Press Release

Harvard Kennedy School Welcomes Hedi Larbi as the Fall 2015 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar

September 1, 2015

CAMBRIDGE, MA – The Middle East Initiative (MEI) at Harvard Kennedy School’s (HKS) Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs announced today that Former Tunisian Minister Hedi Larbi will join the HKS community this autumn as MEI’s Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar.


Hedi Larbi most recently served as Advisor to the MENA Vice President at the World Bank, and from January 2014 to February 2015 served as both the Minister of Economic Infrastructure and Sustainable Development and the Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister, Tunisia. Larbi has over 35 years of professional experience in economic and social development as both a policy advisor and policymaker including more than two decades of high level work in the World Bank Group, the private sector, and the Tunisian transition government. He has developed, negotiated and supervised major economic and institutional development programs, as well as public and private investment operations in various social and economic sectors including major infrastructure projects and economic reforms. Larbi holds an MSc in Civil Engineering from the Ecole des Mines de Paris and an Executive MBA from Harvard Business School.


As the Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar, Larbi will lead a seven week study group entitled, “Rewriting the Arab Social Contract: Toward Inclusive Development and Politics in the Arab World.” The series will feature development practitioners and academics specializing in the political economy of the Middle East to address the often overlooked economic and social issues at the root of the Arab uprisings and to identify the need and means for implementing a new and inclusive social contract and development model in light of the successes and failures of recent transitions across the Arab World. In addition, Larbi will engage with HKS students, faculty and affiliates, and will participate in various events and activities at MEI, HKS and the broader Harvard campus.


“It is a great honor to announce Former Minister Larbi as Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar this autumn,” said Nicholas Burns, Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations, and Faculty Chair of the Middle East Initiative. “Minister Larbi has extensive knowledge of the political, economic, institutional and social challenges in the Middle East region. Given the past four years of turbulent transitions and the current climate of polarized politics and deteriorating economic conditions, his experience in the region and his insights will be an invaluable addition to intellectual life here at the Kennedy School.”


The Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar Program is one of five components of the Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School and is supported by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences. The Visiting Scholar program attracts regional experts who teach, conduct research projects, lead workshops and interact with other research fellows at Harvard Kennedy School. Their presence helps enrich on-campus program offerings regarding the Middle East and supports the broader mission of the Middle East Initiative.


The Middle East Initiative is dedicated to deepening and strengthening Harvard Kennedy School's relationship with the institutions and peoples of the Middle East. MEI engages public policy issues in the Middle East by convening academic and policy experts, collaborating with regional partners, and developing the next generation of leaders.

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:Harvard Kennedy School Welcomes Hedi Larbi as the Fall 2015 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar.” Press Release, September 1, 2015.