Uzair talks to Dr. Rosita Armytage about her book Big Capital in an Unequal World: The Micropolitics of Wealth in Pakistan. We talked about factions within Pakistan’s elites, their worldview, morals, and perspectives about Pakistan and its political economy. The book is highly recommended if you want to learn more about this fascinating subject. Reading…

Uzair talks to Khurram Husain, incoming editor at Profit, about the latest economic developments in Pakistan. The conversation focused on the current government’s economic vision, whether or not the COVID-19 stimulus was overdone, and the underlying causes behind inflation in the country. Khurram also shared his thoughts on the State Bank’s change of decision making…

Uzair talks to Mosharraf Zaidi, founder of Tabadlab, about his latest opinion column, why he is not optimistic about a change in elite behavior, and ways in which the state should deal with groups like the TLP and PTM. Reading Recommendations are all books written by Mariana Mazzucato: – Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to…

Uzair talks to Dr. Tanvi Madan about her research paper which looks at the role of major power rivalries in the broader South Asian region. The emerging US-China rivalry and growing tensions between India and China are already having an impact on the geopolitics of the region. As this rivalry sharpens, countries in the region…

Uzair talks to Jahangir Piracha, Chief Executive Officer of Engro Polymer & Chemicals, about the company’s business, how its products are helping transform Pakistan’s construction industry, and why a petrochemicals policy is needed to attract increased investments in Pakistan. Jahangir Piracha is the Chief Executive Officer for Engro Polymer & Chemicals Limited. In his most…

Uzair talks to Dr. Ammar A. Malik about his team’s recent report on China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The report titled “Banking on the Belt and Road: Insights from a new global dataset of 13,427 Chinese development projects” is currently the most in-depth analytical look at BRI projects around the world and is a must-read….

Uzair talks to Abdul Moiz Jaferii, a lawyer and host of a popular TV show on Samaa, about the legal system in Pakistan, what ails it, and why is it that justice for elites is different than justice for less privileged segments of society. This episode also covers the impact of the lawyers’ movement and…

Uzair talks to Dr. Sanval Nasim about research that he has conducted with other academics about ways in which information may or may not build citizen trust in the state. The working paper is available online at this link –https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/h… Dr. Nasim is is Assistant Professor of Economics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences…

Conversation with Tazah Technologies Uzair talks to the co-founders of Tazah Technologies, a startup in the agriculture space that recently raised $2 million in pre-seed round. The B2B marketplace is based in Lahore and is seeking to disrupt the country’s agriculture sector, which represents 24 percent of GDP. Abrar is part of the famous “Careem…

Urdu Discussion In this Urdu episode, Uzair talks to Dr. Ali Hasanain about the types of corruption, how they impact Pakistan’s political economy, and ways in which reform measures can be implemented to address corruption in society. Dr. Ali Hasanain is an Associate Professor and the Head of the Economics Department at the Lahore University…