LUMS and the University of Nottingham jointly organised a three-day conference titled "The Great Transformation? The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Culture, Economy, and Society in Pakistan."
The conference attendees came from Canada, UK, China, Singapore, Denmark, Malaysia, and all over Pakistan. The conference brought together a mosaic of complementary expertise and for three days there was an intensive discussion which was theoretically informed and empirically rich examining CPEC at multiple levels—macro, mezzo, and micro, as well as comparatively. It moved the discussion from hyperbole, conjecture, and sensationalism to a more nuanced and critical understanding of this complex project and the multiple ramifications that are implicit or explicitly connected with it. Also, how similar developments are being played out in other countries, thus giving a yardstick to compare developments in Pakistan.
The presentations were followed by a half-day discussion on how to carry forward this cutting-edge research agenda. This multilateral collaboration reflected on developing a large-scale comparative project on the BRI, introducing new partners that can make this feasible as well as consider a publication strategy for the various presentations. The next year will see the development of a large scale comparative project and the selection of presentations for publication.
