Remittances, Exports, Growth & Reform | Why Pakistan’s Economy is Struggling | Haque Economics

Описание: Pakistan’s economy faces persistent challenges — low growth, weak exports, and repeated balance-of-payments pressures. While remittances help stabilize foreign exchange reserves, deeper structural issues continue to limit productivity, competitiveness, and long-term growth.

In this episode of Haque Economics, Dr. Nadeem ul Haque leads a wide-ranging panel discussion with Shahid Sattar, Asad Ali Shah, and Salman Shah to explain how Pakistan’s economic system actually works — and why reform has been so difficult.

The conversation examines the role of remittances in supporting consumption while potentially contributing to Dutch disease, currency misalignment, and weak export competitiveness. The panel critically evaluates import controls, capital restrictions, exchange-rate policy, and the long-term costs of delaying structural reform.

Key issues discussed include:
Remittances, Dutch disease, and exchange-rate incentives
Pakistan’s persistent foreign-exchange and trade deficits
Why manufacturing and exports struggle to compete globally
High energy costs, taxation, and regulatory barriers
How India’s growth trajectory differs from Pakistan’s
The limits of consumption-led growth
Innovation, entrepreneurship, and creative destruction
Why startups and young entrepreneurs succeed abroad but not at home
Oligopolies, cartels, and barriers to market entry
Global competitiveness, productivity, and skills
Market-oriented reforms and private-sector-led growth
Why Pakistan needs its own economic model rather than copying others

Rather than offering quick fixes, this discussion focuses on systems, incentives, and long-term structural change — explaining why meaningful reform requires changes in policy design, regulation, taxation, and institutional behavior.

Watch till the end for a candid debate on economic reform, innovation, and what it would take for Pakistan to build a competitive, growth-driven economy.
__________________________________________________________________________

SPEAKERS

Dr. Nadeem ul Haque is an economist and public policy expert, and the Director of SIA – Socioeconomic Insights & Analysis, a think tank focused on institutional reform, governance, and economic policy in Pakistan. He has previously served as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of Pakistan and Vice Chancellor of PIDE, and has held senior roles at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. His work focuses on state capacity, market reforms, and the political economy of development.

Shahid Sattar is an economist and policy expert with extensive experience in trade, industrial development, and economic reform in Pakistan. He has been closely engaged with the private sector and policymakers on exports, competitiveness, and structural reform, and is a regular contributor to national economic policy discussions.

Asad Ali Shah is an economic policy analyst whose work focuses on macroeconomic policy, market-oriented reforms, and institutional incentives. He regularly contributes to discussions on Pakistan’s economic structure, entrepreneurship, and global competitiveness.

Salman Shah is an economist and former Finance Minister of Pakistan, with decades of experience in economic policy, public finance, and financial sector reform. He has served in senior advisory roles in government and has been involved in shaping Pakistan’s macroeconomic and growth strategies.

__________________________________________________________________________

00:00 Remittances, Dutch Disease & Exchange Rate Policy
07:08 Pakistan’s Economic Deficit Explained
12:14 Why Manufacturing in Pakistan Struggles
22:38 India’s Growth Model vs Pakistan
29:57 How Remittances Shape Economic Incentives
37:11 Reviving Pakistan’s Startup Ecosystem
45:34 What Drives Real Economic Change
51:13 Why Entrepreneurship Remains Weak
58:52 Competing in the Global Economy
01:07:01 Rethinking Pakistan’s Economic System

__________________________________________________________________________

#PakistanEconomy #Remittances #Exports #EconomicReform #DutchDisease #EconomicGrowth #Pakistan #Macroeconomics #TradePolicy #ExchangeRate #Manufacturing #Entrepreneurship #StartupsPakistan #Innovation #GlobalCompetitiveness #MarketReforms #PoliticalEconomy #PublicPolicy #DevelopmentEconomics #PrivateSector #HaqueEconomics #NadeemUlHaque #Shahidsattar #salmanshah #asadalishah #politics #governance