Between claims and reality:
the economy of Naya Pakistan Imran Khan brought his own style of managing the economy. How do the results compare with his predecessors? Dr. Shahram Azhar
A
s a pure imaginary, Naya Pakistan promised to be an era of institutional change and economic prosperity. From a political economy point of view, Naya Pakistan had one unique advantage that not many governments
in Pakistan enjoyed: it was premised on a cooperative new political coalition; a “hybrid” power-sharing arrangement between the civilian government and the establishment, a new ‘political settlement’ that promised sustained institutional transformation and rapid economic development. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Leaving the lofty promises made at
1a: GDP per capita (current USD)
its inception aside, what can one objectively say about the economic performance and legacy of Naya Pakistan (2018-2022)? While a lot has been written in recent months on inflationary pressures during this period, a lot less attention has been paid to the issue of economic output. Specifically, what can one say about the evolution of the fundamental measure of the health of any economy - output
1b: GDP per capita (constant 2015 USD)
Fig 1: GDP per capita before the pandemic
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