This anthology offers a big picture view on key global sustainable development issues through the eyes of leading policy and academic stalwarts from Pakistan in particular, as well as neighbouring South Asian countries and beyond. It touches upon a host of thematic areas such as human capital; social exclusion; institutional governance; poverty alleviation; role of electronic and social media; the Fourth Industrial Revolution; unfair laws and legal systems; fiscal rules and regulations; transport corridors; a deteriorating global climate; ultra-nationalism; human rights and violence against women. This collaborative effort of some 30 authors from 10 countries seeks to demystify these issues and chart a way forward, while explaining, as clearly as possible, the most pressing policy questions and the different policy positions that define them. Our hope is that those actively involved in such debates - as thought leaders, change agents, and strategists - will be able to draw on the penetrating reflections and learnings to help generate new ideas that spur action towards the common goal of achieving sustainable development and regional connectivity.

1. South Asia ? Sustainable Development.