Coronavirus and global financial crisis
From the start of 2020, coronavirus (COVID-19) confirmed cases are rapidly growing around the globe. This pandemic started in China and in the last seventy days the total number of…
Reforming agricultural sector
Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. Unfortunately, for long it has been neglected by successive governments. This could not build up the resilience needed in this sector, for sustainably…
Ant Group fiasco reflects battle for China’s financial soul
China’s last-minute abandonment of Ant Group’s record-breaking IPO stems from an intensifying battle for the soul of the nation’s financial system that the fintech giant and its charismatic leader Jack…
We seem to have no understanding of what ails our taxation system — III
This is the third part of a series of articles on the subject ‘We seem to have no understanding of what ails our taxation system’. Like the preamble to Part…
The rise of private capital
The much-vaunted Naya Pakistan Sehat Card initiative has been launched in Punjab with tall claims that it would benefit the underprivileged. Prime Minister Imran Khan has asserted that this Rs400…
NIT Pakistan Gateway Index: a performance analysis
Stock market indices are a popular yardstick for the performance of any stock market around the world. Key benchmark indices not only provide vital information about the quality, depth and…
Fiscal policy and economic growth
Fiscal policy is an important tool of modern governments to steer economy in right direction. All governments, specially in emerging markets, endeavour to align their fiscal policies in the manner…
Can the state do business?
We are often told that it is not the job of the state to do business. This ‘mantra’ is constantly repeated by pro-free market economists and other experts who consider…
The strategy
It is true that fire-fighting the urgent instead of overcoming the fundamental issues gnawing at the economy takes centre stage in the economic management of Pakistan. Correcting the fundamentals of…
EAC: Some suggestions
The government has formed a high-level council – Economic Advisory Council (EAC) – to formulate long-, medium- and short-term plans for important sectors of the economy with a view to…
