Uncorrupted society?
Will Pakistan ever be an uncorrupted society? The cynics will point to the fact that the world is still unable to develop a system that rewards honesty and discourages corruption.…
Allying with tax evaders
"Moralists should address their sermons to the legislators, and not to individuals, because it is in the order of possible things that a virtuous and enlightened man may have the…
New bailout package
The government, at the fag end of its tenure, has reportedly invited International Monetary Fund (IMF) for negotiating a three-year bailout programme. It is a rather surprising move, especially its…
Education and mobility
When I was in college, our undergraduate classes were allocated on the basis of student roll numbers. We were thus forced to interact with students who did not belong to…
The Indo-Pak tango
What prevents India’s total domination over Pakistan? India is ahead of us in practically all indicators of national power potential – size, population, natural resources, economy and military. It outperforms…
Inequality in society
With elections approaching, the usual claims from incumbent political parties of being pro-poor and even ‘revolutionary’ have increased in both frequency and amplitude. Notwithstanding their magnificent promises of ending corruption,…
The Congress and the ‘middle class’
Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as the Congress Party’s vice-president was an organisational non-event. He was already functioning as its Number Two, and dynastically destined to succeed his mother. The appointment’s significance…
Our informal economy
According to the growth diagnostics framework I discussed in one of my previous articles, high taxation is one of the potential candidates for becoming a binding constraint to economic growth…
In Jordan polls, every vote has its price
Rather than ideology, charisma or even religious devotion, many Jordanians say they have found a more "impartial" measure to select their next parliamentarians: tthe size of their pocketbooks "Whoever is…
Belgian queen in hot water over inheritance foundation
For a long time, Queen Fabiola of Belgium seemed above reproach - lauded for her religious fervour, praised for her social deeds and sympathised with after a series of miscarriages…
