10/21/2009

IMF official will speak on Pakistani economy at Baker Institute

BY FRANZ BROTZEN
Rice News staff

Pakistan's military and security challenges have been discussed a lot recently, but what about its economic well-being?

Adnan Mazarei, assistant director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will discuss economic prospects in Pakistan Oct. 27 at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.

Mazarei's talk is titled "Pakistan: Crisis and Recovery (Hopefully)." It will begin at 6 p.m. in Baker Hall's Kelly International Conference Facility.

Mazarei has extensive policy experience in the Middle East and has worked on economic policy for a large number of countries in the region, including Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. He also serves as mission chief for Pakistan -- one of the IMF’s key crisis countries.

In the late 1990s, Mazarei was involved in the resolution of the financial crises in the Philippines and Russia. He has also made important contributions to the IMF’s policy work, including debt sustainability for low-income countries, as well as recent work on sovereign wealth funds and the formulation of the Santiago Principles. Additionally, he served for four years as an adviser to IMF management.

Mazarei has also worked at The World Bank. He has published work on economic issues in the Middle East and is currently editing a book on sovereign wealth funds. He received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Rice faculty, staff and students who want to attend must RSVP by e-mail (bipprsvp@rice.edu), by fax (713-348-5993) or on the Web at http://www.bakerinstitute.org/events/pakistan-crisis-and-recovery-hopefully.