Widespread poverty has plagued Pakistan for decades. In 2022, 21.9% of the population was reported to be living below the National Poverty Line. The recent economic crisis has worsened this state of affairs and has doubled concerns about the disproportionate impact of rising poverty on the lives of Pakistan’s population, particularly those segments that are already poor and disadvantaged. Dr. Ijaz Nabi and Dr. Imran Rasul delved deep into these issues in the latest episode and discussed the merits of cash vs in-kind social protection in the Pakistani context.
Dr. Ijaz Nabi is Country Director (Pakistan) at the International Growth Centre. He was a member of Pakistan Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, chairs the boards of Punjab Population Innovation Fund and Punjab Skills Development Fund and is on the board of Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund. He was at the World Bank in Washington DC (1986-2008) and worked on Mexico, Korea, Thailand (leading the World Bank team during the East Asian financial crisis), Malaysia, Korea, Laos and Myanmar, and in 2002-2008 was Manager, Economic Policy, for South Asia region.
Dr. Imran Rasul is a Professor of Economics at University College London. His research interests include labor, development and public economics and his work has been published in leading journals such as the American Economic Review, Econometrica, Journal of Political Economy, Quarterly Journal of Economics, and Review of Economic Studies.