Research Associate
Zahra Niazi is a Research Associate at the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS), Islamabad, Pakistan. Her research interests span Sustainable Development, Peace and Development, and Development Economics. She has contributed to high-impact journals, including in the Environment, Development and Sustainability. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies, with a specialisation in Peace, Conflict, and Development, from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan.
The past few months were relatively calm for global commodity markets, allowing central banks to lower inflation targets and pivot to looser monetary policies. However, what many may not have factored into their calculations is this
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The outgoing Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 was a transitional period for Pakistan’s economy. According to the Finance Division’s monthly ‘Economic Update and Outlook July 2024’, progress was observed across multiple domains, setting the basis
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The United States Dollar (USD) has long enjoyed the ‘exorbitant privilege’ of being at the centre of the international financial and trade system, serving as the dominant currency for holding financial assets and facilitating cross-border payments. The dollar-based international payment system has three major components:
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Daniel McDowell’s book Bucking the Buck: US Financial Sanctions and the International Backlash against the Dollar is a notable addition to the literature on the de-dollarisation trend and its underlying motives. In it, McDowell critically analyses the influence of the overuse of economic sanctions by the United States (US)
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A shift towards solar power use has been taking place across Pakistan recently, as declining prices of solar panels, coupled with frequent hikes in electricity tariffs, have galvanised end-consumers to embrace solar solutions. However, this rapid pace of solarisation has sparked concerns within some policy-making circles. Speculations regarding policy changes affecting solar photovoltaic (PV) participants
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On 12th June, Pakistan’s coalition government unveiled the proposed budget for the fiscal year starting 1st July with a total outlay of PKR 18.9 trillion, representing an almost 25% jump from the outgoing year’s revised expenditure estimates. As always, the upcoming fiscal year’s budget had different meanings for different stakeholders
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All views and opinions expressed or implied are those of the authors/speakers/internal and external scholars and should not be construed as carrying the official sanction of CASS.