Pakistonomy

Rethinking Humanity, published by the think-tank RethinkX is a fascinating read that talks about how major technological shifts in key sectors such as agriculture and energy are about to usher in a new age for humanity.

The authors of the book argue that humanity is at a crossroads, but not for reasons most would assume. Based on historical analysis, they predict that this is not another Industrial Revolution but something far more fundamental.

In this episode, Uzair Younus talks to one of the co-authors of the book, James Arbib, who is also the co-founder of RethinkX.

You can read the book here - https://www.rethinkx.com/humanity-download

James also recommended the following books for those interested in learning more about how we got to where we are as a civilization:

- Why The West Rules--For Now: The Patterns of History and what they reveal about the Future (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ASNG04)

- Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies (https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393354326)

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The Pakistan International Airlines has found itself in the news yet again, starting with the tragic crash of the flight 8303 in Karachi. Since then, issues about fake pilots, the sale of the Roosevelt hotel owned by the PIA in New York, and systemic issues plaguing the airline have been the talk of town.

To talk about the reasons for PIA’s decline and how the airline could be reformed and restructured, Uzair Younus spoke with Dr. Musharraf Rasool Cyan, who is the former CEO of the PIA and is no stranger to both the internal and external issues that plague the airline.

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Many of us have a surface-level understanding of rural Sindh and its political economy. Feudalism, lack of land reforms, and elite capture are often bandied out as catch-all issues that plague not only Sindh, but many parts of rural Pakistan. But the reality is far more complex and the foundational issue in the political economy of rural Sindh, and rural Pakistan in general, is the lack of property rights.

To talk about rural Sindh and its political economy, Uzair Younus invited Dr. Mujtaba Isani as a guest on the podcast. Dr. Isani is a political scientist with a PhD in Political Science from the University of Muenster. He is currently an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia. Formerly, he was an Assistant Professor of Politics and Policy at the Habib University in Karachi.

Dr. Isani recommended some books during this discussion:

https://press.princeton.edu/…/9780…/designing-social-inquiry

https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Social-Inqui…/…/074251126X

https://www.amazon.com/Statistical-Methods-Soc…/…/0130272957

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Distance learning became the norm after COVID-19 shutdown schools all over the world. In Pakistan, where access to quality education is challenging for millions of households, edtech startups are beginning to change the status quo. Edkasa is one such startup and it has embarked on a mission is to provide easy access to quality education to Pakistan's youth to enable them to take full advantage of future opportunities.

In this episode, Uzair Younus talks to Annum Sadiq about Edkasa and the edtech sector in the country.

Annum is Co-founder and Chief Education Officer of Edkasa. She is also a 2016 Fulbright scholar, 2017 Education Pioneers Graduate Fellow, and Rockefeller Foundation Fellow. Annum leads the education delivery at EDKASA and provides support on curriculum design and live lecture delivery for the online platform. She has ten years of experience with education policy in Pakistan and the United States, in the Chelsea Public School District, at USAID, and as a World Bank consultant in the Punjab Education Sector Reform Programme.

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The 2020-21 Budget comes at a time when Pakistan is reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. The last year saw the economy enter a recession, with growth coming in at -0.38 percent. For the coming year, the government is projecting the economy to grow by about 2 percent and expects revenues to grow by a significant amount.

To talk about the budget and what it means, we decided to reverse roles for this episode. Shahab Siddiqi from Tabadlab moderates this discussion with Uzair Younus, who shares his views and insights about the economic survey and 2020-21 budget.

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Many people view the informal sector as corrupt, illegal, and detrimental to the country’s economic well-being. The reality, of course, is more complex. In fact, some argue that the informal sector is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy.

In this episode, Uzair Younus talks to Dr. Ali Kemal about Pakistan's informal sector and its implications on the country's economy. Dr. Kemal is an Economic Policy Advisor at the SDG Support Unit, Ministry of Planning Development and Reform. He has co-authored a detailed analysis of Pakistan’s informal economy in a paper titled “Exploring the Determinants of Underground Economy of Pakistan” which was published by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.

You can read his paper using this link - https://www.pide.org.pk/…/Working%20Pa…/WorkingPaper-163.pdf

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Dr. Erum Khalid Sattar talks to us about Pakistan's colonial past and its impact on the water economy, why mega-dams will not solve the country's water, and the need to strengthen the institutional software governing the country.

Pakistan's civilian institutions have been in decline since independence. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Ilhan Niaz, Associate Professor of History at the Quaid-e-Azam University, about the impact of this decline on Pakistan's political economy.

The Reko Diq case has been a long, drawn out saga where Pakistan faced penalties of almost $5.9 billion. To talk about this case, the overall role of international arbitration, and the path forward for Pakistan, Uzair spoke to Marike Paulsson. Marike is one of the foremost experts in the field of international arbitration and is Vice President of the Global Legal Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

Cricket is perhaps the greatest unifying force in Pakistan and in its early years, the Pakistan Super League has had a transformative effect on the cricketing landscape in the country.

In this episode, Uzair talks to Shoaib Naveed, Project Executive of the Pakistan Super League, about the PSL's business model, the path to profitability for franchises, and what's in store for the future.