SOUTH ASIA NEIGHBOURS ADVANCING REGIONAL INTEGRATION, COOPERATION AND ENGAGEMENT IN SOUTH ASIA Thinking beyond borders: South Asia’s budding economists unite since 2004 by Oishee Kundu #OneSouthAsia CASE STUDY 1, 2021 Each year, nearly a hundred South Asian conversations, friendships, and trust among economics students gather to share students from the region, including natives research papers, listen to lectures by of India and Pakistan. distinguished scholars, and debate the finer points of economic theories. For many, Students who attend the event are seen the South Asia Economic Students Meet as future leaders who can help influence (SAESM) is their first experience of regional regional cooperation and peace initiatives cooperation in an area with a long history in South Asia. SAESM is loosely based on of political divisions. Europe’s successful student exchanges after World War II to rebuild institutions and SAESM is a notable example of how people- national relationships. The annual SAESM to-people contact can change hearts and conference invites economics students minds. The annual conference focuses to exchange ideas on regional trade and on regional economic development economic growth that can reduce poverty. issues. More importantly, it encourages Such discussions are important for South Asia, Thinking beyond borders: South Asia’s budding economists unite since 2004 1 SOUTH ASIA #OneSouthAsia which is home to 36 percent of the world’s India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka poor and half of all malnourished children. attended. “Bright smiles, lots of energy, and plenty of good will” is how the Times of India For Ritwika Sen of India, SAESM was a described the proceedings in an article on life-changing event. She is currently a Ph.D. 4 February 2004. Since then, the conference candidate in Illinois, USA, and participated has been held every year in different in SAESM in 2011 as a student of St. Stephen’s South Asian countries. In 2005, SAESM was College. “SAESM was essentially the first held in Pakistan at Lahore University of time that I met like-minded peers from Management Sciences. In 2007, Nepal’s across South Asia. It helped to broaden Tribhuvan University joined the event and my outlook on the region and the amazing the World Bank began supporting SAESM. things that we can accomplish with more In 2011, the event widened to include cooperation,” she said. Bhutan’s Royal Thimpu College followed in 2013 by Afghanistan’s Kabul University. SAESM has survived domestic tensions, border skirmishes, and cancelled SAARC The journey since 2004 summits, and also managed to build a good reputation for itself within the economics At the heart of the SAESM story is a group circuit in South Asia. of dedicated academics in different colleges across South Asia, investing their Overall, the idea behind SAESM seems to time and skills to organize and lead the be born out of two motivations. The first conferences year after year. The idea of motivation is to promote people-to-people an economics students meet to build cross- contact, despite not-so-favorable political border friendships began in 2004 when discourses. The second motivation is to Dr. Deb Kusum Das of Delhi University’s improve the state of economics education Ramjas College visited Lahore University in the region and use the knowledge from of Management Sciences in Pakistan. the subject in service towards regional Back at Ramjas College, his students in growth, development, and cooperation. the Economics Society club were excited about creating a regional platform. The Firsthand experiences of crossing the border grassroots initiative quickly drew support also gives the participants a concrete idea from Prof. Turab Hussain of Lahore University of the challenges to regional cooperation of Management Sciences, followed by in the region. Unlike much of the world, professors and students at the University of visas can be difficult to obtain for certain Dhaka in Bangladesh and the University of nationalities in South Asia. Some students Colombo in Sri Lanka. have had to book circuitous routes through other countries because of sudden coolness The first SAESM was held in 2004, hosted by in their home country’s relationship with Ramjas College. Ninety-four students from the country hosting SAESM. For example, in 2 Thinking beyond borders: South Asia’s budding economists unite since 2004 #OneSouthAsia SOUTH ASIA 2014, the delegation of Pakistani students annual subthemes and the best had to fly through Dubai and Nepal to overall paper wins the Sen-Haq Award. reach the conference in Bhutan because ‘Budding Economist’- an economics quiz the Indian government refused to grant competition- is the more gladiatorial event. transit visas. SAESM thus not only becomes Participants go through a written test and an opportunity for improving theoretical quiz to qualify for a final round where their knowledge on regional cooperation, but mettle is tested on an individual basis in also contributes to practical understanding a publicly-held panel interview that is as of the status quo. interesting to watch as it is to participate in. The last person standing is crowned the ‘Budding Economist of South Asia’ and this marks the end of the conference. First impressions to lasting legacy Dr. Selim Raihan, Professor of Economics at the University of Dhaka and Executive SAESM unofficially begins with an ice- Director of the South Asian Network on breaker in the evening when all teams Economic Modeling, a key mentor of the have arrived and is usually organized SAESM initiative from Bangladesh, said by the World Bank representative at the SAESM is about much more than prizes. The event. Polite greetings rapidly blossom real benefit is for students “to see someone into enthusiastic exclamations of shared from another country in South Asia,” ancestry (“my grandmother came from something unimaginable a generation Sylhet!”) and common tastes (“I love ago, and still out of reach for millions in kottu roti too!”). Fans of Bollywood are South Asia today. The most dramatic quick to begin a game of antakshari demonstrations of such meetings are made and the musically-inclined form strategic by students from India and Pakistan who international partnerships to make a are surprised that the people on the other winning team. The next morning, at the side are human beings just like them. official inauguration, everyone stands for the national anthems of all participating Students are also able to identify nations. It is a very moving display of opportunities with peers for future research mutual respect and understanding. collaborations, an important step for those planning post-graduate study in economics During the week-long SAESM, speakers lead at home or abroad. For many, the SAESM panel discussions on topical economic experience shapes their future research issues. Over the years, the quality of interests and professional choices. research papers and presentations has steadily improved, attracting top students Trade economist Nishant Khanal said he throughout South Asia. Judges choose a attended SAESM as a student from Nepal. best paper for each of the competition’s After graduation, he worked on a regional Thinking beyond borders: South Asia’s budding economists unite since 2004 3 SOUTH ASIA #OneSouthAsia trade promotion network project with Urdu ultimately swelled into an energetic a German development agency and and enthusiastic chorus with a fast beat, participated in the South Asia Economic because everyone was buoyed by hope Summit. “Recently, I worked as South Asia and the meaning held by the words of program manager at Students for Liberty that song. Students express surprise when with more than 100 volunteers from South they discover how much they have in Asia. The network which I built at SAESM has common. helped me a lot in my professional life.” Nearly a thousand students have The conference, with its paper presentation participated in SAESM since it began. sessions and keynote lectures and panels Some of the early participants now over three days, is also a great opportunity have established careers as economists, to learn about new topics and methods of academics, journalists, and other doing research. Tshering Wangdi, a SAESM professionals exercising significant alumnus from Bhutan says, “SAESM has influence in policy making of their helped me to not only gain knowledge of respective countries. Cyril Almeida, 2004 people representing different nations, but alumnus of SAESM, is a senior journalist in also enhance my skills in economics and Pakistan who served as the assistant editor statistics.” for Dawn - Pakistan’s oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. SAESM has proved to be a great After graduating from Lahore University networking opportunity for its participants, of Management Sciences, he studied but it goes even further to cement that jurisprudence as a Rhodes Scholar at friendship through a two-day retreat which Oxford. He was named the International is held at the end of the conference. The Press Institute’s 2019 World Press retreat organizes activities giving students Freedom Hero. a cultural, geographical, and social snapshot of the host country. For example, the 2014 SAESM in Bhutan included hiking to a monastery perched 10,000 feet high What’s next? in the Himalayas. The six-hour hike gave students plenty of time to argue, debate, SAESM is evolving into a formal institution and challenge each others’ ideas while with more transparency and accountability. developing trust. In 2016, it formed a governing council with plans to enlist academics and experts from On the last evening of SAESM 2014, all the outside the SAESM network to provide participants sang “we shall overcome,” advice and support. As the council focuses to join their voices together. What began on the coordination of all activities among as a sweet and soulful rendition of the different countries and expanding the same melody in English, Hindi, Bengali, and network beyond the annual conferences, 4 Thinking beyond borders: South Asia’s budding economists unite since 2004 #OneSouthAsia SOUTH ASIA it has also created a rotating secretariat. There are issues related to participation Dhaka-based South Asian Network on as well. Critics say several South Asian Economic Modeling was chosen to be the countries send students from a limited set first host. of universities, whose student bodies may not fairly represent the nation’s population. Country coordinators are discussing ways SAESM could be a more effective platform to expand the organization, possibly by for regional peace building by adding more sponsoring research projects, publishing universities as partners. Greater publicity high-quality papers in a journal, and about the annual event could generate holding week-long classes in advanced more interest and improve accessibility to research techniques. There is potential for the forum. expansion by collaborating with entities such as the South Asian Network on Overall, SAESM has managed to grow Economic Modeling in Bangladesh; the simply on the hard work of the country South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics coordinators and the enthusiasm and trust and Environment network in Nepal; and of students, without having a permanent research centers on South Asian issues at office or an address. the London School of Economics, University of California - Berkeley, and Sciences There is little doubt that SAESM has helped Po in Paris. Many SAESM alumni from the create better economists who are aware past 15 years are now well-placed to help of regional development. Participants an expansion. warmly recount their experiences and their Facebook pages show deep interests SAESM faces some critical challenges in in transboundary issues and cultural the coming years, one of which relates to practices. Many former students say establishing formal institutions to manage they pay close attention to elections, the event. Each conference takes communal violence, and natural disasters enormous resources to organize, especially that affect neighboring countries. in a region where bilateral tensions are high and government institutions do not It is not an exaggeration to say that SAESM reliably grant visa applications. Some changes the participants. If regional thought has been given to organizing cooperation seemed inconceivable or future conferences in neutral locations hadn’t crossed their minds before, the outside South Asia just to avoid logistical memories of conference and the retreat nightmares, and while the proposal may be serve as a constant reminder of the sensible, the boost to the local economy possibility. from hosting a large-scale event and other benefits of internationalization will be lost to “SAESM alumni are future ambassadors of South Asia. their countries and of the idea of South Asia." – Sanjay Kathuria, former lead Thinking beyond borders: South Asia’s budding economists unite since 2004 5 SOUTH ASIA #OneSouthAsia economist and coordinator, South Asia attended the conference as an economics Regional Integration, The World Bank. student from Afghanistan in 2018. The week of conversations with other students Ebadulrahman Hashemi, former Research from the region permanently changed Subject Matter Expert with Afghan Ministry the way he views himself, Hashemi said. of Interior Affairs and a recent graduate in “SAESM transitioned me from an Afghan to policy economics from Massachusetts, USA, a South Asian.” Endnotes 1. In prestigious universities of South Asia, one 2. ‘Reflecting on SAESM 2018’ (SANEM, 6 of the indicators of success for an economics February 2018) major is to get selected to represent their country at SAESM. Only 11 percent of Picture credits: Nikita Singla students in India who apply are selected to attend SAESM. Neighbours Series A key objective of the World Bank’s South Asia Regional Integration, Cooperation and Engagement (RICE) approach is broadening evidence-based communication and outreach activities that will help strengthen the case for RICE and generate domestic demand. The ‘Good Neighbours’ series showcases successful cross-border stories demonstrating regional cooperation to build support for regionalism in South Asia. Series Editor Mandakini Kaul is Senior Regional Cooperation Officer, South Asia Regional Integration and Engagement at the World Bank. Editor Nikita Singla is Consultant, South Asia Regional Cooperation at the World Bank and is Associate Director at New Delhi-based Bureau of Research on Industry and Economic Fundamentals. About the Author Oishee Kundu is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Manchester, UK. She is a SAESM alumnus from 2014. The World Bank SOUTH ASIA 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 Advancing Regional Integration, Email: onesouthasia@worldbank.org Cooperation and Engagement in South Asia Website: www.worldbank.org/onesouthasia