August 15, 2025

From July 21-25, the Harris School of Public Policy was pleased to welcome His Excellency Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia, to the University of Chicago. The visit was co-organized by the Harris School of Public Policy and the Becker Friedman Institute, as part of the Growth Academy, a World Bank–funded program that brings senior government officials from around the world to the university for intensive policy exchange. Over five days, the minister took part in a full schedule of meetings, presentations, and conversations across UChicago, including a keynote appearance at the Growth Academy.

Harris dean Ethan Bueno de Mesquita and Associate Professor Austin Wright with His Excellency Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia (second from left).

“At Harris, we are committed to engaging in thoughtful dialogue and fostering knowledge exchange with public leaders from around the globe,” said Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, dean and Sydney Stein Professor at Harris. “This visit was an opportunity to share the values of evidence- and analysis-based approaches to public policy and to learn about major global policy challenges. We are proud to host world leaders, and we look forward to continuing the conversations begun during the minister’s visit to Chicago.”

The visit came at a time of significant change for Saudi Arabia. Under the country’s Saudi Vision 2030 strategy, the Kingdom is undertaking an ambitious national transformation: investing in its institutions, diversifying its economy, and strengthening its workforce. Alkhorayef, who oversees the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, plays a key role in this work and in the country’s broader investment in human capital.

“This wasn’t just a series of photo opportunities,” said Associate Professor Austin Wright, who serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at Harris Public Policy. “Industry and mining are absolutely essential mechanisms of diversification, and to the goals of Vision 2030. It was a week of real exchange – conversations about industrial strategy, public infrastructure, and how to build policy that responds to evidence.”

That interest in evidence and open dialogue made the University of Chicago a natural partner. During the visit, the minister met with faculty across public policy, economics, and the sciences. He visited the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and explored the university’s growing work in quantum science. He met with students, including Harris students from Saudi Arabia, and joined a luncheon with leaders from World Business Chicago and the broader civic community.

The minister meets with Jake Braun of the Cyber Policy Initiative.

The minister met with Jake Braun, the executive director of Harris’ Cyber Policy Initiative; Jens Ludwig, the Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor at Harris; Steven Durlauf, Frank P. Hixon Distinguished Service Professor at Harris; Phil Clement, AM/MBA ’93, of World Business Chicago, who serves on the Harris Council; Bueno de Mesquita; Wright; and others from around campus.

The visit was not only an opportunity to share the university’s research and teaching, but also to listen and learn from what is being done in Saudi Arabia and around the globe, providing UChicago faculty with the important local context needed to understand challenging policy problems.

“As a policy school, we spend much of our time studying systems from a distance,” Wright said. “Having a leader like the Minister on campus gives our students and faculty a chance to understand what policy looks like in practice, not just in theory.”

The visit also created new opportunities for partnership. Follow-up conversations are underway on potential further initiatives that align with Saudi Arabia’s national development goals.

“There’s a tremendous pace of change happening in Saudi Arabia,” Wright said. “But there’s also a desire to hold onto what’s lasting and meaningful. That made this visit feel especially well-matched to a place like the University of Chicago, where we bring rigorous thinking to both old questions and new.”

The minister meets with Saudi students.

Wright is returning to the country later this year and looks forward to continued partnership with Minister Alkhorayef and with others in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A first-generation college graduate himself, he also is excited to tour more of the country, to help discover the next generation of policy leaders who are still yet undiscovered.