Pakistonomy

This is episode is in Urdu so that a wider audience can understand why Pakistan's economy cannot maintain high rates of growth over long periods of time. To understand the reasons for this, Uzair spoke to Dr. Sajid Amin Javed, who is a Research Fellow and heads Policy Solutions Lab at Sustainable Development Policy Institute [SDPI] Pakistan. Prior to joining to SPDI, he was Senior Research Fellow and Assistant Professor at Department of Economics, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE). Dr. Sajid’s research is located at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary inquiry of issues related to structure of economic growth and sustainable development. This entails a focus on monetary policy, particularly exchange rate and financial policies, and their socioeconomic implications. Largely, he is macroeconomist with focus on social content in macroeconomic policies. Reading Recommendations: - Money Interest and Prices by Don Patinkin - The Political Economy of Underdevelopment by S. B. D. de Silva - Human Actions by Ludwig von Mises

Since the onset of the pandemic, the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pushed forward a whole host of reforms, including much-needed changes to India's farm laws. Farmer protests, however, have caused many to focus on the everything but the core components of these reforms and what they seek to achieve. In this episode, Uzair spoke to Sadanand Dhume about India's economic reforms and what he calls Modinomics 2.0. Sadanand is a South Asia columnist for the Wall Street Journal and covers South Asia's political economy and business affairs. He has worked as a foreign correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review in India and Indonesia and was a Bernard Schwartz Fellow at the Asia Society in Washington, D.C. Reading Recommendations: - Politics and the English Language by George Orwell -- https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-language/ - Tilak and Gokhale: Revolution and Reform in the Making of Modern India by Stanley Wolpert -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/0195623924/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_0Y00WHS55MR3GXGT56N8 - Pakistan: A Hard Country by Anatol Lieven -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/1610391454/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_E1Q9KHZ5HTJXA0W70N3J

There is systemic exclusion of women in Pakistan's economy and the drivers of this systemic exclusion are poorly understood by most. In this episode, Uzair talks to Dr. Hadia Majid about the role of women in Pakistan's economy and the unique and diverse challenges they face in the country. Dr. Hadia Majid is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics & Director at the Saida Waheed Gender Initiative at LUMS. She is a a Fulbright Scholar and holds a PhD in Development Economics from The Ohio State University. Her research agenda is focused on labor markets in Pakistan where she documents and explores the barriers to women’s labor supply and their access to decent, empowering work. Reading Recommendations: - Bargaining with patriarchy by Deniz Kandiyoti - The status of women: Conceptual and methodological issues in demographic studies by Karen Mason - A Treatise on the Family by Gary Becker

Uzair talks to Pramath Sinha about Harappa Education, an education startup offering the foundational skills critical to achieve professional success and personal meaning. Pramath is a trailblazer in many different fields, including education. He served as the Founding Dean of Indian School of Business (ISB), which just got ranked as the best business school in India and #23 in the world, according to the Financial Times. He is also one of the founders of Ashoka University. Book Recommendations: The Story Of My Experiments With Truth by Mahatma Gandhi - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KJ048MM/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_W6MF9R63ZQZ1SC20ZMBD The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JHYRYU/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_8FE5PTD005CWS1REJZV7

Bykea is one of Pakistan's startup success stories that raised $13m in the middle of a pandemic. In this episode, Uzair talks to Rafiq Malik, the startup's Chief Operating Officer, about the business and its growth plans. Rafiq's book recommendations are: - A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060883286/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_4SZ51RF4EPHP991P332J - The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143116177/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_0JXTYBT31JFMK9E91Q17

In this special episode, Uzair talks to Zarrar Khuhro about a whole host of issues, focusing on the rise of illiberal populism around the world. Zarrar is a co-host of the show Zara Hat Kay which airs on Dawn News and writes a weekly column for Dawn.

Uzair talks to Jarrar Shah about his startup 24Seven.pk, an online Grocery Shopping platform based in Lahore. The 24SEVEN journey started from his farm when he painfully found out how he was getting no premium for growing graded, good quality produce in the off season and consequently decided to create an alternative marketing channel for farmers that would enable them to bypass the middle men. His book recommendations are: - Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose - Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder - Skin in the Game

Uzair Younus talks to Dr. Aparna Pande about her new book "Making India Great: The Promise of a Reluctant Global Power. The episode covers a wide range of topics related to India, including domestic politics, economic nationalism, the country's foreign policy, and its relations with Pakistan. Dr. Aparna Pande is Director of the Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia at the Hudson Institute, Washington D.C. Her major field of interest is South Asia with a special focus on India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Foreign and Security Policy. Born in India, Pande received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in History from St. Stephens College at Delhi University before receiving an M. Phil in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She completed her Ph.D. in Political Science at Boston University in the United States. Dr. Pande's book recommendations are: - The Lessons of History by Will Durant - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NB19GRS/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_A46B96W3D9FN93FEGQK4 - The March of Folly by Barbara Tuckman - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00589AYWW/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_FFJPDTDMJGYN29KYSPVX

Uzair talks to Raza Rumi about the state of media in Pakistan and the role of Nayadaur in bringing alternative perspectives into the discourse. Raza Rumi Director, Park Center for Independent Media and teaches in the journalism department; a visiting lecturer at the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs. He is also the Founding Editor of Nayadaur Media, a bi-lingual progressive digital media platform. He is also a visiting lecturer. Raza's recommended the following books: - Masvani by Rumi - The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm - Aag Ka Darya by Qurratulain Hyder

Pakistan finally has a digital payments system and this development is going to revolutionize financial transactions in the country. It will also accelerate the formalization of the economy, increase financial inclusion, and catalyze the growth of fintech startups in the country. Uzair spoke to Rehan Akhtar, Chief Digital Officer at Karandaaz Pakistan, about Raast and its potential. This week's book recommendation: - The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. A book that I recently read complements this excellent recommendation: - Upstream: How to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath