LUMS Faculty Members Join Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at MIT
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LUMS is delighted to announce that faculty members Dr. Farah Said and Dr. Ali Cheema have been invited to join the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT as Affiliated Professors — the first two faculty members from any Pakistani university to receive this honour.
Co-founded by Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, J-PAL is one of the world’s foremost institutions reducing poverty by promoting evidence-based policymaking. At its heart is a network of Affiliated Professors, top economists from leading universities worldwide, including five Nobel Laureates, invited to join for their work conducting randomised control trials and publishing results in high-quality journals.
The selection of Dr. Said and Dr. Cheema is a recognition of their impactful work in economics and political economy, which has been published in top journals such as the Journal of Political Economy, American Political Science Review, Science, Economic Journal, and American Economic Journal: Applied Economics.
Commenting on this, Drs. Said and Cheema said, “Our research owes much to our co-authors, colleagues, and students, many of whom are pursuing economic research, for creating a vibrant environment for inquiry. This is an exciting time to be part of the Pakistani economics community, with a growing number of Pakistani-origin economists shaping global research on issues that are critical for Pakistan. We are also seeing the emergence of exceptional young Pakistani scholars who are asking deep questions about why economies, polities, and societies are not delivering for their people.”
This milestone marks a significant achievement for LUMS, Pakistan’s economic community, and the nation, as we contribute to shaping global economic research.
