Abstract
This is part-II of our study on population and poverty in Pakistan. The purpose
of this study was to empirically test the population and poverty connection in the
case of Pakistan and recommend policy options. The connection was discussed
in part-I of this paper (Sajid, Ahmed, and Khattak, 2014). This paper conducts a
regional comparison of population and poverty of South Asia from Pakistan’s
perspective. Many researchers have extensively debated over population and its
links to poverty and development. Some argid for a positive association between
the two while others found a negative association. In the case of Pakistan,
population is usually presented as a menace, a root cause of many a social
problems including poverty and under development. However, in part-I of this
study (Sajid, Ahmed, and Khattak, 2014), the case studies found that for a rural
family, increased number of family members has never caused the problem of
poverty. In this paper, we present the comparison of Pakistan and other
countries in the region with respect to population indicators and poverty. This
paper is based on secondary data. It utilizes the time-series data of past thirty
years. The data has been obtained from UNDP’s Human Development Statistics
being published in Human Development Reports. Further, the data from the
Ministry of Population, Pakistan has also been utilized. The data from 1990 to
2010 has been analyzed using comparative analysis methods. We conclude that
fertility control policy in the past has failed to a large extent. We recommend
investment in education (technical), availability of health services including
reproductive health services, rural development and all aspects of human
resources development as a more practical solution to poverty in Pakistan.
Shakeel Ahmed, Imran Ahmed Sajjid. (2017) Population Poverty Connections In South Asia: Implications For Policy Makers In Pakistan, Putaj Humanities And Social Science, Volume-24, Issue-1.
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