Harvard University President hails Dubai's economic strategies

The meeting was hosted by the Dubai School of Government in line with its mandate to facilitate regular meetings with key international speakers from various fields in order to enhance public Governance and promote principles of excellence within the public sector.

The Harvard University President participating in a highly interactive question-and-answer session said, "Schools of Government can make an enormous contribution, preparing those who want to pursue a career in the government and non profit organizations."

He said, "Governments have a central role to play, indeed an obligation to establish frameworks for prosperity for the societies in which they operate."

"Don't do marginal things, do things which will be remembered. Be prepared to do new things in new ways if they will have an impact," Summers added.

Commenting on Dubai, Summers stated that he was impressed by the country's commitment to strategic clusters, such as Dubai Internet City and Dubai Media City. Summers went on to add that Dubai's commitment to the idea of human capital development which is evident in the setting up of such institutions such as the Dubai School of Government and numerous other initiatives is indeed inspirational. This he added is 'an important part of any society's successes.

Summers added that despite the fact that he had only been in the country for 11 hours, the developments that he had seen and the commitment exhibited in the development of Dubai were truly remarkable.

Nabil Ali Alyousuf, Executive President, Dubai School of Government welcomed L. Summers and said, "Today's meeting forges closer ties between Dubai and Harvard University and we very much look forward to further developing this partnership."

Whilst in Dubai, Summers visited prestigious institutions such as the Dubai School of Government (DSG) and the Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) to identify areas of mutual co-operation and growth and to build upon existing relationships such as the ones Harvard already has with the DSG and the DHCC.

"Lawrence Summers is highly respected the world over. He is an acknowledged leader who has risen to the highest echelons of his chosen profession," said Alyousuf.

Distinguished track record

Lawrence H. Summers took office as 27th president of Harvard University on July 1, 2001 after an intensive and broad-ranging nine-month search.

An eminent scholar and admired public servant, Summers is the former Nathaniel Ropes Professor of Political Economy at Harvard, and in the past decade served in a series of senior public policy positions, most recently as Secretary of the Treasury of the United States.

Summers has served in Washington as a domestic policy economist for the President's Council of Economic Advisers and in 1983, returned to Harvard as a professor of economics, one of the youngest individuals in recent history to be named as a tenured member of the University's faculty.