Creating public value
Countries like Pakistan struggle for reforms because they struggle with perception more than the dearth of resources required to deliver on these reforms. Most of the decisions the government takes…
Public sentiment taken for granted
The public sentiment has mostly been taken for granted by the governments and the parliamentarians as a class with no voice and the one which would sustain hardships inflicted by…
Fragile state of public finances
The information on fiscal operations by the federal and provincial governments in the first nine months of 2022-23 has been released recently by the federal ministry of finance. They depict…
Rising public debt
The extremely worrying indicator today is the large and rapidly growing level of public debt, including the external liabilities, in Pakistan. As of the end of December 2022 it stands…
A game of perceptions
EACH time a product is launched by a company, the latter’s communication strategy is critical to ensuring the product’s success. It is this strategy that helps the product become a…
Dissecting public expenditure (Part – I)
Several commentators have argued that the problem of fiscal deficit in Pakistan lies in its profligate public expenditure and unless this expenditure is drastically reduced a healthy fiscal balance is…
Public administration and decisions
Policymaking is an important and consequential public activity that needs to be in the limelight – and it often is. An allied public activity, also of much importance but in…
Correcting perceptions about MSCI downgrade
Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) index was downgraded from Emerging Market to Frontier Market recently by MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International). Some people are linking this subject to the state of…
The public diplomacy challenge
In my last piece published in this space (‘Scrambling for influence’, July 31), I spoke of the need for engaging in the battle of ideas as an expression of the…
Public choices
GOING by talk shows, it seems there is little common ground when it comes to debating politics. However, those that matter in the corridors of politics and power have the…
