Lubna Hasan | Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (original) (raw)

Papers by Lubna Hasan

The Pakistan Development Review, Mar 1, 2007

It has long been realised that factor accumulation and technological development are only proxima... more It has long been realised that factor accumulation and technological development are only proximate causes of economic development, and the focus has now shifted to investigating the 'deeper determinants' of economic growth. Two such forces are highlighted in the literature: institutions and geography. However, it remains controversial as to which of these two is the more important. The "institutions school" assigns primal importance to institutions, whereas the "geography school" considers geographical factors as the primary determinant of the economic performance of countries. This paper reviews the debate surrounding these "deeper determinants" of economic performance. It reviews the work of these two schools of thought and their interpretation of the long-run development. The paper then examines the evidence provided by the respective schools in favour of their hypotheses. It concludes in favour of the Institutions hypothesis as the Geography school does not provide a consistent story of long-run development.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021

Islamabad is currently in the process of reviewing its Master Plan. Islamabad was planned in 1960... more Islamabad is currently in the process of reviewing its Master Plan. Islamabad was planned in 1960 by C. A. Doxiadis on the principles of ‘Dynapolis’ – “the City of the Future” as a low-density administrative city, with single-family homes. There was no room for the poor, a central business district (CBD), or even a university. The city now has 126 illegal private housing societies, operating without adhering to the modalities set for residential spaces. Islamabad also has 63 under-serviced slums, housing 30% of the total city population. All this is the result of a restrictive zoning regime that encourages sprawl against high-density mixed-use development causing inefficient use of land. Urban Sprawl has disadvantages in terms of increased travel time, transport costs, pollution, destruction of arable lands. The World has moved on from restrictive master planning. Master plans are time and data-intensive. Being static and mostly non-inclusive, their stringent requirements leave little space for markets to develop. Islamabad is an over-regulated city, favoring single-family houses. Successful cities have flexible zoning codes to adjust to changing physical requirements of a city. Islamabad is not an affordable city for low-income groups. Real estate prices go high where height restrictions are excessive. Re-zoning helps increase the supply of land to keep prices in check. Policy needs to recognize cities as engines of growth. The zoning paradigm needs to favor density, high-rise mixed-use development, walkability, public and community spaces. Government ownership of city-center land needs to be reduced and allow cities adequate ownership of their land and resources. Commerce is to be given priority in city centers. City management should be professional and accountable. Cities must be able to hire out of their budgets. Decision-making must be an open consultative process.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2020

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a multi-dimensional development project that offers a ... more China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a multi-dimensional development project that offers a unique opportunity to Pakistan for equitable and sustainable development. This study investigates the potential of selected districts of Punjab alongside CPEC routes, based on six social and economic indicators to assess whether these districts are on an equal footing to capitalize upon such a mega-investment project. Results indicate wide disparities between the selected districts in terms of infrastructure and human capital, which are not captured by conventional indices of development. While developed districts can provide the necessary kick-start to CPEC. For the second phase of CPEC, the Punjab government must devise tailormade policies to suit the resource endowments of less developed districts.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2022

Research Papers in Economics, 2007

In 2017, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu notice of irregular development in Islamabad... more In 2017, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu notice of irregular development in Islamabad and directed the government to find a solution for regularizing these constructions. Later, Islamabad High Court in its judgment dated 9th July 2018 directed the government to form a commission to review the Islamabad Master Plan. Consequently, a commission was formed in August 2019 to review the master plan and give its recommendations1. The question arises, would another master plan revive Islamabad? We contextualize this discussion by delving into the history of the city.

This paper develops a conceptual framework for analysing property regimes in conservation of natu... more This paper develops a conceptual framework for analysing property regimes in conservation of natural resources. Human beings interaction with their environment is governed through institutions of property; therefore they play an important role in the conservation of natural resources. This paper uses concepts from the New Institutional Economics School of thought and from theories of property to develop normative criteria to assess property institutions in resource management.

Acknowledgements: This study is based on the author’s unpublished MA Thesis entitled “From Confli... more Acknowledgements: This study is based on the author’s unpublished MA Thesis entitled “From Conflict to Cooperation—The Need for a Change in the Institutional Set-up of Forest Management

This paper develops a conceptual framework for analysing property regimes in conservation of natu... more This paper develops a conceptual framework for analysing property regimes in conservation of natural resources. Human beings interaction with their environment is governed through institutions of property; therefore they play an important role in the conservation of natural resources. This paper uses concepts from the New Institutional Economics School of thought and from theories of property to develop normative criteria to assess property institutions in resource management.

The Pakistan Development Review, 2011

The mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, recently hit the headlines with his incisive comment, “A deve... more The mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, recently hit the headlines with his incisive comment, “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation.” This quip defines how policymakers around the world should look at the issue of urban transport, or rather sustainable urban transport. Rapid economic growth in the postwar period and high urbanisation combined with a greater need for mobility have escalated problems of congestion, noise and air pollution, and road accidents, necessitating a focus on the sustainability of urban transport. Pakistan finds itself at the crossroads where it has to balance the increasing demand for mobility with environmental concerns. This book by Muhammad Irfan is an opportune contribution.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018

This paper critically reviews Garrett Hardin's "The Tragedy of the Commons". Hardin's thesis abou... more This paper critically reviews Garrett Hardin's "The Tragedy of the Commons". Hardin's thesis about impossibility of collective action for achieving mutually beneficial outcomes in a group setting has divided scholarly community ever since its publication in 1968, while its most perennial object being the communal management of resources, which was banned on account of being inherently inefficient. This paper argues that much of the criticism against common property regimes stems from an incorrect modeling of a common property situation, and misunderstandings about the terms and their wrong usage. Specifically, models of collective action-in particular Hardin's tragedy of the Commons, but also Olson's Logic of Collective Action, and the Prisoner's Dilemma-that are used as critique against common property regimes are not based on an accurate depiction of reality and many of their assumptions are untrue. The purpose is to drive home the point that common property regimes are not inherently inferior types of regimes, and causes of success, and of failures, of these regimes lie elsewhere. Secondly, both public [and also private] management of natural resources has not had universal success. It is time to think out of the usual 'either public or private' dichotomy. Combining elements of both public and communal management in a pragmatic way is necessary. It is time to give co-management a serious thought.

We study the thermodynamic properties of an ideal gas of fermions in a harmonic oscillator confin... more We study the thermodynamic properties of an ideal gas of fermions in a harmonic oscillator confining potential. The analogy between this problem and the de Haasvan Alphen effect is discussed and used to obtain analytical results for the chemical potential and specific heat in the case of both isotropic and anisotropic potentials. Step-like behaviour in the chemical potential, first noted in numerical studies, is obtained analytically and shown to result in an oscillatory behaviour of the specific heat when the particle number is varied. The origin of these oscillations is that part of the thermodynamic potential responsible for the de Haas-van Alphen-type effect. At low temperatures we show analytically that there are significant deviations in the specific heat from the expected linear temperature dependence, again as a consequence of the de Haas-van Alphen part of the thermodynamic potential. Results are given for one, two, and three spatial dimensions. In the anisotropic case we show how the specific heat jumps as the ratio of oscillator frequencies varies.

PIDE Policy Viewpoint, 2020

In 2017, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu notice of irregular development in Islamabad... more In 2017, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu
notice of irregular development in Islamabad and
directed the government to find a solution for
regularizing these constructions. Later, Islamabad High Court in its judgment dated 9th July 2018 directed the government to form a commission to review the Islamabad Master Plan. Consequently, a commission was formed in August 2019 to review the master plan and give its recommendations1. The question arises, would another master plan revive Islamabad? We contextualize this discussion by delving into the history of the city.

PIDE Policy Brief, 2020

Like most Pakistani cities, Islamabad has a fragmented administration, weakening its revenue base... more Like most Pakistani cities, Islamabad has a fragmented administration, weakening its revenue base and service delivery.
This duality of the structure was introduced through the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015, which led to the creation of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) for the city’s governance, in line with the city management practiced around the world.1 The fragmented administration resulted in an MCI that is dependent on the CDA and Federal Government for its finances.

PIDE Macroeconomic Brief, 2020

Buffeted by back-to-back external shocks and internal challenges during the past couple of years,... more Buffeted by back-to-back external shocks
and internal challenges during the past couple of
years, Pakistan’s economy has begun to show
some signs of improvement: inflationary pressures
have eased; the current account balance has
improved significantly, and the fiscal deficit has
narrowed down to 5.2 percent of GDP, a decline
of about thirty percent in 2008-09. Despite these
signs of recovery, however, growth prospects for
2009-10 remain grim as the economy continues to
face serious challenges on both external and
domestic fronts. There is, therefore, a need to gear
macroeconomic policies towards consolidating
the nascent recovery while at the same time laying
the foundations of sustainable growth

Key Message - Research at PIDE, 2007

Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) conducts research on a variety of issues rangi... more Pakistan Institute of Development Economics
(PIDE) conducts research on a variety of issues ranging
from economic growth to macroeconomics, and from
poverty to demography. Whereas our research has
generated a number of messages, these remain confined to
research reports and journal archives that are accessible
only to the specialised research and academic communities.
More often than not, the messages tend to get obscured in
technical rigour that is inherent to any scientific inquiry.
This manuscript brings together and presents key messages
emanating from PIDE research on contemporary economic
issues in a concise, reader-friendly form. The objective of
this endeavour is to sensitise all sections of the civil society
to research outcomes with a view to stimulating further
discussion and debate on important development issues.
The research work is organised into eight themes, including
economic growth and development, macroeconomics, trade
and industry, labour economics, poverty issues, agricultural
economics, social and demographic issues, and governance.
A summary of key messages precedes the presentation of
the research sections of our focus here. We are thankful to
Ms. Saima Bashir, Staff Demographer, for her help in the
preparation of this document.

PIDE Working Paper 21, 2020

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a multi-dimensional development project that offers a ... more China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a multi-dimensional development project that offers a unique opportunity to Pakistan for equitable and sustainable development. This study investigates the potential of selected districts of Punjab alongside CPEC routes, based on six social and economic indicators to assess whether these districts are on an equal footing to capitalize upon such a mega-investment project. Results indicate wide disparities between the selected districts in terms of infrastructure and human capital, which are not captured by conventional indices of development. While developed districts can provide the necessary kick-start to CPEC. For the second phase of CPEC, the Punjab government must devise tailormade policies to suit the resource endowments of less developed districts.

The Pakistan Development Review

Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) and Lahore University of Management Sciences (... more Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) jointly organised a seminar to discuss issues pertaining to “Law and Economics” and “Public Choice”, and their relevance for the future growth prospects of Pakistan. Dr Nadeem Ul Haque, Director, PIDE, and Osama Siddique, Head, Department of Law and Policy, LUMS, highlighted the main issues in their welcome remarks, and raised some basic questions: Can Pakistan achieve its growth target of 10 percent under the current legal framework? Does our law support free enterprise? Can the dual target of growth and free enterprise development be realised under our existing constitution? Do we need to review and make amendments to it? The high point of the meeting was the coming together of eminent lawyers and economists (and social scientists) on one forum and approaching the problem from a multidisciplinary point of view. A healthy debate followed in which some of our distinguished particip...

The Pakistan Development Review, Mar 1, 2007

It has long been realised that factor accumulation and technological development are only proxima... more It has long been realised that factor accumulation and technological development are only proximate causes of economic development, and the focus has now shifted to investigating the 'deeper determinants' of economic growth. Two such forces are highlighted in the literature: institutions and geography. However, it remains controversial as to which of these two is the more important. The "institutions school" assigns primal importance to institutions, whereas the "geography school" considers geographical factors as the primary determinant of the economic performance of countries. This paper reviews the debate surrounding these "deeper determinants" of economic performance. It reviews the work of these two schools of thought and their interpretation of the long-run development. The paper then examines the evidence provided by the respective schools in favour of their hypotheses. It concludes in favour of the Institutions hypothesis as the Geography school does not provide a consistent story of long-run development.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021

Islamabad is currently in the process of reviewing its Master Plan. Islamabad was planned in 1960... more Islamabad is currently in the process of reviewing its Master Plan. Islamabad was planned in 1960 by C. A. Doxiadis on the principles of ‘Dynapolis’ – “the City of the Future” as a low-density administrative city, with single-family homes. There was no room for the poor, a central business district (CBD), or even a university. The city now has 126 illegal private housing societies, operating without adhering to the modalities set for residential spaces. Islamabad also has 63 under-serviced slums, housing 30% of the total city population. All this is the result of a restrictive zoning regime that encourages sprawl against high-density mixed-use development causing inefficient use of land. Urban Sprawl has disadvantages in terms of increased travel time, transport costs, pollution, destruction of arable lands. The World has moved on from restrictive master planning. Master plans are time and data-intensive. Being static and mostly non-inclusive, their stringent requirements leave little space for markets to develop. Islamabad is an over-regulated city, favoring single-family houses. Successful cities have flexible zoning codes to adjust to changing physical requirements of a city. Islamabad is not an affordable city for low-income groups. Real estate prices go high where height restrictions are excessive. Re-zoning helps increase the supply of land to keep prices in check. Policy needs to recognize cities as engines of growth. The zoning paradigm needs to favor density, high-rise mixed-use development, walkability, public and community spaces. Government ownership of city-center land needs to be reduced and allow cities adequate ownership of their land and resources. Commerce is to be given priority in city centers. City management should be professional and accountable. Cities must be able to hire out of their budgets. Decision-making must be an open consultative process.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2020

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a multi-dimensional development project that offers a ... more China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a multi-dimensional development project that offers a unique opportunity to Pakistan for equitable and sustainable development. This study investigates the potential of selected districts of Punjab alongside CPEC routes, based on six social and economic indicators to assess whether these districts are on an equal footing to capitalize upon such a mega-investment project. Results indicate wide disparities between the selected districts in terms of infrastructure and human capital, which are not captured by conventional indices of development. While developed districts can provide the necessary kick-start to CPEC. For the second phase of CPEC, the Punjab government must devise tailormade policies to suit the resource endowments of less developed districts.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2022

Research Papers in Economics, 2007

In 2017, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu notice of irregular development in Islamabad... more In 2017, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu notice of irregular development in Islamabad and directed the government to find a solution for regularizing these constructions. Later, Islamabad High Court in its judgment dated 9th July 2018 directed the government to form a commission to review the Islamabad Master Plan. Consequently, a commission was formed in August 2019 to review the master plan and give its recommendations1. The question arises, would another master plan revive Islamabad? We contextualize this discussion by delving into the history of the city.

This paper develops a conceptual framework for analysing property regimes in conservation of natu... more This paper develops a conceptual framework for analysing property regimes in conservation of natural resources. Human beings interaction with their environment is governed through institutions of property; therefore they play an important role in the conservation of natural resources. This paper uses concepts from the New Institutional Economics School of thought and from theories of property to develop normative criteria to assess property institutions in resource management.

Acknowledgements: This study is based on the author’s unpublished MA Thesis entitled “From Confli... more Acknowledgements: This study is based on the author’s unpublished MA Thesis entitled “From Conflict to Cooperation—The Need for a Change in the Institutional Set-up of Forest Management

This paper develops a conceptual framework for analysing property regimes in conservation of natu... more This paper develops a conceptual framework for analysing property regimes in conservation of natural resources. Human beings interaction with their environment is governed through institutions of property; therefore they play an important role in the conservation of natural resources. This paper uses concepts from the New Institutional Economics School of thought and from theories of property to develop normative criteria to assess property institutions in resource management.

The Pakistan Development Review, 2011

The mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, recently hit the headlines with his incisive comment, “A deve... more The mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, recently hit the headlines with his incisive comment, “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation.” This quip defines how policymakers around the world should look at the issue of urban transport, or rather sustainable urban transport. Rapid economic growth in the postwar period and high urbanisation combined with a greater need for mobility have escalated problems of congestion, noise and air pollution, and road accidents, necessitating a focus on the sustainability of urban transport. Pakistan finds itself at the crossroads where it has to balance the increasing demand for mobility with environmental concerns. This book by Muhammad Irfan is an opportune contribution.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018

This paper critically reviews Garrett Hardin's "The Tragedy of the Commons". Hardin's thesis abou... more This paper critically reviews Garrett Hardin's "The Tragedy of the Commons". Hardin's thesis about impossibility of collective action for achieving mutually beneficial outcomes in a group setting has divided scholarly community ever since its publication in 1968, while its most perennial object being the communal management of resources, which was banned on account of being inherently inefficient. This paper argues that much of the criticism against common property regimes stems from an incorrect modeling of a common property situation, and misunderstandings about the terms and their wrong usage. Specifically, models of collective action-in particular Hardin's tragedy of the Commons, but also Olson's Logic of Collective Action, and the Prisoner's Dilemma-that are used as critique against common property regimes are not based on an accurate depiction of reality and many of their assumptions are untrue. The purpose is to drive home the point that common property regimes are not inherently inferior types of regimes, and causes of success, and of failures, of these regimes lie elsewhere. Secondly, both public [and also private] management of natural resources has not had universal success. It is time to think out of the usual 'either public or private' dichotomy. Combining elements of both public and communal management in a pragmatic way is necessary. It is time to give co-management a serious thought.

We study the thermodynamic properties of an ideal gas of fermions in a harmonic oscillator confin... more We study the thermodynamic properties of an ideal gas of fermions in a harmonic oscillator confining potential. The analogy between this problem and the de Haasvan Alphen effect is discussed and used to obtain analytical results for the chemical potential and specific heat in the case of both isotropic and anisotropic potentials. Step-like behaviour in the chemical potential, first noted in numerical studies, is obtained analytically and shown to result in an oscillatory behaviour of the specific heat when the particle number is varied. The origin of these oscillations is that part of the thermodynamic potential responsible for the de Haas-van Alphen-type effect. At low temperatures we show analytically that there are significant deviations in the specific heat from the expected linear temperature dependence, again as a consequence of the de Haas-van Alphen part of the thermodynamic potential. Results are given for one, two, and three spatial dimensions. In the anisotropic case we show how the specific heat jumps as the ratio of oscillator frequencies varies.

PIDE Policy Viewpoint, 2020

In 2017, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu notice of irregular development in Islamabad... more In 2017, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu
notice of irregular development in Islamabad and
directed the government to find a solution for
regularizing these constructions. Later, Islamabad High Court in its judgment dated 9th July 2018 directed the government to form a commission to review the Islamabad Master Plan. Consequently, a commission was formed in August 2019 to review the master plan and give its recommendations1. The question arises, would another master plan revive Islamabad? We contextualize this discussion by delving into the history of the city.

PIDE Policy Brief, 2020

Like most Pakistani cities, Islamabad has a fragmented administration, weakening its revenue base... more Like most Pakistani cities, Islamabad has a fragmented administration, weakening its revenue base and service delivery.
This duality of the structure was introduced through the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015, which led to the creation of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) for the city’s governance, in line with the city management practiced around the world.1 The fragmented administration resulted in an MCI that is dependent on the CDA and Federal Government for its finances.

PIDE Macroeconomic Brief, 2020

Buffeted by back-to-back external shocks and internal challenges during the past couple of years,... more Buffeted by back-to-back external shocks
and internal challenges during the past couple of
years, Pakistan’s economy has begun to show
some signs of improvement: inflationary pressures
have eased; the current account balance has
improved significantly, and the fiscal deficit has
narrowed down to 5.2 percent of GDP, a decline
of about thirty percent in 2008-09. Despite these
signs of recovery, however, growth prospects for
2009-10 remain grim as the economy continues to
face serious challenges on both external and
domestic fronts. There is, therefore, a need to gear
macroeconomic policies towards consolidating
the nascent recovery while at the same time laying
the foundations of sustainable growth

Key Message - Research at PIDE, 2007

Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) conducts research on a variety of issues rangi... more Pakistan Institute of Development Economics
(PIDE) conducts research on a variety of issues ranging
from economic growth to macroeconomics, and from
poverty to demography. Whereas our research has
generated a number of messages, these remain confined to
research reports and journal archives that are accessible
only to the specialised research and academic communities.
More often than not, the messages tend to get obscured in
technical rigour that is inherent to any scientific inquiry.
This manuscript brings together and presents key messages
emanating from PIDE research on contemporary economic
issues in a concise, reader-friendly form. The objective of
this endeavour is to sensitise all sections of the civil society
to research outcomes with a view to stimulating further
discussion and debate on important development issues.
The research work is organised into eight themes, including
economic growth and development, macroeconomics, trade
and industry, labour economics, poverty issues, agricultural
economics, social and demographic issues, and governance.
A summary of key messages precedes the presentation of
the research sections of our focus here. We are thankful to
Ms. Saima Bashir, Staff Demographer, for her help in the
preparation of this document.

PIDE Working Paper 21, 2020

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a multi-dimensional development project that offers a ... more China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a multi-dimensional development project that offers a unique opportunity to Pakistan for equitable and sustainable development. This study investigates the potential of selected districts of Punjab alongside CPEC routes, based on six social and economic indicators to assess whether these districts are on an equal footing to capitalize upon such a mega-investment project. Results indicate wide disparities between the selected districts in terms of infrastructure and human capital, which are not captured by conventional indices of development. While developed districts can provide the necessary kick-start to CPEC. For the second phase of CPEC, the Punjab government must devise tailormade policies to suit the resource endowments of less developed districts.

The Pakistan Development Review

Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) and Lahore University of Management Sciences (... more Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) jointly organised a seminar to discuss issues pertaining to “Law and Economics” and “Public Choice”, and their relevance for the future growth prospects of Pakistan. Dr Nadeem Ul Haque, Director, PIDE, and Osama Siddique, Head, Department of Law and Policy, LUMS, highlighted the main issues in their welcome remarks, and raised some basic questions: Can Pakistan achieve its growth target of 10 percent under the current legal framework? Does our law support free enterprise? Can the dual target of growth and free enterprise development be realised under our existing constitution? Do we need to review and make amendments to it? The high point of the meeting was the coming together of eminent lawyers and economists (and social scientists) on one forum and approaching the problem from a multidisciplinary point of view. A healthy debate followed in which some of our distinguished particip...

Abstract This paper critically reviews Garrett Hardin’s “The Tragedy of the Commons”. Hardin’s th... more Abstract
This paper critically reviews Garrett Hardin’s “The Tragedy of the Commons”. Hardin’s thesis about impossibility of collective action for achieving mutually beneficial outcomes in a group setting has divided scholarly community ever since its publication in 1968, while its most perennial object being the communal management of resources, which was banned on account of being inherently inefficient. This paper argues that much of the criticism against common property regimes stems from an incorrect modeling of a common property situation, and misunderstandings about the terms and their wrong usage. Specifically, models of collective action - in particular Hardin’s tragedy of the Commons, but also Olson’s Logic of Collective Action, and the Prisoner’s Dilemma - that are used as critique against common property regimes are not based on an accurate depiction of reality and many of their assumptions are untrue. The purpose is to drive home the point that common property regimes are not inherently inferior types of regimes, and causes of success, and of failures, of these regimes lie elsewhere. Secondly, both public [and also private] management of natural resources has not had universal success. It is time to think out of the usual ‘either public or private’ dichotomy. Combining elements of both public and communal management in a pragmatic way is necessary. It is time to give co-management a serious thought.