Inclusive governance termed key to resilience

Academics, policymakers take up pressing issues at LUMS conference

LAHORE:

Speakers at the third annual Pathways to Development Conference have stressed the role of governance and inclusion in building resilient and equitable societies.

The conference was jointly organised by the Chaudhry Nazar Muhammad Department of Economics and Mahbub Ul Haq Research Centre (MHRC) at LUMS, Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP), Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS), Institute of Development Studies at University of Sussex (IDS), Consortium for Development Policy Research (CDPR), and International Growth Centre (IGC).

It convened academics, policymakers and practitioners to explore pressing issues, from climate justice and poverty alleviation to digital innovation and gender equality. The event featured 20 sessions showcasing cutting-edge research and thought leadership.

CERP President Maroof A Syed opened the conference by emphasising, "Progress demands reimagining governance as a dynamic, participatory process."

Supreme Court Justice Mansoor Ali Shah asserted, "Climate finance is the new climate justice," urging courts to recognise it as a fundamental human right and calling on the global North to address its "climate debt".

Keynote speaker Dr Lant Pritchett from London School of Economics cautioned against using the low-bar poverty line as a starting point and emphasised the importance of state capability.

Dr Mazhar Waseem from University of Manchester delivered the second keynote, discussing Pakistan's "filing obsession puzzle," where more tax filers have not led to higher revenues. He called for targeted enforcement and better systems to improve tax compliance and revenue generation.

The conference included discussions on land rights, debt restructuring, health governance and crisis response.

Discussions also turned to electoral dynamics, gender development and social change.