The FCDO funded Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) program collaborated with CDPR and IGC Pakistan to formulate a policy note on stimulating Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s urban economy. The policy note examines the state of urbanization and urban economy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the policy actions that the province can undertake to enhance industrialization, empower local …

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We provide the first estimate of a door-to-door political campaign by an incumbent politician targeting women on electoral outcomes in a developing country. Women voters are informed of the public service delivery work undertaken by the incumbent in his tenure. The campaign was randomized at the precinct level, allowing us to use official electoral data …

Continue reading “Mobilizing Women Voters: Experimental Evidence from Pakistan”

This policy brief is based on an IGC funded study “Interaction of Labour Law and Economic Growth – Case Study of Sheikhupura”.

This project aimed to establish proof of concept regarding the feasibility and utility of conducting robust economic censuses in Pakistan’s cities and exploring and documenting clusters of economic activity within Peshawar’s historic inner-city (focusing both on sectoral/industrial composition of businesses and the supply/demand for skilled labor). In the absence of any current and reliable datasets …

Continue reading “Peshawar’s Historic Walled City: Firms, Mobility and Public Services”

This policy brief is based on the IGC funded study “Urban Transportation, Labour Markets and Access to Economic Opportunity: Evidence from Lahore’s Bus Rapid Transit System”

This policy brief is based on the report “Public Transport and Urban Labour Market Integration: A Randomized Controlled
Trial”.

Pakistan’s tourism sector offers a wide-range of multi-cultural attractions from heritage sites to pristine natural beauty. However, the sector has not been able to garner adequate attention from tourists, despite Pakistan being the cheapest travel destination in the world. Currently, international tourism comprises 0.4% of Pakistan’s GDP, which creates a large space for developing and …

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The Rural Enterprise Study (RES) is an attempt to facilitate Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC) to redefine its role as a business incubator/ coordinator that helps small firms in rural areas to improve their productivity and grow in size and scale. The RES is closely linked with research conducted by the International Growth Center (IGC) …

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This policy brief is based on the IGC funded study “Water Pricing to Promote Equity, Efficiency and Sustainability in the Growing City of Faisalabad, Pakistan”.

This policy brief is based on a DFID funded research by Dr. Umair Javed (LUMS and CDPR), Dr. Husnain Fateh (LUMS), and Sohaib Athar (IGC).