ANNUAL REPORT - Global Development Network

SHOWCASE:
PROJECT MENTOR
MOHSIN S. KHAN
“ Research work
needs to be
mainly supported
by developing
countries
themselves”
Associated with the founding of two of GDN’s Regional Network Partners (RNPs) –
the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) and the South Asia Network
of Economic Research Institutes (SANEI), Dr. Mohsin S. Khan is the new chairman
of the Research Advisory Panel of SANEI. In addition, his relationship with GDN includes
mentoring for the Regional Research Competitions (RRCs)* in the past.
Referring to GDN’s mission of building research capacity to produce good and relevant
research and to mobilize knowledge for public policy purposes, Dr. Khan says“Research
capacity is an objective and there is no question that developing countries need it. GDN
was a terrific idea to bring in more interaction among networks.”
However, for research capacity to become sustainable, Dr. Khan points out that
developing countries themselves need to nurture and promote active research capacity
building universities, think tanks, and research institutes in their own countries.
There is very limited domestic research capacity in developing countries. In the absence
of local research capacity, these economies have depended largely on research done by
others. “While this is good in terms of learning from countries which already have
advanced research capacity, to be able to take full advantage of the research and
development knowledge, developing countries must have it as a base; else the
information is not particularly useful. Here, GDN’s vision to develop local RNPs and
absorb the local knowledge that comes from the rest of the world is particularly crucial,”
stresses Dr. Khan.
He adds that the quality of the outcome of researchers who have had the support of
GDN through its networks is very evident and cited an example from AERC where most
researchers trained through the RRC mentorship program have gone on to become
policymakers, acquired doctorates, managed to receive good grants for their research
careers or have been appointed in reputed think tanks and research institutes in their
own countries. He believes the RRCs have been a successful venture, and GDN must
extend and expand its Global Research Capacity Building Program even further.
Dr. Khan has published widely on macro-economic and monetary policies in
developing countries, economic growth, international trade and finance, Islamic
banking, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) programs, and has been the editor and
co-editor of several major economic
journals.
GDN ANNUAL REPORT 2012
16
Mohsin S. Khan
Chairman,
Research Advisory
Panel of SANEI –
GDN’s RNP for
South Asia
In 2003 he was awarded, jointly with A.
Mirakhor, the Islamic Development
Bank Prize in Islamic Economics for
outstanding contributions to the field.
In the same year, he was appointed
Director of the Middle East and Central
Asia Department of the IMF. Currently,
Dr. Khan is senior fellow in
the Hariri Center for the Middle East
at the Atlantic Council, as well as senior
fellow at the Peterson Institute
for International Economics, both in
the USA.
*RRCs are the entry point into GDN’s Global
Research Capacity Building Program and are organized every
year by GDN’s RNPs.