Factors behind Trump’s 2024 victory
The 2024 US presidential election saw Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party suffer a significant defeat, with Donald Trump reclaiming the White House and Republicans taking control of the Senate.…
IMF programme: lack of ingenuity?
The narrative led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is that the economy has begun to show signs of improvement, reflected by a contracting current account…
Why financial markets matter
A well-developed financial system comprising dynamic capital markets and a robust banking sector is considered a critical driver of investment, productivity, and sustainable economic growth. Here, I discuss how the…
Concessions, debt & reforms
THE FBR had been publishing its Tax Expenditure Report since 2020. Each report estimates the ‘tax expenditure’, ie, the tax foregone or the revenue loss because of the built-in tax concessions and…
Autism and SDGs
THE 2024 observance of World Autism Day is aligned with the implementation status and progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition representing human evolution and neurodiversity…
History’s lessons
“It is a very common device that when anyone has attained the summit of greatness, he kicks away the ladder by which he has climbed up.” ECONOMIC development, particularly in…
IT boost for economic growth
Total world trade in IT services crossed $1 trillion in 2023 – and it is growing. IT services are now 14 per cent of all services trade, a big jump…
Rethinking agriculture for economic revival
In the last many weeks, I have written in these pages to share ideas for addressing the dire challenges faced by our economy. The government of Pakistan has a choice:…
Pakistan’s last IMF programme?
The past few decades have seen a massive overhaul in development thinking. With the wisdom of the Washington consensus by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank questioned,…
Emerging technologies for innovation
With a population of over 240 million, more than 60 per cent of which is under the age of 30, Pakistan is at a crucial moment in its developmental journey.…
