Category Archives: Economics

If wishes were horses…

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

In his column in Dawn, Akbar Zaidi argues against the need for further IMF loans for Pakistan: At the moment, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves, which include previously lent IMF money, are sufficient, and while some international payments need to be … Continue reading →

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And justice for all

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

A version of this article was published in Dawn on March 24, 2011. The legal drama of the ‘Raymond Davis killings’ (is that a suitable moniker for the event?) was brought to an end under the Shara’i mechanism of Diyat … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Pakistan, Policy, Religion | 1 Comment

Addressing Pakistan’s energy problems

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

Two pieces in the Express-Tribune address Pakistan’s ongoing energy worries today. Targeting the gaping hole in energy finance, which has led to the infamous circular debt problem, Shoaib Hamid argues for reducing line losses as opposed to increasing tariffs. He … Continue reading →

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Pakistan and India: divided by commerce

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

The Washington Post’s Karen Bruilliard presents a brief, but telling, analysis of Pakistan-India trade (or the lack thereof): “Pakistan and India share language, culture, history and an 1,800-mile border; they are South Asia’s largest economies. What they barely share is … Continue reading →

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Pak-Afghan Transit Trade agreement on hold

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

Implementation of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) is on hold indefinitely. According to an official at the Ministry of Commerce (Pakistan), the hold up is because of a disagreement between the two sides about how to guarantee goods imported … Continue reading →

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Balance and structure

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

Two different pieces on Pakistan’s economic troubles: Meekal A. Ahmed, in The Express-Tribune, warns against putting off fiscal reform due to misplaced comfort in the fleetingly good balance of payments situation: “Experience teaches, however, that a seemingly comfortable cushion of … Continue reading →

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The market and the state

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

A version of this article was published in Dawn on February 8, 2011 In introductory economics courses, economic systems are explained by using the two extreme (and mostly theoretical) examples of the “command economy” and the “laissez-faire economy”. The former … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Pakistan, Policy | 4 Comments

Reassessing the discourse on Pakistan’s economy

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

I posted S. Akbar Zaidi’s piece from Dawn, here yesterday, in which he questioned the doomsayers predicting imminent economic collapse in Pakistan. Following quickly on the heals of that article is Ishrat Hussain‘s piece in today’s Dawn: Disconnects and mismatches: … Continue reading →

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Paul Krugman on the increases in world food prices

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

Paul Krugman provides an analysis of world food production and why food prices are increasing: “Here are some percentage changes in world grain production between 2008/2009 and 2010/2011, according to the USDA estimates: USDA “Overall grain production is down — … Continue reading →

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Is there an economic collapse coming?

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

S. Akbar Zaidi (author of Issues in Pakistan’s Economy) questions the doomsayers on Pakistan’s economy: “In the last few weeks, every single newspaper has carried dozens of articles and editorials about the state of Pakistan`s economy. The economy is seen … Continue reading →

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