahore. Participants and panelists included key government officials from Punjab relevant to the research being presented. The seminar centered on the theme of state capabilities, and how public service delivery can be improved in different areas such as education, transport, procurement and taxation. The discussions focused on women’s mobility in cities and particularly on the relationship between creating safe, harassment-free spaces in public transport for women and their access to employment. It also looked at how partnerships between the public and private sectors can improve enrollment in schools. Another aspect debated upon was on how implementation of a digitized public procurement system can improve the efficiency and accountability of the way the government allocates its budget. The seminar further included a discussion on the results of a study that introduced incentives for tax collectors in Punjab.

Presentations

1. Women’s Mobility in the City – Dr. Kate Vyborny, Postdoctoral Associate at Duke University and CDPR Fellow Presentation

2. Public Private Partnerships in Education – Dr. Faisal Bari, Director IDEAS and CDPR Fellow; Dr. Rabea Malik, Research Fellow IDEAS Presentation

3. Property Tax – Dr. Benjamin Olken, Professor of Economics at MIT Presentation