LAHORE   -   Sixth International Conference on Applied Development Economics continued at Lahore School of Economics (LSE) for third consecutive day on Saturday. The third day of the conference started with a session on climate and environment chaired by Dr Jonathan J. Morduch (Professor of Public Policy and Economics, Executive Director of the Financial Access Initiative, New York University). The first speaker of the session Dr Farah Said (Executive Director, MahbubulHaq Research Centre (MHRC); Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Lahore University of Management Sciences) analyzed the impact of the 2022 floods on agricultural supply networks in Punjab. The authors found statistically significant pre-event anticipatory effects that increase supply followed by reduction on the overall quantities compared to the baseline in the after- math of the floods. They showed that vegetables had the highest susceptibility to such shocks, whereas the trajectory of grains was suggestive of state interventions.

The second paper by Muhammad Bin Khalid (Pre doctoral fellow, National University of Singapore) studied the long-term effects of cash relief on migration in the context of the 2010 Pakistan floods. The authors found that providing cash transfers and building a payment infrastructure for future cash relief at the village level does not reduce migration away from flood-prone areas; rather, the liquidity effects of the transfers were larger than the moral hazard effects and caused more people to leave flood-prone areas. The third paper by Nihan Rafique (Development Practitioner, The World Bank) evaluated the impact of an unconditional cash transfer (BISP) program which was implemented unusually rapidly in response to severe flooding in Pakistan during 2022. The authors found null results of the cash transfer programme on all major household welfare indicators, suggesting that while cash transfers of this size in disaster scenarios may help smooth consumption in the short term, they are unlikely to have lasting benefits.

Dr Waqar Wadho (Associate Professor and Director Graduate Studies (Economics), LSE; Senior Research Fellow, Center for Research in Economics and Business (CREB)) chaired the second session of day 3 on climate and environment. The first speaker of the session Dr Aatir Khan (Assistant Professor, Habib University) aimed to raise climate change awareness and promote civic engagement in students by establishing civic clubs in public schools in the city of Karachi. The second speaker of the session Azka Sarosh (Teaching and Research Fellow, LSE) examined the relationship between regional integration, trading partners, and CO2 emissions, with a specific focus on the varying effects across three South Asian economies: Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. The authors found that increased regional integration generally contributes to a reduction in carbon emissions, the magnitude and direction of these effects vary significantly across the three countries under study. Bangladesh’s trade with China increased CO2 emissions by approximately 20%, while India experienced the same effect, with increased emissions stemming from the same bilateral trade relationship by approximately 5%.

Pakistan experienced reduced emissions by 3%. Trade with African nations resulted in a decrease in carbon emissions for Pakistan by 5% but an increase for India by 22%, further reflecting the uneven effects with the same trading regions.

For the last session of the 6th International Applied Development Conference, Dr Hamna Ahmad (Associate Professor, LSE; Research Fellow, Centre for Research in Economics and Business (CREB)) moderated a roundtable on governance, productivity and growth. This discussion included Dr Shahid Chaudhry (Rector, LSE), Dr Ali Cheema (Director of the MahbubUlHaq Research Centre, LUMS; Co-founder of the Center for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP)), Dr Azam Chaudhry (Professor, Dean and Head of Department, Faculty of Economics, LSE; Director, Innovation and Technology Center), Dr Adrienne Lucas (Professor and Department Chair, Department of Economics, Lerner College of Business and Economics, University of Delaware) and Dr Naved Hamid (Director, Center for Research in Economics and Business (CREB)). Dr Ali Cheema identified Pakistan as one of the most debt ridden economies for its level of income and that this debt has not been able to induce growth. Adding further, he stated that the heart of the debt problem is structure of government. The panelists further discussed that an absolute lack of trust has developed over the last few years coupled with low exports which is impacting tax collection in Pakistan. Dr. Shahid asserted the importance on focusing on health and education while Dr Naved and Dr Azam focused more towards services sector which has the potential to boost exports. Adding to the discussion, the panelists listed sticky gender roles and societal norms, large family sizes, safety concerns and mobility restrictions as constraints towards female participation in the labor force.

The rector, Dr Shahid Chaudhry, in his closing remarks, thanked the speakers, attendees and the organizing team for their contributions in making this conference a success and in enriching one another’s global experiences. Dr. Chaudhry highlighted how this conference played a vital role in pushing the pressing agenda of sustainable growth in the developing world forward.