Social Development, The Empowerment of Women, And the Expansion of Civil Society: Alternative Ways out of the Debt and Poverty Trap (Distinguished Lecture‪)‬

I. INTRODUCTION Thank you for inviting me to be a Distinguished Lecturer at the Pakistan Society of Development Economists' annual meeting this year. I am truly honoured. I am sure we share the same goals, that we all want to look to a strong future for Pakistan. I want us all to envision a time when every child will be in school, receiving a good education, and no one in this country suffers from physical ailments unnecessarily. When a women can make the choice to take a decent paying job, stay home with her family, or even continue on with her education after her marriage. When local community groups have the capacity to respond to local issues, which not only solves immediate problems but also fosters a sense of community and reciprocal obligations. I could spend the entire amount of time allotted to me elaborating on a history of what has gone wrong in Pakistan, but I refuse to do so here. (1) We must now move on, and recognise that jo ho gaya, vo ho gaya (what has happened, has happened).