Climate change causes severe damage to the most socio-economically exposed communities. South Asia is home to almost 40% of the worlds poorest, and therefore faces a double conundrum. Countries in the region must not only support their populations from negotiating the swift socio-economic changes that have come to characterize their economies, but must also make [...]
March 20, 2013
Without a doubt, rural-to-urban migration is a symptom of the larger problem of scarce opportunity. Though South Asian countries largely qualify as “rural” and are dominated by agrarian economies, the modern age has made way for limited growth and development in villages. This fact is no more apparent than when one surveys the cityscapes of [...]
February 26, 2013
Many countries face a dead-end in terms of resources, natural or otherwise, due to an unprecedented population growth rate. In recent decades, Pakistan seems to be getting closer to this end. In 1947 when Pakistan was born, its population was recorded at 32 million. Today, 66 years later, the country’s population has risen to approximately [...]
February 26, 2013
Despite a sustained period of high economic growth and significant expenditure on the social sector — nearly 19% of total central government expenditure in 2011-2012 — India today is faced with a multipart development conundrum. Even the most conservative estimates on poverty reveal staggering figures: the Tendulkar Committee, whose report was accepted by the Planning [...]
February 26, 2013
The second Millennium Development Goal (MDG), to achieve universal primary education, has forced countries around the world to the refocus their national education agendas. During the 2010 UN Summit in New York, it was presented that more than 25%, or 18 million, of the estimated 69 million children worldwide not in school are from South [...]
February 26, 2013
For decades now, the proliferation of urban slums across South Asia has inspired dialogue and debate around granting property rights to slum-dwellers. It is a controversial issue. Migrants move to cities like Mumbai, Karachi, Dhaka and Kathmandu seeking better fortunes for themselves and their families, but the price of such a move is to settle [...]
May 20, 2013
0