Machine learning algorithms are increasingly being used to make highly consequential decisions for citizens of the Global South. I talk to Genevieve Smith about how algorithmic decision making in the realm of financial inclusion can lead to inequitable outcomes along gender lines, how that compares to the status quo, and how we can do better as practitioners and researchers. Genevieve Smith is the founding co-director of the Responsible and Equitable AI Initiative at the Berkley AI Research...

With all the buzz surrounding AI,  we're missing an understanding of how recent AI advancements affect those in the global South. I talk to Rida Qadri about ways in which generative AI fails to represent those in the Global South, what the implications of these failures are, and what's needed to do better.  Rida Qadri is an interdisciplinary scholar focusing on the cultural impacts of generative AI for people and communities in the global south. She is a Research Scientist at Google...

In Pakistan, election decisions can be dependent on either the party’s label or the party’s ideology. Currently, Pakistan’s political parties are facing a number of constraints in trying to influence the outcomes of voters’ choice during election time. Dr. Niloufer Siddiqui and Dr. Asad Liaqat discuss these constraints and how the upcoming election outcomes can be influenced by the way parties are structured and the way they interact with voters. This is a guest episode from the "Let's Talk...

I talk to Ahmad Iqbal about the state of local governments in Pakistan, why we should care about strong local governments, and what it would take for a lasting and strong local government system in Pakistan.  Ahmad Iqbal is the former chairman of the Narowal District Council. He is one of the fiercest advocates for strong local governments in Pakistan, and has recently launched the Pakistan Local Democracy Dialogue.  This episode is in Urdu. 

Pakistan has one of the largest gender gaps in voting in the world. In the 2018 election, the number of women who voted was 11 million less than the number of men who voted. What can we do to close this gender gap? How can we reach a state where women are able to exercise their democratic rights as voters on an equal footing with men? But before we talk about that, why is it even important to close this gender gap?  To unpack these questions, I bring in Sarah Khan who is an Assistant...

I talk to Fizzah Sajjad about why affordable housing in Pakistani cities remains an elusive policy dream.  We talk about the reasons why there is so much unmet demand for housing, about the harms of speculative investment in housing, and how the Naya Pakistan Housing Program falls short of its objectives. Fizzah also draws on her comparative expertise to bring in lessons that Pakistan can learn from other countries.  Fizzah Sajjad is a PhD Candidate in Human Geography and Urban Studies at...

Tahir Andrabi unpacks the stages of disaster recovery that Pakistan will go through. We use his experience working on the 2005 earthquakes to think through what an effective flood relief and rehabilitation effort will look like. We talk about what the long-term effects might be on livelihoods and on health and education outcomes, and the interventions that can help minimize these effects.  Tahir is the Stedman-Sumner Professor of Economics at Pomona College. He was the inaugeral Dean of the...

Asim Khwaja walks us through Pakistan's current economic crisis, and why the real solutions lie in long-term productivity increases. In the process, he also tells us what he learnt from a 5th grader during his recent visit to Pakistan, and on the important role that optimism plays both at a personal and structural level. This episode was recorded before floods started wreaking havoc across the entire country.  Here is a list of Pakistan and US-based charities involved in flood relief...

Unpacking Us is launching any day now! Catch the trailer for a glimpse of what's coming up. In each episode, Asad Liaqat unpacks a deep question facing Pakistani society, politics or the economy, by talking to an expert who spends their time working on that question.