The Rediscovery of Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie: An Analysis from New Historicist, Historical Reception and Feminist Perspectives
A social documentary of Dreiser's milieu and own life, Sister Carrie (1900) portrays American women from multiple angles. As a genuine criticism of debased American values, the text describes women's social, personal, sexual, marital, and economic sides of contemporary American women through Carrie. Having a poor critical reception in the 1910s, the novel was rediscovered worldwide with new vigor since the mid-20th-century for its potent feminist message. Like in other countries, its importance has been felt Pakistani academia, where it is psychologically preparing the emerging woman for the forthcoming SocialDarwinist challenges. This study rediscovers Sister Carrie through the lenses of New Historicism, Historical Reception, and Feminism: why Dreiser wrote it; how the public/critics received it; how it contributed a change to the women's position; and how it could strengthen women's role in Pakistan.
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Rediscovery, Feminism, Social-Darwinism, Dreiser, Pakistani
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(1) Imran Ali
Assistant Professor, Department of English, Fatima Jinnah Women University The Mall, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.
(2) Bahramand Shah
Assistant Professor, American Literature, Area Study Center, Quaidii-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Development and Federalism: Responses of Federating Units Over CPEC
CPEC is deeply interconnected with federal structural in Pakistan. There is a difference of opinion amongst the scholars and policy makers regarding the impact of CPEC on federalism in Pakistan. This paper is an attempt to analyze liberal framework of federation and its connection with neoliberal development project of CPEC. In neoliberal framework, the decentralization and distribution of resources amongst the federating units and sub-national identities seems complex puzzle. The dominant forces amongst federating units joined same elite class for the protection of their own interest. This elite concentration and bargain model is reciprocal to the fundamental idea of federation. This paper demonstrates that CPEC is sharpening the unevenness amongst the federating units and sub-national identities.
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Federalism, CPEC, Development, Pakistan, Neoliberalism
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(1) Muhammad Shakeel Ahmad
Assistant Professor, Centre for Policy Studies, COMSATS University-Islamabad. He worked as Post-Doctoral Fellow, School of Politics and International Relations, The University of Nottingham United Kin
Emotional Intelligence (EI) Impact on Organizational Learning Capacity (OLC): A Case of Moderating Role of Individual Innovation and Education Sector of Pakistan
The study was based on the investigation and validation of the association between the most emerging traits of human capital in the organizations i.e. Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Organizational Learning Capacity (OLC) and further testing the moderating role of Individual Innovation among the faculty and staff of Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) in Pakistan. The results show that EI has a significant contribution towards the OLC and when measured together with the trait of Individual Innovation the results significantly improved which suggest that individual innovation positively and significantly affect the relationship between EI and OLC. The study has implication for policymakers for the enhancement of EI traits in their employees and also for the individuals to focus and improve the value of EI in their personality to gain the benefits of their innovation and organizational learning capacity.
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Emotional Intelligence, Organizational Learning Capacity, Individual Innovational, Education Sector of Pakistan
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(1) Saqib Anwar Siddiqui
Ph.D. Scholar, National Defence University, Department of Learning Management System, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Muhammad Zia -ur- Rehman
Assistant Professor, Department of Leadership and Management Studies,National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Policy Considerations for Designing Effective Anti-Corruption Strategies in Pakistan
This article focuses on analyzing essential ingredients to initiate and sustain a successful anticorruption strategy. The basic objective of this policy paper is to recommend a set of policies based on the lessons drawn from the success of anti-corruption strategies in other countries. Taking Pakistan as the test-bed, it relates to the design, initiation, and pursuit of anti-corruption activities. The article elaborates a six-step anti-corruption strategy suggesting that to eradicate corruption effectively, the country must initiate these preconditions. It should: (1) restore the public confidence by showing political will to fight corruption; (2) restructure its main anti-corruption agency; (3) establish an anti-corruption inter-agency coordinating board; (4) reform the police, (5) initiate programs and curriculum for anti-corruption awareness; (6) establish a watchdog from the civil society with an advisory role. The strategies suggested in this article are based on the successes of anti-corruption agencies in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Georgia.
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Anti-Corruption, Accountability, Corruption Strategies, Developing Nations, Pakistan
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(1) Saranjam Muhammad Baig
Assistant Professor,Department of Political Science,Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat Oman.
The Impact of Merger and Acquisition on Bank Performance: A Case of Pakistani Banking Sector
Merger and acquisition is the strategy used by banks to expand its development process. In the current study operating and market performance has been assessed of the Banks exercised the M&A by taking the data from 2005-17. The main focus of the study is to evaluate the Banks performance using data collected from nine banks gone through the merger and acquisition strategy with the help of ordinary least square model. The results show significant relationship operating performance but insignificant relation with market performance. Findings provided an opportunity for the Banks to study and utilize the M&A strategy for capturing market share and further development in the competitive market. Furthermore, a glimpse for potential investors has been provided who want to create a profitable portfolio according to market concentration. The implications demands that proper improvement should be considered for the mechanism and regulatory policies to ensure the security of Banks.
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Return on Assets, Merger and Acquisition, Pakistan Stock Exchange, Banks, Operating Performance, Market Performance.
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(1) Muttalib
MS Management Sciences, Institute of Business Studies and Leadership, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
(2) Muhammad Faizan Malik
Assistant Professor, Institute of Business Studies and Leadership, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
(3) Shehzad khan
Assistant Professor, Institute of Business Studies and Leadership, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
Political Economy of Development: A Study of CPEC
Development' is a political project which is based on a principle of reducing inequalities and poverty. It is a centuries-old concept that is deeply rooted in the history of economic thoughts.From the age of mercantilism to the liberal and neoliberal context, the nature of development has changed drastically. From 1945 to the 1970s, there was a popular liberal model of development under the slogans of 'rightto development. The liberal nature of development tuned into conservatively camouflaged neoliberal development in the 1980s protected by the world bank structural adjustment program. In neoliberal development facade, the development process is emptied from welfarist.Development without welfare and development for underdevelopment are the main characteristics of neoliberal development. This paper is an exploration of the political economy of development, which means development to whom? Through a qualitative approach, it is found that neoliberal forces benefited from CPEC developmental project. The political economy of CPEC is a complex phenomenon that is linked with development, investment, technology, and human resources.
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Political Economy, Development, CPEC, China, Pakistan
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(1) Muhammad Shakeel Ahmad
Assistant Professor, Centre for Policy Studies, COMSATS University-Islamabad, Pakistan/Post-Doctoral Fellow, School of Politics and International Relations, The University of Nottingham United Kingdom
CPEC and Politics of Infrastructural Development
China-Pakistan's economic corridor provides a strategic link to Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) and its global outreach. The infrastructural connectivity between China and Pakistan is primarily focused on the trade route to get access in the markets of theMiddle East, Europe, and Africa. In the context of CPEC,what does infrastructure mean? What does it reflect/represent? And to whom is it? Are the major questions that have been explored in this paper.Infrastructural development encompasses a holistic social sphere that relates to physical and institutional structures. It also facilitates the flow of commodities, including capita land sources of production. After the 9/11 incident, Pakistan became a front line state against the war on terror; then, its internal and external factors compelled Pakistan towards Chinese-led infrastructural development to consolidate State power. This paper is an attempt to explore the politics of infrastructure development in the context of CPEC. The findings are based on empirical evidence with strong insights from a theoretical framework. Positivist, post positivist, and critical approaches have been used to explore the relationship between CPEC and the politics of infrastructural development.
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Infrastructure, CPEC, BRI, Pakistan, China
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(1) Muhammad Shakeel Ahmad
Assistant Professor, Centre for Policy Studies, COMSATS Institute of Information TechnologyIslamabad, Pakistan
01 Pages : 1-16
http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2018(III-IV).01 10.31703/gssr.2018(III-IV).01 Published : Dec 2018Nation-Building in the Developing States: A Case Study of Pakistan
This research concerns the process of nation-building in developing states with a focus on Pakistan. The study explores hurdles in the process of nation-building in Pakistan. In this connection, the study takes into account key political disparities such as uneven representation of various ethnic groups and regions in legislature and provincial assemblies, state-led cosmetic political reforms and feudalism and biradri-based political system that exist in various administrative units (and their tiers) of the state. The study also highlights the major administrative flaws and demographic shifts and divisions that are hampering the process of nation-building in Pakistan. The research also details the economic disparities found in various forms and at various levels in the state which minimize the prospects of nation-building in Pakistan. The study concludes that nation-building is always a state-controlled process and Pakistan has hardly addressed various hindrances in nation-building process such as political, demographic, administrative and economic issues of the various administrative units (and their tiers) as a state.
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Nation-building, State-building, Demographic, Pakistan, Administrative Flaws.
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(1) Husnul Amin
Executive Director,Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue,International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Maryam Siddiqa
Lecturer, Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(3) Lubna Batool
Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan.
Food Price Subsidy and its Effects on Poverty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
We estimate the effect of food price subsidy on poverty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan in this paper. The study uses Linear Approximate Almost Ideal Demand System for the estimation of compensated and uncompensated price and expenditure elasticities of food using Household Integrated Economic Survey. The estimated own and cross price Hicksian elasticities are used for estimating the changes in the quantity of food consumed, expenditure on food and its effect on poverty. The study uses two recent available poverty lines for estimation, showing that the scheme of food price subsidy increase real income of the households which has a decreased poverty state. The analysis shows that the subsidy program marginally decreases poverty in the province. The study recommends targeted food price subsidy for poverty alleviation and eradicating chronic hunger.
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Food subsidy, poverty, LA-AIDS, Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
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(1) Sajjad
PhD Scholar, Department of Economics, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
(2) Zahoor Ul Haq
Professor and Dean, Department of Economics, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan.
(3) Zia Ullah
Assistant Professor, Tourism and Hospitality, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP,Pakistan.
Government Sector Performance of Pakistan, South Asia and 34 OED Countries-International Policy Issues in the Contemporary World
The paper focuses on the various aspects especially as globally accepted fact is that social and key economic indicators are influenced by the government activities. Public Sector Performance and efficiency reflect government priorities. The paper evaluates the public sector performance of Pakistan by calculating the Public Sector Performance Index based on seven indicators and these seven indicators are further classified into two broad groups. Many international studies have carried out the performance evaluation of public sectors of industrialized countries missing the public sector performance of Pakistan with other countries. With the aim, Public Sector Performance of Pakistan was compared with countries of South Asia and some developed countries. The research analyzes the public sector performance indicators of countries to calculate the overall performance. The paper aims to compare public sector performance of Pakistan with South Asian Countries and members of Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which currently includes 34 Countries.
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Performance Indicator, Public Sector, Performance Evaluation, OECD, Pakistan
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(1) Muhammad Zia Ur Rehman
Assistant Professor, Department of Leadership and Management Studies, National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Ahsan Rafiq
Research Scholar, Department of Leadership and Management Sciences, National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(3) Waseem Ishaque
Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan.