The problem of revenue is bad tax policy, not cheating
Revenue generation is important but not top priority as in last 3 decades. Much effort and money has been spent in collecting...
The mechanics of privatisation
We hear the same things over and over again. You can open the headlines from half a century ago and they will...
To privatise or not to privatise?
On a recent trip to London, I could not help but follow the media coverage of the upcoming general election in the...
How valuable is your bureaucracy?
For decades now the issue monetization of perks has been on the table. No action has been taken because the powerful secretaries...
Why Jeffrey Sachs is wrong about Reko Diq
It started with the usual leftie / “anti-imperialism is the ultimate moral good” crowd. An article written by American economist Jeffrey Sachs...
The trader’s dilemma
The trading community and the government came to some semblance of an agreement on tax issues recently, after months of simmering tensions...
Automotive industry feels the pinch
Pakistan’s auto industry is the quintessential oligopoly, with only three major players assembling a handful of automobiles: Honda, Indus Motors (Toyota) and...
Reform! What, why and for who?
Pakistan was made with a commitment to democracy and development but soon after the founding generation succumbed to greed and politically expediency...
Political will or bad policy and reform design?
Reform remains an elusive and little understood concept in Pakistan. The word is seldom used on TV. It is used even less...
Our manufacturing opportunity
For the last 5 months, I have undertaken the arduous task of renovating my home. Much to the discomfort of family members,...
The real accountability
Accountability is a damaged word in Pakistan. Recent rains in Karachi brought out various aspects of public service delivery in this large...
Recipe for sustained growth of jobs in Pakistan to meet youth bulge
They ask me to give ideas for increasing employment in Pakistan. The answer they are expecting is build more industry, more industrial...
How do consultants, donors and Pakistani ministries solve problems?
The flood of 2010 showed me (I was Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commision then) how dysfunctional policy was in Pakistan and...
The meaning of culture
“I came to see during my time at IBM that culture is not just one aspect of the game, it is the...
The opportunity of dead capital
Economics has become a science of the loudmouth with numbers. Economists come on TV to show off that they have numbers and...