I have been checking in on your Twitter atleast twice a day to see whether you have written anything new regarding Pakistan. Your insights are remarkable and free of the myopia which so often clouds the compromised bureaucratic, journalistic and political elite of Pakistan. One can only pray that the heavens and its many stars align to endow upon the kingmakers of our beloved nation the enlightenment and courage to grant an Atif Mian or an Atif Mian-like figure an elevated position of power to steer the nation into a positive direction. Despite the negatives you have mentioned, you must be nonetheless be aware of the fact around 2018 (DHS data), 54.2% and 57.9% of Pakistani households owned a refrigerator and washing machine respectively, in sharp contrast to rates of 37.9% and 18.0% for India respectively in 2019 (NFHS data). Moreover, Google Trends show that Pakistanis are far more likely to search for "menu" and "price" compared to the Indians, which highlights somehow a populace interested in consumption or the desire to consume. Surely there is something present within the societal structures of the people who dwell by the Indus and it's cherished tributaries that render them, once given the gift of elevated GDP growth, to embark on a journey of thrift to elevate their social positions far more than India, which the DHS/NFHS exhibits in a fine manner. The land that has been suspected by the scholar Seishi Karashima of having gifted Lotus Sutra to the world surely deserves better.
Atif Mian sahib, one don’t have to even think where the wrong lies. Unfortunately the trajectory is heading towards the point of no return. God bless my country.
I have a slightly different take on the "convergence" of Bangladesh economy.
There was no doubt that country was doing exceptionally well a an LDC perspective. Its growth rates were impressive in the past years. However, that high economic growth was not exactly conditional on quality education, rule of law and broader protection of fundamental rights. Rather it was the absence of all these "conditions" that has paved the way for that country's dramatic regime change in early this month.
The only thing that was constant in that country over the past one and a half decades was political "stability" of the government. The Prime Minister and "elected" ruling party government ruled that country with an iron fist without any social or political unrests which were suppressed. Without all the required converging conditions, Bangladesh managed to grow exceptionally well. There were also good signs in social development indictors including child mortality.
So, the recent economic performances of Bangladesh could be a case study to assess whether it is presence of all those converging conditions, or political stability (without those conditions) that have paved the way that country has managed to grow over the past decade of a half with an aim of graduating to a "developing country" in 2026.
Now that a new Administration has come after the fall of long reign of the former Prime Minister, it would be interesting to see how that country would perform in the years to come in the near future.
What in the world are those fit lines on those plots, discounts your whole analysis. And female labor participation is a whole topic that is not a simple indicator.
What in the world are those fit lines on those plots, discounts your whole analysis. And female labor participation is a whole topic that is not a simple indicator.
Very estute analysis. But why this myopia ? I strongly believe it is to do with the lack of democratic accountability. People who consume national resources are to be kept in check ,so that do not over exploit the natural and social base of the nation.
I have been checking in on your Twitter atleast twice a day to see whether you have written anything new regarding Pakistan. Your insights are remarkable and free of the myopia which so often clouds the compromised bureaucratic, journalistic and political elite of Pakistan. One can only pray that the heavens and its many stars align to endow upon the kingmakers of our beloved nation the enlightenment and courage to grant an Atif Mian or an Atif Mian-like figure an elevated position of power to steer the nation into a positive direction. Despite the negatives you have mentioned, you must be nonetheless be aware of the fact around 2018 (DHS data), 54.2% and 57.9% of Pakistani households owned a refrigerator and washing machine respectively, in sharp contrast to rates of 37.9% and 18.0% for India respectively in 2019 (NFHS data). Moreover, Google Trends show that Pakistanis are far more likely to search for "menu" and "price" compared to the Indians, which highlights somehow a populace interested in consumption or the desire to consume. Surely there is something present within the societal structures of the people who dwell by the Indus and it's cherished tributaries that render them, once given the gift of elevated GDP growth, to embark on a journey of thrift to elevate their social positions far more than India, which the DHS/NFHS exhibits in a fine manner. The land that has been suspected by the scholar Seishi Karashima of having gifted Lotus Sutra to the world surely deserves better.
Atif Mian sahib, one don’t have to even think where the wrong lies. Unfortunately the trajectory is heading towards the point of no return. God bless my country.
https://globaldatalab.org/areadata/table/2019/fridge+washmach/IND+PAK/?levels=1
I have a slightly different take on the "convergence" of Bangladesh economy.
There was no doubt that country was doing exceptionally well a an LDC perspective. Its growth rates were impressive in the past years. However, that high economic growth was not exactly conditional on quality education, rule of law and broader protection of fundamental rights. Rather it was the absence of all these "conditions" that has paved the way for that country's dramatic regime change in early this month.
The only thing that was constant in that country over the past one and a half decades was political "stability" of the government. The Prime Minister and "elected" ruling party government ruled that country with an iron fist without any social or political unrests which were suppressed. Without all the required converging conditions, Bangladesh managed to grow exceptionally well. There were also good signs in social development indictors including child mortality.
So, the recent economic performances of Bangladesh could be a case study to assess whether it is presence of all those converging conditions, or political stability (without those conditions) that have paved the way that country has managed to grow over the past decade of a half with an aim of graduating to a "developing country" in 2026.
Now that a new Administration has come after the fall of long reign of the former Prime Minister, it would be interesting to see how that country would perform in the years to come in the near future.
What in the world are those fit lines on those plots, discounts your whole analysis. And female labor participation is a whole topic that is not a simple indicator.
What in the world are those fit lines on those plots, discounts your whole analysis. And female labor participation is a whole topic that is not a simple indicator.
Very estute analysis. But why this myopia ? I strongly believe it is to do with the lack of democratic accountability. People who consume national resources are to be kept in check ,so that do not over exploit the natural and social base of the nation.