Open AccessConditions of Teaching and Research in Economics: Some Preliminary Findings
Author(s) -
Sobia Naseem,
Sabeen Qureshi,
Rehana Seddiqui
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
pakistan development review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.154
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 0030-9729
DOI - 10.30541/v37i4iipp.453-478
Subject(s) - disadvantage , competition (biology) , economics , gainful employment , economics education , higher education , private sector , public economics , economic growth , political science , job satisfaction , management , ecology , job attitude , job performance , law , biology
This paper reports onthe preliminary findings of a studyinitiated two years ago, at the initiative of the P.LD.E. to review theproblems of teaching and research in economics and related subjects(ERS)! during the last two decades. The need for such a study has beenfelt for some time not only because of the common perception ofdeclining standards in higher education generally and, economics, inparticular, but also from the perceived competition economics has facedfrom other disciplines, especially business studies and computer scienceas a passport to the job market. After having enjoyed a relativelyrobust period of growth in the 1960s largely through the assistance offoreign donors such as the Ford Foundation, ERS in Pakistan havesuffered in their development not only from the comparative paucity ofresources allocated to them, but also as a result of an adverse changein the perceptions about the primacy of their usefulness for policypurposes. The demand for economics has also suffered some decline as aresult of the diminished importance of the public sector and of planneddevelopment during the last two decades. While special branches ofeconomics, such as finance, project evaluation, transport and energyeconomics have shown increased demand, mainly in the private sector ordonor-related institutions, the demand for general economic analysts isnot as strong as in the past and does not provide many gainfulopportunities for professional advancement. Due to the continueddisadvantage in terms of salaries and other rewards, the academicprofession, remains unattractive.