India as an example
The social foundations of Modi’s authoritarianism make for deeply unsettling prospects about the region’s future.
Umair Javed
PTI's one year in Punjab
The government's success in implementing its agenda will remain contingent on how it deals with its own contradictions.
‘Managing’ the internet
It doesn’t take much to see that the China or Bangladesh or Burma model occupies many important minds.
Unrooted politics
Ultimately,what we’re left with is a situation in which control of the state is being determined by hidden transactions.
Conflict or compromise?
While the idea of a ‘charter of economy’ might sound great at first, there are several practical and moral ...
Managing a political project
We’re left with the careful curation of political space and, ultimately, of desirable outcomes.
A resounding mandate
The BJP’s ability to mobilise large amounts of money has also helped grease its election machine.
Painful adjustments
In order to analyse the country’s future, we need to look at what the bulk of its population is experiencing.
Litmus tests for devolution
On paper, the new local government system introduces a range of sound technical propositions.
Contradictory pulls
This civilian-led government is not dissimilar from previous ones in that it is being pulled in three often ...
Credentialed inequality
Banning a system that has expanded considerably over the last two decades may produce all sorts of negative consequences
Resistance politics
Over the last year or so, there have been a number of events and trends that provide some cause for optimism.
Rethinking urbanisation
New models of development where the state invites private investors to acquire land create new challenges.
Refusing to learn
Ethnic conflict was around when Pakistan became an independent state.
Abstract numbers, real people
The bulk of garment manufacturing now takes place in unregistered workshops that escape already sporadic labour ...
Private school politics
Should education be treated like a car or a bar of soap?
Taking stock of democracy
The political party landscape remains wracked with judicial complications and ongoing accountability pressures.
Institutional strengthening?
Years of compromised logic dictating government functioning have eroded bureaucratic capacity in myriad ways.
Listening to students
Recent student activism has gone well beyond issues of access.
Media blues
The young and urban population is the future market for Pakistan’s media and cultural production industry.