Rate My Professor Shujaat Farooq

Dr. Shujaat Farooq serves as Professor of Economics and Dean (Research) at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE). He earned his PhD in Economics from PIDE in 2011 and an MA in Economics from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, in 2003, along with a BA in Economics and Social Sciences from the same institution in 2000. Additionally, he holds diplomas from Harvard University in The Practice of PDIA: Building Capability by Delivering Results (2018) and from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Tackling Big Data (2014). His over 19 years of professional experience include Dean of Social Sciences at PIDE since July 2021, Assistant Professor at PIDE since April 2014, Additional Director General (Monitoring & Evaluation) at the Benazir Income Support Programme from April 2015 to June 2020, Research Economist at PIDE from September 2012 to April 2014, Assistant Professor at the National University of Sciences and Technology from October 2011 to September 2012, Assistant Economic Advisor at the Ministry of Finance from August 2007 to September 2008, and consultancy roles with the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization, and PIDE. He contributed to national initiatives including rebasing the poverty line, Vision 2025, and the National Socio-Economic Registry.

Dr. Farooq specializes in research on labor markets, poverty, education, social protection, rural economy, health economics, development economics, and monitoring & evaluation. Notable publications include "Effectiveness of cash transfer programmes for household welfare in Pakistan: The case of the Benazir Income Support Programme" (The Pakistan Development Review, 2014), "Mismatch between education and occupation: A case study of Pakistani graduates" (The Pakistan Development Review, 2011), "Rural poverty dynamics in Pakistan: Evidence from three waves of the panel survey" (The Pakistan Development Review, 2014), "Economic Growth and Rural Poverty in Pakistan: A Panel Dataset Analysis" (The European Journal of Development Research, 2020), "Catastrophic Health Expenditure and Poverty in Pakistan" (Pakistan Development Review, 2021), "Can Empowerment be Enhanced by Putting Cash in the Hands of Poor Women? Learning from Pakistan’s BISP Program" (The European Journal of Development Research, 2021), and recent PIDE papers such as "Gulf instability and remittances’ risk" (2026) and "The Middle East Conflict and Its Implications for Pakistani Migrant Workers" (2026). He engages in policy forums and mentors young scholars at PIDE.