I am a development economist studying how firms, labour markets, social norms and local institutions shape structural transformation and economic inclusion in developing economies. My research combines field experiments, original firm and household surveys, and applied microeconometric methods.
I am an Associate Professor of Economics and the Director of Graduate Studies at Lahore School of Economics, where I am also a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Economics and Business (CREB). I lead and collaborate on externally funded field research with academic, government and implementation partners. I also contribute to national higher-education policy through committee roles with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.
I hold a PhD and MS in Economics from Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France.
Research Fellow at the Center for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP), Fellow at the Global Labor Organization (GLO), former Research Affiliate at the Contemporary South Asian Studies Programme, University of Oxford.
Research . CV . Google Scholar . LinkedIn . Email
Female leadership and empowerment: An RCT in Pakistan. Revise and resubmit, Journal of Development Economics (Latest draft)
International Standards and Export Performance: Evidence from Pakistani Firms . Journal of Development Studies (2026)
What Do Others Think? Norm Beliefs and Women’s Work in Pakistan. GLO Discussion Paper (2026) (Latest draft) (Op-ed)
My current field research examines barriers to women’s employment, employer and household beliefs, informal-market demand, and the effects of AI-related training. These projects combine randomized interventions with original firm, household and institutional data.
My research is developed in collaboration with universities, research organisations, government agencies, firms and implementation partners. I am particularly interested in partnerships that enable rigorous research on firms and productivity, labour markets, women’s economic participation, skills and institutional reform.