Focusing on people’s problems
We are in the most unfortunate age of Pakistan’s political history where every political entity is trying to appease non-democratic forces. From a pliant prime minister to the ‘revolutionary’ opposition…
Financing social protection without incurring debt
Expenditure on social protection will lead to accumulation of debt if not financed through revenues, grants or donations. A part of expenditure on social protection can easily be financed through…
Women in social cohesion
The World Economic Forum's Global Gender Index 2021 ranks Pakistan at 153 out of 156 countries. Categorised on indicators of social cohesion including education attainment, health and survival, economic participation…
Tackling Balochistan’s problems
It is heartening to see that the prime minister is trying to heal the wounds of the largest province by offering mega projects and development schemes. What is more positive…
Problems and policy
Public policy should solve society’s problems. However, this ostensibly plausible depiction can mask serious problems with how societal ‘problems’ are framed and then addressed. A dim view of public policy’s…
Broadening social protection
In my last article, ‘BISP and institutional reforms’, in these pages on September 25, I discussed some of the recently introduced institutional reforms to make BISP a merit-based and responsive…
Divine and earthly problems
Since the day of the creation of this world and of us human beings, we have always been facing problems of all kinds, some divine and some man-made. The earthly…
The social democratic model
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is clearly on a mission to revive the party in Punjab, and especially in Lahore. For the first time in recent times, he tried to…
Social security for all
The federal government has extended the restrictions imposed in the country till April 14. This decision was taken in the meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC). The NCC will…
The EU counts its crises as problems mount
A populist government in Rome, political instability in Madrid, democratic crises in the east and a transatlantic trade war to the west: the European Union faces threats and challenges on…
