GDP Center Hosts Inaugural Open House Featuring Pardee School Dean Adil Najam

Thank you to all who braved the rain for our inaugural open house event at Boston University, yesterday evening, on September 25, 2018. Our featured speaker Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies Dean Adil Najam presented as the lead author on the latest Pakistan National Human Development Report (NHDR) on Youth. 

Kevin Gallagher, Director of the Global Development Policy Center and Professor of Global Development Policy at the Pardee School, introduced Dean Najam and highlighted Center-wide initiatives including the Land Use and Livelihoods Initiative (LULI), Human Capital Initiative (HCI), Global Economic Governance Initiative (GEGI), and Global China Initiative (GCI). 

Dean Najam, who co-authored the Pakistan National Human Development Report (NHDR) on Youth, engaged in a lively discussion infused with personal anecdotes about the multiple-year research process that was conducted with a Pakistan-based research team.  

The research team developed a Pakistan-specific methodology for calculating a district-level human development index (HDI), which was calculated for each district and region in Pakistan spanning a decade. The main focus was on the emerging youth bulge in Pakistan and policy options for utilizing this knowledge for a positive outcome for the young people of Pakistan. Sixty-four percent of Pakistan is less than 30 years of age and 29 percent is between 15 and 29 years of age.

Attendees noted the significance of adding a human voice and perspective to the creation of a report such as this. 

Following the presentations, a question-and-answer session and reception were held for those in attendance.

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