Distinguished Lecture Series on 'The Economy of Modern Sindh' by Dr. Ishrat Husain
April 20, 2019: The Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi organized a distinguished lecture series by the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity, Dr. Ishrat Husain, on his recently co-authored book, The Economy of Modern Sindh at the IBA city campus. The session was moderated by Executive Director IBA Karachi, Dr. Farrukh Iqbal and attended by the IBA faculty, alumni, students, media and members of the public.
The lecture aimed at discussing the socioeconomic problems that have plagued Sindh, by looking over an objective assessment of the various policies implemented by the Sindh government over the years, as captured in the recently published book by Dr. Ishrat Husain.
The event proceeded with Dr. Iqbal introducing Dr. Husain and the book to the audience, elaborating why Dr. Husain was the best person to author this book considering his connection to Sindh, and his vast experience in the field. Dr. Husain started the proceedings by giving a special mention to his co-authors, Mr. Nadeem Hussain and Professor Aijaz A. Qureshi, as well as the Planning and Development Department, Government of Sindh for providing funds towards the book's research.
The book targets three main audiences including, students of Economics that need to view the economy at a disaggregated level, policy makers, and young researchers such as Ph.D. students that require access to consistent data sources.
The conversation shed light on four main ideas discussed in the book: Sindh's relative income position in Pakistan and how it has declined over the past few decades; the rural economy of the province and the impact of an increase in their purchasing power; the declining urban economy; and how an increase in health and education expenditure has not been reflected in output growth. The book analyzes multiple aspects of Sindh's economy from geography, topography, climate, and administrative history, to the political landscape, education, health, labor force and employment etc. It also attempts to pinpoint issues that require reforms at the sectoral and micro level within the province.
Towards the end of the lecture, the audience asked questions on Sindh's economy and education. The event culminated with a book signing by Dr. Husain.