December 4, 2025
Time:
12:00 pm
VC Lounge, Academic Block, LUMS
The Chaudhry Nazar Muhammad Department of Economics, in collaboration with the Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre, is pleased to invite you to a talk by Shahid Javed Burki, titled Geopolitics, Demographics, and Pakistan’s Policy Future.
Mr. Burki is a leading economist and policymaker with decades of experience in global development and public policy. He has spent more than 25 years at the World Bank, where he served in several senior leadership roles, including Director of the China Department and Regional Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean. He also served as Pakistan’s Finance Minister on a caretaker basis in 1996–97. Mr. Burki is a prolific writer on economic development, governance, and political economy, and his work spans Pakistan, South Asia, and global development policy. He currently serves as Chairman of the Burki Institute of Public Policy (BIPP), where he leads research and policy engagement on economic reform and sustainable development.
Abstract
In this talk, Mr. Burki will reflect on how a rapidly changing world should shape Pakistan’s public policy choices. The United States, under President Donald Trump’s second term, is pulling back from global engagement, drawing closer to Russia, distancing itself from Europe, and seeking to slow China’s rise. At the same time, global demographic trends are diverging; while countries in the North face declining fertility and aging populations, countries like Pakistan continue to experience high population growth and a very young demographic profile. Mr. Burki will discuss why these shifts should be factored into policy planning, leveraging its young population both for its own development and to meet the talent needs of China and aging Western economies.
