Let's Talk Development
Episodes
Justice Ayesha Malik on Rule of Law, Governance and True Cost of Weak Enforcement
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Let’s Talk Development, Asad Rahim (Barrister) sits down with Justice Ayesha Malik, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Cour...
More Than Marks: What Education Owes the Next Generation
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the upcoming episode of Let's Talk Development, Ayesha Hussain sits down with Dr. Syed Turab Hussain - economist, educator and Principal of Aitchis...
The Future of Agriculture in Pakistan: What Really Drives Change
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode discusses how Climate change is impacting Pakistan's agricultural and what steps can Pakistan take to navigate this challenge.
The Knowledge Deficit: Rethinking Progress with Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy joins Dr. Ijaz Nabi to explore the roots of Pakistan’s current economic and social challenges. Moving beyond fis...
Development in an Age of Inequality and Polarisation
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Taimur Rahman joins Fasi Zaka for a wide ranging conversation on growth, inequality and inclusion in Pakistan. The discussion ass...
When Floods Hit the Poor: Rethinking Poverty Graduation
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 explor...
Revisiting Pakistan’s Past to Understand Its Present: Ayesha Jalal in Conversation
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
How to deliver economic growth in an uncertain world?
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Global growth is slowing, debt burdens are rising and climate pressures are intensifying, what does this mean for the future of economies? In this epi...
Unlocking Pakistan’s Youth Potential: How to develop a skilled workforce
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Cities on the Brink: Climate Risks and Urban Realities in Pakistan
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pakistan is facing a dual burden of rapid urbanisation and increasing climate vulnerability, with low-income and marginalised communities bearing the ...
Mapping Karachi: Spatial Vulnerability and Climate Change
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The impact of climate change in cities is highly dependent on spatial factors. Within a sprawling and metropolitan city like Karachi, examining its to...
Gateway to Growth: Export Policy as a Catalyst for Pakistan’s Economy
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pakistan’s economy is known for its volatile ‘boom-and-bust’ framework. When it experiences bouts of growth and stability, trade and industriali...
Sri Lanka's Economic Recovery: Lessons for Pakistan
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sri Lanka suffered a great economic crisis 2019 onwards, however in the late 2024, it's economy demonstrated significant signs of recovery. In this ep...
The Unbalanced Scale: Gender, Work and Productivity
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pakistan has one of the lowest female labour force participation rates in the South Asian region (22%), compared to 35% in Bangladesh and 37% in India...
From Crisis to Resilience: Rethinking Water Management in Pakistan
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Pakistan, poor water management coupled with climate change has severely intensified the frequency and intensity of floods. The unpredictable rainf...
The Climate-Energy Nexus: A critical review
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For a country like Pakistan, it has become increasingly critical to focus on the climate-energy nexus as it grapples with climate vulnerability and e...
Enveloped in Haze - Pakistan’s Air Quality & Health Challenges
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Every year as summer descends, Lahore observes a drastic change in air quality. The PM2.5 concentration in Lahore is currently 53.2 times greater than...
Greening Pakistan’s Energy Sector
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pakistan is one of the most impacted countries by climate change, consistently ranking among the top ten countries on the vulnerability scale. Yet it ...
Climate Action through Climate Finance
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Climate finance is a multifaceted concept, referring to finance activities that are aimed towards mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate ch...
Under the lens: Renewable Energy
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As per the Nationally Determined Contributors (NDC), Pakistan aims to reduce its carbon emissions to 50% by 2030, increasing the importance of the tra...
Evolution of Digital Transformation in Tax Administration
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Post the COVID-19 economic landscape, global trends on Tax Policy Reforms emphasize heavily on increasing reliance on IT solutions in tax authorities ...
Tale of Two Countries: Pakistan & Bangladesh
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1972, at the time of its formation Bangladesh had to start from virtually ground zero, with little to no resources and labour power at its disposal...
CDPR X Engro Fertilizers: Sustainability and Food Security
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Encouraging farmers to use fertilizers in a sustainable manner is integral for preserving food security. Mr. Atif Mohammed Ali and Ms. Amina Bajwa tal...
The Big Picture: Navigating the Developing World
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The leading models for development and how it progresses in a country differ greatly because of a country’s resources and the societal differences. ...
Afghan's Forced Exodus: Justified or Unwarranted
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The growing tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan in light of the latest events of the expulsion of Afghan refugees from Pakistan has become of imm...
Responding to Pakistan's Climate Crisis
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Despite contributing to only about 0.9% of the global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan remains high amongst the list of countries that are most vuln...
Pakistan's Foreign Policy in Review
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pakistan’s major priority regarding its foreign policy over the years has been to increase Pakistan’s engagement in the region in a way that makes...
Exploring the Unmet Need for Family Planning in Pakistan
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Currently, one of the biggest challenges that Pakistan is facing is the ever-increasing population growth and lack of family planning. 40% of Pakistan...
How Much Say Do Voters Have Over Election Outcomes?
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Pakistan, election decisions can be dependent on either the party’s label or the party’s ideology. Currently, Pakistan’s political parties ar...
Fostering an Inclusive Digital Landscape
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to digital progress, till date Pakistan has dealt with a few persistent challenges such as macroeconomic headwinds, regulatory issues, d...
Navigating Climate Governance
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pakistan is fraught with a number of economic, social, political, and environmental challenges. To effectively address these issues, it is imperative ...
Unpacking Pakistan's Poverty
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Widespread poverty has plagued Pakistan for decades. In 2022, 21.9% of the population was reported to be living below the National Poverty Line. The r...
Is India broken?
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many analysts and observers of India's economy are proclaiming that India's moment has arrived and it is now poised to rival China in terms of economi...
Productivity in Pakistan: Why Did We Fall Behind?
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why did Pakistan fall so far behind in terms of growth from its neighbours? To what extent was this due to low worker productivity? How do we measure ...
Leveraging Alliances to Resolve Pakistan's Conflicts
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The recent global developments including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China’s growing regional footprint in South Asia, and the intensifying glo...
Why Are Pakistanis Leaving the Country?
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, we have seen people from across the class spectrum migrate to other countries at a level never seen before. Dr. Ali Khan and Mohsin Hamid di...
Blueprint for Change: Urban Planning in Pakistan
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pakistan is one of the most urbanized countries of South Asia. However, urbanization has led to such rapid expansion of Pakistan’s cities that they ...
Population Growth in Pakistan: A Crisis or an Opportunity?
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
According to the latest 2023 population census, the enumerated population has reached 230.4 million—indicating an increase of 17.2 million people fr...
Water Security Challenges in Pakistan
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pakistan’s water supply has become a crucial resource challenge in recent years, made worse by the country’s enduring infrastructure and governanc...
The Crisis of Local Governance in Karachi
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As with many megacities in the developing world, Karachi deals with critical issues including governance and service delivery. Dr. Umair Javed and Jib...
Saving Pakistan from Default
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Ijaz Nabi speaks with Dr. Murtaza Syed to discuss what led to a full-blown economic crisis in Pakistan and whether the IMF’s in...