PIDE in Press

Reforms, Not Technocrats, Are Needed To Steer Pakistan Out Of Crisis

Changes in the government type – technocratic, military or political – without institutional reforms will not make a difference The primary function of the government is to provide service delivery through state institutions by a well-designed regulatory framework. The decision for provision of service delivery should not be influenced by the will of technocrats, military, …

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The scourge of ‘ON’

Where other countries have graduated their automobile industry from assembling to manufacturing, and progressively moving up the value chain, the hallmark of Pakistan’s industry is “ON” money and the booking system which has birthed it. “ON” money is a premium, undocumented charge paid by the buyer for immediate possession of a vehicle they have purchased.PIDE …

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Vertical Growth

TWENTY years ago, I wrote an article titled ‘Where are the tower cranes?’ But today, there are still few tower cranes to be seen in Pakistan’s cities. In most parts of the world, development is symbolised by the presence of tower cranes. Rapidly growing cities such as Dubai, Shanghai, Seoul, Hanoi and many others have …

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The racket of ‘own money’

Automobile consumers in Pakistan pay more than Rs35 billion annually as ‘own money’ over and above the price for express delivery of vehicles, as per Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) research. Own money is a black-market premium collected predominantly by manufacturers, new car dealers and their friends as speculators and insider traders.Own stems primarily …

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Housing societies — a Pakistani animal

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has recently cancelled the license of fourteen housing societies. These societies had failed to register with the relevant authorities despite being forewarned. In all fairness, this number reflects just the tip of the iceberg.Unauthorised housing societies dominate the landscape of Islamabad. Of the 200 housing societies in Islamabad, only 22 …

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Housing Societies—A Pakistani Animal

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has recently cancelled the license of fourteen housing societies. These societies had failed to register with the relevant authorities despite being forewarned. In all fairness, this number reflects just the tip of the iceberg.Unauthorized housing societies dominate the landscape of Islamabad. Of the 200 housing societies in Islamabad, only 22 …

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Defeating the qabza mafia

Real estate has become everybody’s favourite whipping boy, regarded as a parking place for black money and a playground for the qabza mafia with little or no knowledge on the subject. It is seen as a Ponzi scheme that markets have created. Yet when you begin to understand the problem, we see it is a …

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Kya mehangai ka boojh sirf ameer tabqe parhi parhega?| Dr. Nadeem ul Haque kya kehte hain?| Aaj News

Internet for all

The internet has become part of everyone’s life all over the world, including Pakistan. While most of Pakistan has weak connectivity, our priority in our public investment remains building roads and brick and mortar. All this while people have limited access to devices to use the internet well. During the pandemic, PIDE as well as …

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Electoral systems

Pakistan follows an electoral system known as the ‘First-Past-The-Post (FPTP)’ system. Under this system, the leading political party may secure less than 50 percent of the votes and still manage to form the government. Thus, the party forming the government may not be the true representative of the majority of the electorate. For example, in …

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