LUMS Live: Helping the Community Stay Connected and Informed

A majority of the world is confined to their homes as a result of the rapid spread of the Coronavirus. Classes at LUMS have also been moved online with majority of the staff and faculty working from home. However, just as LUMS has not let the current situation stop the students learning, it has also found a new way of keeping important conversations going.

LUMS Live, launched on March 29, 2020, is a platform that gives you the opportunity to tune in and connect with Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, LUMS and other eminent panelists as they discuss important topics. Discussions during these live sessions, hosted on the LUMS official Facebook page and moderated by Adeel Hashmi, cover topics from how to maintain good health, how to continue learning in the current environment and the changing role of technology to how to stay positive and the importance of being generous and empathetic to the people around us.

Explore our past sessions, and be sure to join us for the next session and become part of critical conversations during these unprecedented times.

LUMS Live Session 80: Dispossession for Development? Land Struggles in Contemporary Pakistan

All across major cities of Pakistan, entire communities are being dispossessed of their use of land by projects that have severe ecological, environmental and social consequences. This panel invited activists, researchers and legal experts to discuss the manifestations of dispossession induced by development projects in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, sharing their on-ground knowledge of events, resistance, challenges, and ideas for more equitable forms of urban development.

Hosted in collaboration with the Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre (MHRC), the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS) and FemSoc at LUMS as part of the I A Rahman Social Justice and Change Webinar Series, the session was moderated by Ms. Hala Bashir Malik.

LUMS Live Session 79: Rethinking the Role of the State: From Public Goods to Public Value

Hosted in collaboration with the Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre as part of their Mahbub ul Haq Distinguished Lectures 2021, the session was moderated by Dr. Melissa Leach and Dr. Ali Cheema.

In this session, Dr. Mazzucato discusses the role of the state in a post-COVID world and examines the state capabilities needed to build a better future that is innovation-led, inclusive and sustainable. Dr. Mariana Mazzucato is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL). She is also the Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP). She is winner of international prizes including the 2020 John Von Neumann Award, the 2019 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values, and 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. She was named as one of the '3 Most Important Thinkers about Innovation' by The New Republic. She is the author of the highly acclaimed books, The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths and The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy.

LUMS Live Session 78: Mental Health under Criminal Law in Pakistan: Carving a Way Forward

In February 2021, the Supreme Court of Pakistan commuted the death sentences of two severely mentally ill prisoners, Kanizan Bibi and Imdad Ali, to life imprisonment and delivered a landmark judgment that reinforces the rights of mentally ill defendants in the criminal justice system. Not only has the Court established key safeguards for mentally ill defendants on death row, it has reiterated and upheld protections that must be afforded to persons with psychosocial disabilities at every stage in the criminal justice system; at the time of arrest, during investigation, trial and sentencing, in order to ensure that they are to guarantee due process. It has also barred the execution of individuals who are severely mental ill.

This is an extremely significant development given that Pakistan has one of the largest reported death row populations in the world and has executed over 500 individuals since December 2014. United Nations has also released a letter acknowledging the significance of the verdict on Pakistan’s human rights commitments. Hosted in collaboration with the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law (SAHSOL) and Justice Project Pakistan, this LUMS Live session was moderated by Ms. Hiba Akbar. The discussion with the esteemed and learned panel focused on the steps needed to be taken to move forward and forge the road to implementation of this landmark verdict.

LUMS Live Session 77: Learning From Others

Syed Babar Ali’s extraordinary life has a wealth of lessons to offer all of us. Mr. Ali, Founding Pro Chancellor, LUMS, has generously documented these lessons in his book, Learning from Others, and now will be sharing experiences from his life in the form of an upcoming video series, called Conversations with Syed Babar Ali.

For this special session of LUMS Live, Syed Babar Ali was joined by Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Dr. Sadaf Aziz, and Dr. Suleman Shahid, to discuss the process of recording stories and learnings from his professional and personal journey to share with the world.

LUMS Live Session 76: State Capture, Political Distortions and Development

In this session, Dr. Leonard Wantchekon examines the mechanisms of state capture in low income countries and discusses how these mechanisms contribute to the breakdown of democratic institutions. Dr. Wantchekon is a Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and the President and Founder of the African School of Economics. His research interests include political economy, economic history and development economics. A scholar with diverse interests, he has made substantive and methodological contributions to the literatures on clientelism and state capture, resource curse and democratisation.

Hosted in collaboration with the Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre as part of their Mahbub ul Haq Distinguished Lectures 2021, the session was moderated by Dr. Shandana Khan Mohmand and Dr. Ali Cheema.

LUMS Live Session 75: Pakistan's Divergent Fertility Transition

In this session, Dr. Zeba Sathar, Director of Population Council, Pakistan, examines the divergence in Pakistan’s fertility transition from other countries in South Asia. She examines the causes that explain this divergence and its implications for citizen welfare. Dr. Sathar is a leading demographer working on South Asia. Her research interests include demographics, gender, population planning, and child and maternal health. She is the author of the publication Capturing the Demographic Dividend in Pakistan.

Hosted in collaboration with the Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre as part of their Mahbub ul Haq Distinguished Lectures 2021, the session was moderated by Dr. Hadia Majid and Ms. Maha Rehman.

LUMS Live Session 74: Deepening Democracy: The Role of Associational Politics

The panel discussed the importance of associational capabilities and civic action in building citizen’s trust in democratic institutions. It examined the impact of differences in associational capabilities across regions in India and Pakistan and its impact on trust in democracy. It also discussed the types of institutions that are needed in democratic polities to strengthen associational capabilities and build trust in the political system.

Hosted in collaboration with the Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre as part of their The Political Economy of Development Series 2021, the session was moderated by Dr. Shandana Khan Mohmand

LUMS Live Session 73: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Student Learning in Pakistan

In this session, Professor Tahir Andrabi, Stedman-Sumner Professor of Economics at Pomona College, analyses the impact of the 2005 Earthquake in Pakistan on the recovery of student learning outcomes. He examines the implications of these findings for the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to student learning outcomes. Dr. Andrabi has published extensively in major economics and education journals including the American Economic Review and Review of Economics and Statistics. His research interests include the economics of education and development economics.

Hosted in collaboration with the Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre (MHRC), as part of their Mahbub ul Haq Distinguished Lectures 2021, this session was moderated by Rabea Malik and Miguel Loureiro.

LUMS Live Session 72: Polarized Democracies: Causes and Consequence

Professor Robinson discusses the social and economic changes that have caused polarization to increase in democratic politics in the 21st century. He examines the strain this is placing on democratic institutions and what implications these changes have for our understanding of democracy as a political system.

Hosted in collaboration with the Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre as part of their Mahbub ul Haq Distinguished Lectures 2021, the session was moderated by Dr. Shandana Khan Mohmand and Dr. Umair Javed.

LUMS Live Session 71: Transforming Governments with ICT

Just as organisations around the world are transforming themselves with digital technologies, so too are governments. The integration of ICT offers government systems the opportunity to enhance services, increase efficiency, build on accessibility, and improve citizens’ quality of life.

What is the role of the public and private sectors in making e-governance a success? Where does Pakistan stand in its quest to digitize government activity? What are the key pillars of an effective and efficient e-government? Which aspects of everyday life can such digital transformation help? This week we delve into the evolving landscape of e-governance and the opportunities and challenges it poses.

The session was moderated by Mr. Adeel Hashmi. Our distinguished panelists were Mr. Faizan Mahmood and Mr. Faisal Ameer Malik.