Crop biodiversity
We need to use all the tools at our disposal to make a world free from hunger a reality, but one major ally isn’t getting the global attention it deserves:…
Poor food security
The findings of a recent global survey which classified Pakistan as a country with a “serious” level of hunger was alarming but not surprising. The International Food Policy Research Institute…
Response to MoF: Prospects for 2015-16
The Business Recorder has published on the 2nd of February a reply by the Economic Advisor of Ministry of Finance (MOF) to the report by the Institute for Policy Reforms (IPR) on…
Muddling through in 2015
Official refrain touts four developments as government achievements — lower inflation rate, reduction in interest rates, a more controlled budget deficit and growing foreign exchange reserves. However, none of these…
Pursuing self-serving disputes with vigour
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) imposed a hefty fine on Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) managing director, deputy managing director and the exchange itself on the plea that…
Argentina’s poor at risk as inflation weakens safety net
At a soup kitchen in a Buenos Aires slum, Alejandro Monzon hung his head as he stood in line and recounted how his fortunes have unravelled over the last year.…
Limitations of monetary policy
This writer has argued before that it is not possible to manage inflation through just one or two policy instruments, especially when one instrument, the interest rate, is expected to…
Why they don’t drop dead
LAST Friday the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) organised a ‘March against Hunger’ to demand that the government and civil society enhance people’s awareness of their right to basic…
Battling imbalances
When selecting policy instruments and the timing of interventions, a key question that bedevils decision-makers in the country is how to facilitate growth and contain inflation simultaneously. It has been…
Contingency planning
The Government claims that the new IMF program of $6.7 billion under the Extended Fund Facility is based on implementation of 'home grown' reforms. If this is the case then…
