Informality and state policy
SINCE the start of this decade, policy discourse in Pakistan has grown more cognisant of economic activity that takes place outside of the purview of state regulation. Dubbed a part…
State of economy
The debate on the economy between the government zealots and the resistance, the moniker given to the opposition circles by diehards of the government rank and file on social media,…
Production or real estate?
One is caught by surprise when looking at the government’s rush for all kinds of SEZs (including the federal and provincial level SEZs as well as simple and priority SEZs-under…
The uncaring state?
The PM’s Special Assistant on Health Dr Zafar Mirza has emphatically said that Pakistanis stranded in China after the breakout of the coronavirus will not be evacuated from China. Pakistan…
CPEC and the state of the economy
There are loud noises over the perceived mismanagement of the economy by the present government. In this environment, it is worthwhile to review the relevant literature. Economist Shahid Javed Burki’s…
Taxing the rich, an idea gaining ground in the United States
Long out of favor in the United States, the idea of taxing rich individuals and corporations to pay for healthcare or to combat inequality is gaining ground among Democratic politicians.…
Daesh: the postmodern non-state
There is one aspect of the threat of non-state actors like Daesh (or Isil, or Isis) that terrifies the imagination above all others. To beat the modern state, Daesh does…
Infrastructure development and innovative finance
Quality, sustainable and climate resilient infrastructure is a pre-requisite for accelerating and ensuring stability and equity of economic growth and social development. Over the years, infrastructure gap in Pakistan has…
A debt trap for developing states?
The recent statement of US Assistant Secretary Alice Wells has triggered a debate about the ways China is extending help to developing countries in infrastructure and other projects. In a…
Politics, ecology and the nation-state
The postcolonial nation-state, from Africa to Asia, is an artificial geographical division of landmass which has not only divided the people but has also divided their history, culture, livelihood and…
