Dr. Akmal Hussain is an Economist who specializes in action research on Development. He is Distinguished Professor and Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Information Technology University (ITU), Lahore, Pakistan, Co-chair, Governing Board, South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS); and Senior Fellow, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.

Besides having taught in a wide range of academic and professional institutions at home and abroad, Dr. Hussain has undertaken research on Economic Policy, Poverty Alleviation and Regional Cooperation in South Asia.

He has also helped to establish civil society institutions for poverty alleviation, engaged in advocacy for Regional Cooperation in South Asia at the national and international levels, and contributed to national economic policy as an independent economist.

Dr. Hussain is listed in several world biographical reference books, including the Marquis WHO'S WHO, and has been interviewed by PTV, BBC, Doordarshan, ABC and Voice of Germany. 


He enjoys photography, listening to classical music, reading, and trekking. He has three sons and lives in Lahore, Pakistan. 

I.          Teaching and Research
Dr. Akmal Hussain has a B.A. Honours Degree in Economics and Politics from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. in Economics from Sussex University. He has been an economics lecturer at University of California, Riverside, on the adjunct faculty at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and Chairman, Public Administration Department, Punjab University. He has also lectured widely at premier training institutions, including Pakistan Administrative Staff College, Lahore, Command and Staff College, Quetta and National Defence University, Islamabad. He has presented papers as a panelist at international conferences around the world, including Harvard University, Stanford University, UNDP, The World Bank, ILO, The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peace Research Institute, Oslo, World Conference on Development Rome, The United Nations, Geneva, Wilton Park at Sussex and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tokyo.

Apart from a large number of papers and reports, Dr. Hussain has authored three books on development policy and has co-authored 29 other books on issues of poverty, peace and development, which have been internationally published and produced over 200 newspaper articles on economic and social issues. He contributed to economic policy research as a Principal Author of the UNDP, Pakistan National Human Development Report 2003, published by Oxford University Press. He has also conducted a research on the Drivers of Change Study for the Asia Foundation and produced a report titled: Power Dynamics, Institutional Instability and Economic Growth: The Case of Pakistan (2008). He has also undertaken research for international agencies, including the World Bank, United Nations University, UNDP, The Asia Foundation, ILO/ARTEP, Swiss Development Corporation, Dutch Government and CIDA. Dr. Hussain also writes weekly articles in the English newspaper: The Express Tribune.

II.        Institution Building and Social Mobilization for Poverty Alleviation
Dr. Hussain has helped build organizations for overcoming poverty at the village, district, provincial and national levels in Pakistan. He has worked as a social mobilizer to enable local communities to acquire basic services. During 1998 he worked as honourary Chief Executive Officer of the Punjab Rural Support Program (PRSP). In this capacity he helped establish this poverty alleviation institution, and got it off to a flying start in eight divisions of rural Punjab. He has also helped to establish the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and LEAD (Leadership for Environment and Development, Pakistan) as the founding member of the Board of Directors of both institutions. Dr. Hussain is also on the Board of Governors of the South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS).

III.       Contribution to National Policy
He was an Honourary Member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Affairs Committee between 1997 and 1999. In May 1997, he prepared the ‘‘Report of the Task Force on Poverty Eradication’’ as its Honourary Chairman. The proposals of the Report were later adopted as part of National Policy. He also served on President Musharraf’s Economic Advisory Board during 1999-2002 and has been a member of the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation in 2003-04. Most recently he has been Chairman of the Working Group on Institutional Framework for Development, Panel of Economists, and Chairman of the Working Group on Poverty Reduction Strategy and Human Resource Development for the Tenth Five Year Plan, Planning Commission, Islamabad.

Dr. Hussain contributed policy proposals to the South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS) for the SAARC Summit held in January 2004. The proposals were adopted and made part of the Official SAARC Summit Declaration. He is also conducting policy research and advocacy on South Asian Economic Cooperation under the auspices of SACEPS, Kathmandu.