A Sectoral Analysis of Poverty in Pakistan

Since independence, the problem of mass poverty in Pakistan has been substantial. The number of the destitute has continued to soar. The problem of poverty now looks to be beyond control. The vast masses of the people, particularly in rural areas, are indeed, miserably below the poverty line. Moreover, the socioeconomic and demographic indicators are dismal. Official planning and the market economy system have failed to lessen poverty. The policies formulated to eradicate it have failed to achieve their objectives. The issue of poverty in Pakistan has its significance for sustainable development. Long run development is not possible without protecting the rights of the vulnerable groups and the participation of the entire population in the development process. Although Pakistan’s economic growth has been quite respectable for much of the last four decades but it has failed to trickle down to the masses. The country has experienced poverty and stagnation in 1950s, increasing poverty and growth in the 1960s, stagnation of growth but declining poverty in the 1970s, increasing growth and declining poverty in the 1980s and finally, increasing poverty and falling growth in the 1990s [MHCHD/UNDP (1999)]. The mainstream approach to identifying the poor specifies a cut-off point ‘poverty line’, defining the level of income/expenditure below which people are diagnosed as poor. The conventional measure of poverty, head-count index, has been widely used in Pakistan. However, in practice this absolute threshold usually cannot stand the pressures of changing circumstances and is not as absolute as the term would appear to imply [Zaidi and de Vos (1993)]. To show the true face of poverty this study uses Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (1984) class of additively decomposable measure to estimate the variation in the incidence, intensity and severity of poverty across sectors of employment. This study also determines the relative contribution of the various sectors to aggregate poverty. Location index is also used to measure the concentration of poor in each sector. To evaluate the sources of observed changes in sectoral poverty at the micro level ‘HIES’ data sets are used.

Influence of responsible leadership on inclusive organizations: A mixed- method study

The ever-increasing diversity in organizations demands deliberate efforts to include the members in organizational activities. Responsible leadership, a blend of corporate social responsibility, ethics, and leadership, can generate willing cooperation and an urge to fully participate, which is pivotal to the success of the inclusive organization. This study explores the influence of responsible leadership on inclusive organization and uncovers its domains and pathways. Sequential mixed methods design has been adopted using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Qualitative data comprise 25 semi-structured in-depth interviews, and quantitative data 800 responses on questionnaires, collected from eight organizations, four each from the manufacturing and services sectors. It has been found that responsible leadership significantly influences the inclusive organization. The influence is exerted in social and ethical domains and follows five different pathways within each domain. It is also concluded that a responsible leadership style is better suited for inclusive organizations

New approach to forecasting agro-based statistical models

This paper uses various forecasting methods to forecast future crop production levels using time series data for four major crops in Pakistan: wheat, rice, cotton and pulses. These different forecasting methods are then assessed based on their out-of-sample forecast accuracies. We empirically compare three methods: Box- Jenkins’ ARIMA, Dynamic Linear Models (DLM) and exponential smoothing. The best forecasting models are selected from each of the methods by applying them to various agricultural time series in order to demonstrate the usefulness of the models and the differences between them in an actual application. The forecasts obtained from the best selected exponential smoothing models are then compared with those obtained from the best selected classical Box-Jenkins ARIMA models and DLMs using various forecast accuracy measures

Snake Bite: Clinical Profile and Evaluation of Effective Anti-Snake Venom Dose

Background: To determine the optimal dose of antisnake venom required to treat hemotoxic snake bite more effectively. Methods: In this interventional study, out of 52 patients 46 patients with the features of systemic envenomation .i.e. deranged coagulation profile, nephrotoxic or neurotoxic features were assessed clinically and through laboratory tests, while 06 patients had no feature of envenomation. Patients with systemic envenomation were given Antisnake venom. Results: Hemotoxicity was the most common clinical manifestation of snake bite i.e. 39 patients of hemotoxic envenomation, 4 with neurotoxic features while 03 patients had mixed toxicity i.e. hemotoxic, neurotoxic and nephrotoxic. 12 patients responded to single dose of 06 vials (10 ml each vial; total dose of 60 ml), 28 patients required further dose of anti snake venom after initial dose of 6 vials while 06 patients received even higher dose of anti snake venom i.e. 18 vial (180 ml) with blood transfusion. Of these 06 patients, 02 required mechanical ventilation, 02 with nephrotoxicity were referred to dialysis unit, and 02 mortalities were encountered, one with intracranial bleed and other with mixed toxicity and delayed presentation of patient. Conclusion: Most patients with envenomation require higher dose of anti snake venom . An increase in morbidity and mortality is mainly due to delayed presentation after snake bite and under dosage of ASV

Land Tenure and Title System in Gilgit-Baltistan

Gilgit-Baltistan is an administrative unit of the Pakistan and commonly known as "˜Flashpoint of Asia'. It is the hub, the crow's nest and the fulcrum of the Asia and the "˜Roof of the World'. This paper discusses the land tenure and title system in Gilgit-Baltistan. Some of the area is settled and has been brought under formal systems of land administration, similar to that of Pakistan, where records-of-rights are available. Major area still remains unsettled. Owing to absence of accurate and reliable system of land records, registration and taxation, development of this region has been eclipsed by enormous proportions. While tracking history of land management, analysis of different laws/rules and assessing capacity of human resource employed in this sector, this paper suggests policy, regulatory and institutional recommendations towards developing a regime of secure tenures and titles in this region