Dr. Ghulam Samad is a Senior Research Specialist at the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Institute, ADB. Before joining CAREC Institute, Dr. Samad was a Senior Research Economist at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives. Dr. Samad also served as an Economist at the Planning Commission of Pakistan. Dr. Samad holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Colorado State University, USA. He brings together an experience spanning over 15 years of high-level research and teaching and providing valuable contributions to peer-reviewed national and international journals and several international books on key economic themes. As a consultant, Dr. Samad worked for International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), and UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WTO).