2022

RASTA Local Research, Local Solutions: Political Economy Of Development Reform, Volume VI

Download PDF (High Resolution)Download PDF (Normal Resolution) TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I – POLITICAL ECONOMY OF DEVELOPMENT REFORM: Research Papers Political Dynasties and Local Economic Development in Pakistan……………. 1Faiz Ur Rehman, Noman Ahmad and Muhammad Nasir Obfuscated Libralization: How Special Interest Groups Capture Trade Policy in Pakistan………………….. 24Adeel Malik and William Duncan The Perspective of Native People Regarding Developmental Projects …

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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 Missing Middle

About two decades ago, I wrote an article entitled “where are the tower cranes?”Since then, the question has been asked many times. Yet there are very few tower cranes to be seen in Pakistani cities even today.In most parts of the world, development is virtually symbolized by the presence of tower cranes. Rapidly growing cities …

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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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An Apology To The Youth Of Pakistan From The Older Generation! (Article)

Dear Youth of Pakistan,On behalf of my generation, I oﬀer you a heartfelt apology over our failure to leave you with hope and an inheritance that you can build on.Our fathers gave us an unﬁnished project called Pakistan. They had, however, given in very quickly to the pleasures of colonial apartheid, where they could live …

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Build A Real Estate Market: Kill FBR And DC Rates

The government has done everything possible to ensure that the real estate market does not develop. And it continues to do so.Why do we have a broken pricing system? Decades ago, unable to track prices District Collector (DC) announced a price that obviously was diﬃcult to adjust as rapidly as a market move. When the …

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Is Work Only Meetings? (Article)

Every day, newspapers show pictures of meetings. Pictures orchestrated in the ministry of information, taken in the first few minutes of the meeting, contrived to show leaders hard at work. When you call a minister, the usual response, in a somber, grave and responsible tone, is, “can’t talk right now; there is a meeting in …

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Opportunity to Excel: Now and the Future (Presidential Address)

Availability of opportunities implies that people have a range of life options, specifically economic, to pick from, and have a realistic chance to adopt what they want to do and succeed in it. For Pakistan, where nearly sixty percent of the population is aged under 30 years, opportunities become even more significant. The fact that …

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