Stabilisation Policy vs. Growth-oriented Policy: Implication for the Pakistan Economy

Pakistan has initiated a comprehensive reforms efforts aiming at tracking the economy on a higher and sustainable economic growth, reduce level of poverty, reducing unemployment, raising their level of standard of living. These objective were to be achieved through a programme that would build on the macro-economic stability which encompasses structural reforms, trade liberalisation, privatisation, fiscal reforms and financial sector. This paper makes one of the early attempt to analyse the Pakistan stabilisation experiences. In Pakistan the stabilisation programme was started in 1988-89. In this paper we mainly examine the fiscal and monetary policy package since 1988 when the Pakistan committed to a set of conditionalities under the Structural Adjustment Programme of the IMF. The fundamental question that has risen was the relative efficacy of stabilisation oriented versus growth oriented policies on development and welfare. Admittedly, stabilisation and growth are not mutually exclusive and any policy package has to incorporate both the elements. However, the manner in which the policy has been implemented in Pakistan has tended to pursue stabilisation at the expense of growth.

Stabilisation Policy vs. Growth-oriented Policy: Implication for the Pakistan Economy

Pakistan has initiated a comprehensive reforms efforts aiming at tracking the economy on a higher and sustainable economic growth, reduce level of poverty, reducing unemployment, raising their level of standard of living. These objective were to be achieved through a programme that would build on the macro-economic stability which encompasses structural reforms, trade liberalisation, privatisation, fiscal reforms and financial sector. This paper makes one of the early attempt to analyse the Pakistan stabilisation experiences. In Pakistan the stabilisation programme was started in 1988-89. In this paper we mainly examine the fiscal and monetary policy package since 1988 when the Pakistan committed to a set of conditionalities under the Structural Adjustment Programme of the IMF. The fundamental question that has risen was the relative efficacy of stabilisation oriented versus growth oriented policies on development and welfare. Admittedly, stabilisation and growth are not mutually exclusive and any policy package has to incorporate both the elements. However, the manner in which the policy has been implemented in Pakistan has tended to pursue stabilisation at the expense of growth

Education, marriage, and professionalization: the modern Qatari woman's dilemma

"We offer observations about the obstacles to promoting a gender-inclusive labor force based on two sets of data on female Qatari students and professionals. Data set 1 is the result of a project pertaining to the disparity between education and employment among Qatari women. We surveyed 274 young women between the ages of 17 and 25 with the aim of understanding some of the reasons why Qatari women were not entering the workforce. Data set 2 derives from 350 focus groups and interviews with female students to assess the effect their tertiary education had on their marriageability. While education has delayed the age of marriage when this generation of women is compared with that of their mothers and grandmothers, the social expectations of becoming a wife and ensuing motherhood mean that marriage can restrict a woman's working outside the home." (author's abstract)"Anhand zweier Datensätze von Interviews, die mit katarischen Studentinnen und Professorinnen durchgeführt wurden, werden die Hindernisse auf dem Weg hin zu einer geschlechterinklusiven Erwerbsbeteiligung untersucht. Der erste Datensatz ist das Ergebnis eines Projekts, das die Disparitäten zwischen Bildungsabschluss und Erwerbsbeteiligung unter katarischen Frauen untersucht. 274 junge Frauen im Alter von 17 bis 25 Jahren wurden mit dem Ziel befragt, einige der Gründe nachzuzeichnen, warum katarische Frauen nicht ins Berufsleben treten. Der zweite Datensatz bündelt die Ergebnisse von 350 Fokusgruppendiskussionen und Interviews mit Studentinnen. Hier wurde die Auswirkung von deren höherer Bildung auf deren Heiratsfähigkeit untersucht. Ihre Bildung hat - im Vergleich zu den Generationen ihrer Mütter und Großmütter - zu einer Erhöhung des Heiratsalters geführt, aber die sozialen Erwartungen an Frauen, die Rolle der Ehefrau und Mutter zu erfüllen, führen weiterhin dazu, dass eine Heirat die Arbeit einer Frau außerhalb des Hauses einschränken kann." (Autorenreferat

Prof. Dr. Ehsan Rashid Memorial Lectures: Vision and Strategy for Regional Development: The Case of Balochistan Province, Pakistan

Despite seven decades of independence of Pakistan, large parts of the country remain woefully undeveloped with poor infrastructure and limited income generating opportunities. Balochistan stands out in this respect. However, development is possible. Balochistan has a manageable population, comprising just 1.5 million families. At one job per family, Balochistan needs to provide just 1.5 million jobs. This is eminently feasible and it is possible to create an almost zero-unemployment economy in Balochistan. There are a number of theories of under-development and of growth. The theories that best fit Balochistan are ‘Big Push’ and ‘Unbalanced Growth’. The two theories postulate that the injection of a large project in any one sector creates an imbalance with respect to other sectors. However, the project performs the role of an ‘engine of growth’ and propels growth in other sectors. Balochistan is, as yet, a primary sector economy of Pakistan; more specifically, it is essentially a pastoral economy. As such, it is prudent for the province to concentrate scarce fiscal resources in selected sectors and aim to obtain maximum impact. More importantly, it is necessary to chart a vision and set a direction. A vision sets the direction, which – sequentially – enables a strategy to be formulated, a policy to be framed, plans to be drawn and, accordingly, schemes to be prepared and implemented. Today, the development process has been turned on its head. Schemes are prepared and (half) implemented without the context of a plan, a policy, a strategy, a direction, or a vision. The result is expenditure of billions of rupees in the name of development, without any meaningful development

Quantum Error-Correcting Hybrid Codes

Remarkable contributions made in the field of quantum algorithms and theory since 1994 have paved the way for quantum information and quantum computing. Their substantial speed-up over classical algorithms encouraged further developments in quantum information theory that enable information transmission in a reliable and fault-tolerant manner. A huge family of error-correcting codes have been developed since then with improved parameters and code-generating methods to process quantum information in the presence of noise and imperfect quantum gates. Stabilizer codes are one of the important classes of quantum error correcting codes. Their simple structure makes these codes easier to implement in a fault-tolerant manner. Promising work in the domain of hybrid quantum error-correcting codes has further shown their advantages over general quantum error correction. In this thesis, we show various techniques for constructing error-correcting quantum codes, especially hybrid codes that transmit quantum-classical information over a single channel. A hybrid code can simultaneously transmit m bits of classical information and k bits of quantum information by building a collection of m quantum codes where each quantum message is associated with a classical message. Such codes have been shown to have better code parameters than the best known quantum codes using the same number of physical qubits. The first model is based on the use of codeword stabilized codes and union stabilizer codes while the second model uses subsystem codes by encoding the classical information in the gauge subsystem of the code. We also discuss various examples of good hybrid code constructions using these models and introduce the notion of using the framework of graph codes to encode and transmit both quantum and classical information since they allow for simpler fault-tolerant procedures. We finally propose various future directions to continue the work

Promising Approaches for Implementing Extreme Risk Laws: A Guide for Practitioners and Policymakers

Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) laws create an opportunity to intervene and prevent firearm violence when there are warning signs that an individual poses a risk of harm to self or others. While ERPO laws are relatively new, a growing body of research demonstrates the potential for these laws to prevent firearm violence, particularly firearm suicide, and multiple victim/mass shootings. Interest in ERPO laws has increased in recent years, with 16 states having enacted these laws between 2018 and 2023. Implementation varies widely across and within states. As a result of strong ERPO implementation efforts in some jurisdictions, more information is now available for state and local leaders about how to implement and adapt ERPO laws for their own communities. In addition, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 included $750 million in new federal grant funding for states, some of which is designated to support ERPO implementation.To meet this moment, the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund and the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions have partnered to compile this guide of the best available practices and promising approaches to effective implementation of extreme risk laws. These recommendations are informed by conversations with individuals who are pioneering ERPO implementation, in addition to the best practices shared at a December 2022 convening of ERPO leaders from around the country

Modality-Specific Axonal Regeneration: Toward Selective Regenerative Neural Interfaces

Regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces have been proposed as viable alternatives for the natural control of robotic prosthetic devices. However, sensory and motor axons at the neural interface are of mixed sub-modality types, which difficult the specific recording from motor axons and the eliciting of precise sensory modalities through selective stimulation. Here we evaluated the possibility of using type specific neurotrophins to preferentially entice the regeneration of defined axonal populations from transected peripheral nerves into separate compartments. Segregation of mixed sensory fibers from dorsal root ganglion neurons was evaluated in vitro by compartmentalized diffusion delivery of nerve growth factor (NGF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), to preferentially entice the growth of TrkA+ nociceptive and TrkC+ proprioceptive subsets of sensory neurons, respectively. The average axon length in the NGF channel increased 2.5-fold compared to that in saline or NT-3, whereas the number of branches increased threefold in the NT-3 channels. These results were confirmed using a 3D “Y”-shaped in vitro assay showing that the arm containing NGF was able to entice a fivefold increase in axonal length of unbranched fibers. To address if such segregation can be enticed in vivo, a “Y”-shaped tubing was used to allow regeneration of the transected adult rat sciatic nerve into separate compartments filled with either NFG or NT-3. A significant increase in the number of CGRP+ pain fibers were attracted toward the sural nerve, while N-52+ large-diameter axons were observed in the tibial and NT-3 compartments. This study demonstrates the guided enrichment of sensory axons in specific regenerative chambers, and supports the notion that neurotrophic factors can be used to segregate sensory and perhaps motor axons in separate peripheral interfaces

Bioluminescence Imaging for Assessment and Normalization in Transfected Cell Arrays

Transfected cell arrays (TCAs) represent a high-throughput technique to correlate gene expression with functional cell responses. Despite advances in TCAs, improvements are needed for the widespread application of this technology. We have developed a TCA that combines a two-plasmid system and dual-bioluminescence imaging to quantitatively normalize for variability in transfection and increase sensitivity. The two-plasmids consist of: (i) normalization plasmid present within each spot, and (ii) functional plasmid that varies between spots, responsible for the functional endpoint of the array. Bioluminescence imaging of dual-luciferase reporters (renilla, firefly luciferase) provides sensitive and quantitative detection of cellular response, with minimal post-transfection processing. The array was applied to quantify estrogen receptor α (ERα) activity in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. A plasmid containing an ERα-regulated promoter directing firefly luciferase expression was mixed with a normalization plasmid, complexed with cationic lipids and deposited into an array. ER induction mimicked results obtained through traditional assays methods, with estrogen inducing luciferase expression 10-fold over the antiestrogen fulvestrant or vehicle. Furthermore, the array captured a dose response to estrogen, demonstrating the sensitivity of bioluminescence quantification. This system provides a tool for basic science research, with potential application for the development of patient specific therapies