Asad Pabani is a journalist and researcher based in Karachi, Pakistan. He is currently a Research Analyst at the consulting firm Acasus where he works with multilateral institutions, and donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to improve education service delivery in low- and middle-income countries. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Macro Pakistani, an economic analysis publication funded by the South Asia Institute at Harvard University. 

Previously, he was the co-founder of the digital media platform Soch Videos. His work included interviews with the Federal Ministers for Health and Climate Change, and he was selected as one of three finalists for the UK Foreign Press Association’s Young Journalist Award in 2018 due to his reporting on enforced disappearances by law enforcement agencies in Karachi. Additionally, he has served as a research consultant on projects for the Collective for Social Science Research and the Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy. 

Asad graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a BA in Political Science and Sociology. His academic career and work experience has primarily focused on examining suboptimality in urban policymaking, and its implications for working class and marginalised communities. As a Donald F. McHenry Fellow, Asad hopes to use his GHD experience to explore case studies of urban revival from across the Global South, with a view to creating inclusive and sustainable cities in Pakistan. 

Summer Internship Experience

Social Impact (Hanoi, Vietnam)

I was based in Hanoi over the summer, where I worked as a “Localization and Learning Young Professional” for Social Impact. SI is an Arlington-based development consultancy that primarily implements USAID projects. As a foreign professional, I thought the opportunity to acquaint myself with the inner workings of one of the world’s largest aid agencies would be an invaluable experience. And so, it proved to be.

One of my key tasks was assisting SI in its aim to promote localization within its work. This is part of a broader USAID push to ensure that local communities and entities are at the forefront of deciding and implementing aid projects. I analysed a survey disseminated in SI’s home office and seven project offices to determine the extent of localization in their recent projects, and what staff felt could be done to further this process. The findings formed the basis of a localization-focused workshop that I co-led in the Hanoi office, with similar exercises planned in the other project offices.

Why GHD?

Because it gives you the perfect mix of critical thinking and practical skills to help you grow in a professional and personal capacity!