Click here for remarks from Ali Cheema. 

Pakistan’s middle class has experienced substantial growth over the past 30 years. This surge has resulted in significant challenges for the country’s economy and politics. Understanding lessons learned from Pakistan’s middle class expansion can illuminate and inform policymakers about issues facing the developing world’s rising middle class.

The Urban Institute, in collaboration with the Consortium for Development Policy Research, hosted a discussion about Pakistan’s emerging middle class. Our panel of leading researchers on Pakistan and global development explored the rise of the middle class and discussed implications for economic mobility, inequality, education, and political participation. 

Speakers

• Ali Cheema, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives
• Homi Kharas, Senior Fellow and Codirector, Global Economy and Development Program, Brookings Institution
• Ghazala Mansuri, Lead Economist, Poverty Reduction and Equity Group, World Bank
• Ijaz Nabi, Chairman, Board of Governors, Consortium for Development Policy Research
• Reehana Raza, Senior Research Associate, Center on International Development and Governance, Urban Institute

• Charles Cadwell, Director, Center on International Development and Governance, Urban Institute (moderator)

Event Materials 

• Agenda
• Speaker Biographies

Please submit any questions to [email protected]. Photo by Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images