Misplaced mercantilism and the case for domestic markets
We are being told that the economy of Pakistan is in absolute free fall. Allegedly, the dominos of economic doom are in motion, and despite all our countless stopgap measures,…
Real clear economics
There is much confusion about our economic predicament. Yet, nothing could be clearer. On the security of the wealth and income of present and future generations, governments of Pakistan have…
Managing the economics of a needed lockdown
The pandemic has badly hurt the country’s economy with real GDP growth rate, according to World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report, is expected to be around negative 2.6 percent for…
The age of geo-economics
Pakistan’s economy needs to grow at an annual average rate of at least 10 per cent of the GDP over the next 10 to 15 years to be able to…
The marriage between economics and politics
Let me start the article by giving two quotes in order to lay the basis for understanding why it is important for policymakers to give far less importance to gross…
The economics of Corruption
Prime Minister Imran Khan while addressing the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Beijing on "Shaping a Brighter Future" highlighted five impediments to achieving sustainable…
Economics of vaccines
COVID-19 brought the world to its knees. The Covid vaccine has been the most sought-after product. However, as governments around the world rush to vaccinate their citizens, some aspects need…
A domestic, not foreign, challenge
Is the situation in Afghanistan a foreign policy challenge or a domestic policy conundrum? At the heart of the conversation initiated by Ejaz Haider in ‘The Friday Times’ is really…
Economics and environment
The major issue with theories of social sciences is their rather broad generalisations. They have been developed by looking at the general behaviour rather than how individuals behave. These theories…
Over-correction is bad economics
The day the Khan administration took over the reins of government on 20 August 2018 the budget deficit was under 6 percent of Gross Domestic Product (not at a danger…
