Ahmed Raza

Bio:

Ahmed is a global citizen - a structured thinker, trained in economics, finance, data science and technology. He is skilled in econometric modeling, design thinking, building data pipelines for optimized workflows, innovation with AI, and stakeholder management. He is a trained researcher with proven expertise in advanced analytics and navigating complex data landscapes. His research interests usually lie where development and data meet. His work on promoting evidence based policy-making has allowed him to culminate affiliations with renowned institution(s) such as World Bank Group, EPOD-Harvard, CERP, & BSE.

He enjoys longboarding for balance and good music for harmony.

🌍 Global Experience: 🇵🇰 || 🇪🇸 || 🇨🇦 || 🇺🇸 ||

Research Focus:

Evidence-based policy making, Applied Econometrics , Financial Economics, International Trade, Education , ESG , Human Capital, Technology Policy & Ariticial Intelligence.

Work Experience

Consultant Economist & Data Scientist @ World Bank Group(WBG)

(April 2019 - June 2025)

Key Contributions

Spearheaded data initiatives for creating global public analytical products to support results-based programming of the education sector.

Provided strategic and technical support by developing data pipelines in line with data priorities, harmonizing data from eclectic sources , actively contributing to analysis and calculation of global development indicator(s) related to education & human capital.

Designed and implemented robust M&E systems to measure impact of project(s) on Education and Human Capital.

Developed and implemented innovative econometric models to evaluate the impact of policies and interventions on economic growth, fostering evidence-based decision-making and supporting effective policy formulation.

Executed 2 country-level missions to Pakistan and worked closely with a variety of stakeholders, including government officials , civil society organizations to strengthen statiscal capactity and promote sustainable development.

Contributed to flagship WBG project(s) and report(s) including but not limited to: Learning Poverty, World Development Indicators, Data Depot-Pakistan, Human Capital Review - Pakistan, and Global Education Policy Dashboard(GEPD).

Project Manager @ CERP

(July 2018 - April 2019)

Key Contribution(s)

Directed data collection, methodology, and analysis for a series of cutting-edge research projects and embedded randomized controlled trials (RCTs), under the LEAPS program.

Managed a diverse set of stakeholders, pitched the project to senior bureaucrats and got it cleared from security agencies for deployment of the latest LEAPS round, which tracked & surveyed 1,000,000+ students in the LEAPS sample from 112 villages, in order to create a one of a kind panel dataset on education and its demographic dividends, covering every aspect of the educational marketplace.

Conceptualized & deployed LEAPS instrument for data collection which included android applications to measure young adults’ cognitive and non-cognitive abilities.

Analyzed incoming data to examine the linkages between education and labor market outcomes using psychometric analysis and item response theory (IRT) modeling of test scores.

Senior Research Associate @ CERP

(June 2016 - July 2018)

Key Contribution(s)

Contributed to research design & implementation aimed at removing credit constraints for low-cost private schools.

Enhanced statistical analyses and data quality at CERP- Analytics.

Conducted thorough design audits for different research project(s) and conducted code audit(s) in data querying & scripting language(s) to support junior research staff.

Analyzed a range processed data by applying advanced statistical techniques such as multivariate predictive modelling, survival analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), geo-spatial analysis, and time-series analysis.

Collaborated with cross-functional teams to design and execute impact assessments for education support services and microfinance loans to low cost private schools, providing valuable insights on resource allocation under tight budgetary constraints.

Provided statistical and research support to research staff and external data clients, including banks and private sector firms, to optimize analysis, conduct data diagnostics and embed data in decisions related to operations in order to increase efficiency, outreach, impact, & profits.

Teaching Fellow - Rethinking Financial Inclusion @ Harvard Kennedy School

(April 2016 - April 2016)

Key Contribution(s)

Based on my work at CERP, I was invited to be a teaching fellow for an executive course at the Kennedy School, where I taught the smart design for policy design & practice to an eclectic mix of senior regulators & practitioners , engaging them on cutting-edge frameworks and methodologies in micro-finance and behavioral economics.

Research Associate @ CERP

(June 2014 - June 2016)

Key Contribution(s)

Conducted field experiments and behavioral lab games to assess citizens’ interaction with state resources in urban and rural settings.

Acted as the primary point of contact to manage and build relationships with diverse stakeholders and field partners: civil servants, police, judiciary, survey & leading tech-firms in Pakistan.

Acted as a primary focal point for fieldwork, instrument design,data cleaning, analysis and literature review for the published academic paper on trust in state institutions.

Education

Degree: MSc in Specialized Economic Analysis with a concentration on International Trade, Economics and Development Economics
Institution: Barcelona School of Economics
Graduation Date: June 2014

(Evaluated by World Education Services (WES), as equivalent to a Canadian master’s degree)

Degree: BSc (Honors) in Economics & Finance
Institution: Lahore School of Economics
Graduation Date: June 2013

(Evaluated by World Education Services (WES), as equivalent to a Canadian bachelor’s degree)

Recent Project(s) & Publication(s):

Global Education Policy Dashboard - (GEPD)

Guiding the methodology, implementation, & analysis of the Global Education Policy Dashboard in Pakistan.

This project combines several data iniatives at the Education Global Practice to give a detailed systematic overview of education sector and offers a strong basis for identifying priorities for investment in education eco-system at country - level , and policy reforms that are suited to a country-specific context.

Learning Poverty - 2022 Global Update

The Learning Poverty indicator combines primary-aged children out-of-school and pupils below a minimum proficiency in reading.

Focuses on both “more schooling” and “better learning” for a holistic perspective on education.

Utilizes data from the Global Learning Assessment Database (GLAD).

Three complementary concepts: Learning poverty level, gap, and severity.

This flagship report informs Post-COVID education policy priorities and urges stakeholders for joint action.

Pakistan – Human Capital Review: Building Capabilities Throughout Life

Contributed to the production: analysis, data visualizations and write-up of the Human Capital Review.

This report calls for a long-term commitment to building human capital throughout life and advocates for intersectoral linkages and continuity of policies to enhance human capital in Pakistan.

Data - Depot Pakistan

Devised & implemented a systematic & scaleable data cleaning, harmonization, and analysis strategy for the assembly and aggregation of 100+ complex micro-datasets from multiple data sources like household surveys, government censuses, and administrative/monitoring datasets. All applicable code behind this initiative is open-source and available on GitHub.
Calulated standardized key indicators on education with open access to standardized micro-datasets by developing a scalable platform using r(shiny) app for proactive tracking of indicators and open access standardized micro-data.
Added value in the data landscape by creating public data good for informed decision-making in the education sector.

State Authority in Pakistan

Monitored, evaluated, and conducted field experiments and behavioral lab games to assess the logic behind citizens’ interaction with state resources in both urban and rural settings.
This paper explores the determinants of trust in state institutions in Pakistan by investigating whether positive engagement can revitalize a citizen’s sense of trust in the state.

Proficienct in software(s):

Statistical Analysis: Stata, R, E-Views
Scripting & Data Querying Languages: Python, SQL, Cypher
Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, Neo4j
Data Collection: ODK, Survey CTO, Survey Solutions
Version Control: Github, Visual Studio Code
Office Suites: Microsoft Office
Artificial Intelligence: OpenAI playground, Grok, DeepSeek, Claude, Gemini, Dall-E, Copilot, Jasper, Midjourney, n8n & others.

Other Interest(s):

Traveling
Music
Longboarding
Freestyle Football
Squash
Table Tennis
Chess