Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre

19/05/2026

Last week, the Mahbub Ul Haq Research Centre facilitated a framework of collaboration between the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and the Punjab Provincial Transport Authority (PPTA, Transport and Masstransit Department Punjab), aimed at strengthening synergy on transport regulation and evidence-driven governance and policymaking.

This partnership will create a platform for joint research and analytical work on key issues in these areas, including enforcement, compliance, and institutional effectiveness. By combining academic expertise with administrative data and practical policy experience, the collaboration seeks to generate actionable insights that can inform policymaking and improve governance outcomes.

This will also open the door to outputs such as research reports, policy briefs and academic publications, as well as knowledge-sharing initiatives – such as seminars – to connect researchers, practitioners, and public officials.

Representing LUMS were Dr. Tariq Jadoon (Provost, LUMS) and Dr. Farah Said (Executive Director, MHRC). We thank Mr. Muhammad Hassaan Ahsan (Secretary, PPTA), Mr. Sulaiman Majeed (Director Planning, PPTA) and Mr. Saeed Ahmad (Planning Officer, PPTA) for their interest, representation, and support in advancing this collaboration.

12/05/2026

This week, our team met with Ashir Wilson and Zeeshan Fareed of the Network of Organizations Working for People with Disabilities, Pakistan (), a non-profit organization working to create a more inclusive society for all Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), including those with visual, physical, intellectual, and hearing and speech disabilities.

We discussed the possibility of a research-based collaboration with NOWPDP in which the data and insights gathered through their extensive on-ground work would be complemented by our research expertise and technical support to produce actionable, evidence-based outputs. Key areas of focus would include inclusive education and the economic participation of PwDs.

Other potential modes of collaboration include disability awareness sessions led by NOWPDP for LUMS faculty and students.

This meeting marked the beginning of what we hope is a meaningful long-term collaboration with NOWPDP to advance inclusive, evidence-based approaches to disability rights and participation.

For more on NOWPDP’s work, please visit nowpdp.org.pk.

21/04/2026

A conference not to be missed - register now!

📢 REGISTRATIONS OPEN!

The CNM Department of Economics at LUMS will host a two-day conference on May 11-12, 2026, titled "Gender and The Economy." Building on CNM Department of Economics’ long-standing engagement with research on gender, development, labor markets, human capital, and inequality, the conference will provide a platform for rigorous, policy-relevant, and contextually grounded scholarly exchange on how gender both shapes and is shaped by economic and social institutions, markets, and public policy.

Register now: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV-tkuCeSbrQjh--Hb3UYP57-Gohhnm2iBezGP3b7MA4v1Gg/viewform?usp=send_form


LUMS - Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities & Social Sciences

20/04/2026

19/03/2026

(IMPORTANT: Please note that the key responsibilities and eligibility requirements have been revised, and the contract duration has been extended from two to three months. All applications previously submitted will continue to be considered.)

📢 We are hiring!

📌 Position: Research Assistant (full-time)

Project: Punjab Human Capital Investment Project (PHCIP)’s early childhood education program in South Punjab – DARE-RC

Principal investigator: Dr. Farah Said

Duration: Three months

Start date: 1 April 2026

Travel: Not required

The Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre is looking for a qualitative research assistant to assist the research team in conducting an evaluation study of the ’s early childhood education program in South Punjab.

This study uses quantitative and qualitative techniques to evaluate the impact of PHCIP’s multi-pronged early childhood education (ECE) intervention in South Punjab. By targeting public schools serving the poorest segments of society, the study focuses on improving literacy, numeracy, and socioemotional skills among children aged 3–5.

⌛ Deadline: 22 March 2026

To apply, please head to the link in our bio.

09/03/2026

We are proud to announce that our Fellow Dr. Fizzah Sajjad has been awarded the acclaimed S.S. Pirzada Dissertation Prize 2025 (UC Berkeley) for her Ph.D. Dissertation "Speculation and Circulation: Real Estate Development and the Market for Land in Urban Pakistan" at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Her research explores Lahore's rapidly expanding real estate market as a means to contextualize and understand growing housing pressures in the city.

Dr. Sajjad is Assistant Professor at the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences. She is also co-editor of "Lahore in Motion: Infrastructure, History and Belonging in Urban Pakistan". She holds a Masters in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with a specialization in International Development Planning, and a Bachelors in Social Sciences from the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

We congratulate her on this brilliant achievement and wish her continued success in her endeavors.

04/03/2026

Our Fellows Dr. Ali Cheema (Vice-Chancellor, LUMS) and Dr. Farooq Naseer (CNM Department of Economics at LUMS) contribute to the discussion on mobility and its link to female participation in the labor force.

Women’s participation in skills training Pakistan is constrained primarily by social and safety barriers, rather than preferences or the ability to monetise skills. Evidence from interventions that reduce these constraints shows that addressing mobility barriers can significantly increase women’...

30/01/2026

On behalf of , we are inviting submissions for a conference on Gender and the Economy, to be held at LUMS on 11–12 May 2026.

We invite papers that examine gender as a central axis of economic and social inquiry, broadly defined. Building on CNM’s long-standing engagement with research on gender, development, labor markets, human capital, and inequality, the conference will provide a platform for rigorous, policy-relevant, and contextually grounded scholarly exchange on how gender both shapes and is shaped by economic and social institutions, markets, and public policy.

We invite submissions across disciplines and methodological approaches, provided that gender is the primary analytical lens. For details on themes and scope, please refer to the full Call for Papers (linked in our bio).

All submissions must be made through the online submission form (linked in our bio). Authors may indicate a preference for one of the following presentation formats:

Long Presentations: ~30 minutes
Lightning Round Presentations: ~10 minutes (no Q&A), particularly suited for early-stage work

Submissions are welcome in the form of individual papers, extended abstracts, or panel proposals. We especially encourage submissions engaging with Global South contexts, policy relevance, under-studied populations, and work by graduate students and early-career researchers.

⏳ Deadline for paper submissions: 11:59 PM PST on 15 February 2026.

Accepted participants will be notified by 16 March 2026.

Presenters will receive travel support in line with the LUMS Reimbursement Guidelines and based on the Conference Committee's decision.

For queries, please contact [email protected].

28/01/2026

15/01/2026

In collaboration with the Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education () and as part of their EduTalk series, we are pleased to invite you to a talk by Dr. Tahir Andrabi.

Dr. Tahir Andrabi is Professor of Economics at Pomona College, faculty affiliate at JPAL MIT, member of the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP), and co-founder of the Center for Economic Research, Pakistan. He has been a visiting scholar at MIT, a senior research associate at STICERD LSE, a consultant for the World Bank, and the inaugural Dean of SOE, LUMS. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT. He has published extensively in major economics and education journals. His work on religious education in Pakistan received the George Bereday Award for the best paper published in Comparative Education Review in 2006.

📌 Attendees from outside LUMS are requested to please register at the link in our bio.