Pakistan - the Political Economy of Growth, Stagnation and the State, 1951-2009

This book provides a comprehensive reassessment of the development of the economy of Pakistan from independence to the present. It argues that the factors which bring about economic development in countries with high levels of deprivation are best understood not through econometric models, which are ahistorical and not related to actual circumstances, nor by focusing primarily on political regimes and specific policies, but rather by considering changing overall approaches where shifts in approaches do not always co-incide with changes in political regimes. The book analyses the different successive approaches to promoting economic growth and development in Pakistan, relates these to medium term economic outcomes - periods of growth and stagnation - and thereby explains how the mechanisms by which the state can better promote growth and development.