Suchergebnisse

The copyright-based industries contribute substantially to the national economy in the form of value addition, tax revenues, trade and employment. This study highlights both the core and non-core copyright-based industries in Pakistan. With the technical guidance of World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and National Institute of Cultural Studies (NICS), we conducted the first ever survey of the copyright-based industries in Pakistan. The estimates of contribution to GDP, tax revenues, trade and employment were also validated through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Our findings reveal that copyright-based industries contributed Rs 136 billion to GDP (on 1999-2000 base year prices of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics). These industries also contributed Rs 18 billion to the government in indirect taxes. On the trade side, the exports of these industries totalled $ 943 million and imports amounted to $2130 million in 2007-08. In terms of job creation one of the core sub-sectors i.e. electronic media employed around 47,000 persons by the end of 2011.

The Federal Government levied an Export Development Surcharge (EDS) equivalent to 0.25% of the export value on all exports from 1st July, 1991 to establish an Export Development Fund. The basic purpose was to fund activities to address challenges faced by producers and exporters with emphasis on enhancing the performance of export sector. Export Development Fund (EDF) is administered by the Board of Administrators under the chairmanship of Minister for Commerce. EDF receives grant proposals from representative bodies of exporters e.g. trade associations, chambers as well as various Government departments. SDPI with support from PREIA organized a public private dialogue, with the aim to raise awareness and facilitate business community for effective utilization of EDF and to discuss constraints in its disbursement and utilization.

The Government of Pakistan has approved several export promotional schemes at the federal and provincial level. Besides, FBR has tax-related export-oriented schemes which incentivize exports. Traditionally, these schemes were limited to five zero-rated sectors, however realization has grown that a level playing field should be created where similar schemes should be available to potential and new export sectors. While this thinking takes ground, the private sector in erstwhile zero-rated sectors also complains about the difficulties in accessing the export-oriented schemes allowed by FBR most notably, manufacturing under bond, Duty and Tax Remission of Exports Scheme, Duty Drawback, and Export Oriented Units and Small and Medium Enterprises Rules. SDPI with support from PRIEA organized a public-private dialogue with the aim to facilitate three segments of the business community namely a) current exporters, b) past exporters (who are still running their business but finding it difficult to export), and c) potential exporters. The above-mentioned meeting resulted in discussion around specific incentives, which are available and can be streamlined further by the authorities concerned. The reform of these could ultimately result in Pakistan taking maximum benefit from available free trade agreements, GSP arrangements by EU and US, and other market access facilities.

Internal migration and labour mobility is now increasingly being studied through the lens of human security. Global estimates suggest that 740 million people around the world are internal migrants (UNOCHA 2010). Given its large number, especially within developing countries, internal migration has the economic potential to contribute positively towards greater human security and development objectives falling under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework.' As compared to international migration, internal migration involves a workforce four times larger (Qin et al. 2014) that hails from poorer backgrounds and remits money to a wider number of poor families (Deshingkar and Grimm 2004). It also provides migrant households opportunities to advance human security outcomes by moving to a location that promises improved access to education, health and employment opportunities.

Amidst all the concerns of uncertainty over the future of Afghanistan, recent developments have given hope to the world, specifically south and central Asia. A coalition government has now been established following the deadlock that came after the May 2014 elections. President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah have already signed a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Kabul and Washington, according to which 9800 troops will remain in Afghanistan beyond 2015. Furthermore, the government of Afghanistan seeks the support of the neighbouring countries to keep peace in the region. Despite all these concrete steps, there has been an increased number of terror attacks and drone operations which has put a big question mark on the stability of the country. How Afghanistan tackles these rising problems will be crucial in defining its future, the trickle-down effects of which will determine the stability of the Afghan-Pakistan region. Concerns about what the future holds for this region with a long history of violence and insurgency are currently being voiced at many levels of society, including on talk shows, at government meetings, within NGOs, and at business forums. Unlike most of the studies done on the Afghan-Pakistan region that focus on the security of the region, this article focuses on the welfare and economic impacts of post-2014 Afghanistan on the neighbouring Pakistani provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at the household level.

The agricultural sector provides the majority of employment in Pakistan, especially among the poorest segments of the population. Energy provision affects production and livelihoods, especially with the advance of mechanization in agriculture. Changes in gas and electricity prices affect the income of farmers significantly, thereby reducing the agricultural growth rate over time. Agriculture also has a positive impact on industrial sector exports. The dependence of agriculture on electricity consumption in Pakistan has increased over time, while power generation has not kept up with demand. This article decomposes energy consumption in Pakistan and analyzes the behaviour of change in agricultural production, energy intensity and structural changes over the time.

This paper attempts to evaluate the possible gains and losses arising from the gradual opening up of pharmaceutical trade between India and Pakistan. We explain the comparative advantages of both countries at a disaggregated level, followed by a qualitative analysis of various perceptions and experiences of Pakistan's pharmaceutical manufacturers with respect to trade with India. We find that a gradual opening up of pharmaceutical trade with India may allow Pakistan to enhance the quality of locally produced medicines through raw material, intermediate inputs, knowledge, and skills transfer from India. Pakistan, in the medium to long run, may also be able to diversify its pharmaceutical export base, reduce cost of production and achieve higher competitiveness through the development of value chain linkages with India. Such linkages are important to cater to the projected rise in demand for pharmaceuticals in Pakistan, Afghanistan and abroad.

Pakistan today seems to be embroiled in a number of conflicts that have both domestic as well as international dimensions. Conflicts of course vary, ranging from household disputes to increasing crime resulting from disparities. However, at an aggregated level, conflicts have a societal connotation that reflects deep-rooted divisions within a society. On a macro-level, these conflicts suppress a country's potential and inhibit future prosperity. Hence, investor confidence has declined in Pakistan as have market opportunities. The poor law and order situation in Karachi over the last few years, for example, has significantly affected the income of daily wage earners, while investors have taken a back seat. Moreover, entrepreneurial activity becomes even more difficult to pursue for those with less capital or access to financing.With the rise in conflicts across the country coupled with a bleak economic situation, communities and businesses have suffered alike. Economic disparities often breed sustained conflicts. In this context, what is needed in Pakistan is an economic environment that engenders strategic peace. The two are complementing factors, and neglecting either can seriously undermine the effectiveness of measures taken for the other.This research study, conducted by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in 2013, undertook an analysis of the private sector's role in achieving sustainable peace in Pakistan. It is important to note that as far as sustainable peace is concerned, the private sector is just one of many actors. In that, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives by businesses can certainly play an important role. Their main contribution, however, can be to influence public policy in favor of strategic peace across the country. While approaches such as dispute resolution (formal and informal) and CSR are important in terms of conflict mitigation, long-term peace is contingent upon a just and equitable system of economic governance.

This article highlights the major challenges to social accountability in Pakistan. Based on a perception survey of 800 household-level respondents from four provinces of Pakistan besides relevant focus group discussions and key informant interviews, the findings of the study reveal that the respondents have an understanding of which of the basic services they are entitled to and which are not being facilitated by public sector service providers. Owing to the trust deficit between communities and state administration, there is a dire need for establishing and reforming informal and formal grievance redressal mechanisms. On the other hand, with over half of Pakistan's population not having any formal education, communities need to be trained in social accountability tools through which they may access their rights and entitlements. Civil society organisations (CSOs), working in Pakistan for over the last two decades, urgently need to introduce innovative methods for community mobilisation. These CSOs are also facing severe internal and external security threats which are impacting the effectiveness of community-level accountability exercises. While we take stock of such challenges, there is renewed hope that government and donor community will support local-level CSOs to mitigate threats to social accountability interventions.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) address the importance of developing the skills of the labour force and the required reform of labour markets for poverty reduction. SDG 8 aims to 'promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all'. The corresponding targets aim to achieve and sustain a decent per capita economic growth and productivity in developing economies. In order to achieve this, market and competition reforms will be required to unlock creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. Goal 8's focus is also on reducing youth unemployment. This is particularly important in South Asia, where one-fifth of the population are 15- to 24-year-olds; young adults continue to account for half of the unemployed; and young people are six times more likely than older workers to be jobless (World Bank, 2016). Among young people, women in particular are being left behind due to: constraints on their geographic and occupational mobility, access to education and training, and discriminatory cultural norms (Hunt and Samman, 2016). Based on this, and in light of the ongoing discourse on possible institutional arrangements for SDGs, this review paper discusses constraints to youth employment in South Asia and priority actions needed to accelerate progress on Goal 8. In particular, we focus on: youth employment, implementation and policy interventions to achieve priority actions, and the possibility of sharing regional experiences on mobilising youth. Our key policy recommendations start with an initial country-wide assessment to identify those segments of society that are left behind and that need timely intervention from a social safety net as well as youth engagement programmes. We also recommend setting up a national high-level advisory group to devise national strategies for youth employment and a monitoring framework to support policy implementation. Further, we advise: revisiting taxes and regulations that may limit youth-led start-ups and established businesses' capacity to invest in developing workforce skills; initiating a large scale seed-grant programme designed by local-level civil society organisations; and localised vocational training programmes, aimed at youth in the informal sector. Finally, sub-national governments will need to ground youth employment programmes in the overall framework of youth engagement through community service and youth advisory services. They should also use fiscal measures to encourage public secondary schools, colleges and universities to open their technical and vocational training subsidiaries for working youth. The findings of this study would help policy makers across South Asia to align national and local youth development plans, focus on long-term labour market interventions and rational spending on youth development programmes. Not only this, these findings would also be relevant to the private sector, being the largest employer of the youth, for building capacities of the employed labour force and to explore the opportunities for public-private partnerships for promoting youth employment in South Asia.

The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for enhancing cultural relations and offering educational opportunities. Developing Inclusive and Creative Economies (DICE) is a British Council global pilot programme (2018-2020), which takes a holistic approach to imagining and building an economy that is equally accessible to all. DICE is delivered with and for women, youth, people disabled by society, and other groups that are excluded from the mainstream economy. The programme is co-designed by a global team and growing network in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Africa, and the UK. DICE is founded on the hypothesis that supporting the development of creative and social enterprise is an effective way to address the issues of unemployment and unequal economic growth and build more inclusive societies. This hypothesis was underpinned by the rationale that, around the world, communities face common challenges and problems, including: • unemployment, especially among young people, potentially intensified by automation; • growing wealth inequality and exclusion from 'mainstream' economic opportunities, especially of women, disabled people and minorities; • environmental degradation and the climate emergency; and • a sense of a loss of identity and community.

The paper aims to identify the various types of non-tariff measures (NTMs) affecting Pakistan's textile sector. The textile industry is of great importance to Pakistan and is a major contributor to its gross domestic product. However, Pakistan's textile exports are facing market access challenges, in part due to trade barriers of some developed countries. An in-depth analysis of Pakistan's textile sector and NTMs country-wise and category-wise for the period of 2010-2017 was conducted. Statistics about the textile industry of Pakistan were obtained from the State Bank of Pakistan, while categorical export data on NTMs was taken from UNCTAD's TRAINS database. Face-to-face informal interviews were also conducted with 15 participants from relevant stakeholder groups, including public and private sector officials. The authors found that Pakistan's global share in textiles has declined significantly since 2010 and that it relies heavily on a few international markets such as the United States, China and the European Union. Turkey was found to have the highest number of NTMs targeting textile products, followed by the United States. Additionally, not only do countries importing Pakistani goods impose NTMs, Pakistan's own export procedures also hamper the trade. Interviewed exporters mentioned that they face difficulties in the costly and time-consuming acquisition of certification, whereas Government officials claimed the certification process improved competitiveness. Exporters also complained about the high cost of doing business, which results in the shifting of exports to China, Bangladesh and India. The paper recommends that trade agreements and their implementation be rationalized and simplified, uniform certification requirements for exporters be implemented to save costs and time, cheaper tests be made available in Pakistan rather than abroad, and that business-to-business forums be developed to promote information exchange. It is also suggested that a clear framework to deal with NTMs is needed. The development of Pakistan's textile exports will be difficult to sustain without addressing these challenges.