Tattered but hardly unfixable

Countries like Pakistan have often fared poorly in the Global Competitiveness Report

For countries like Pakistan that have often fared poorly in the Global Competitiveness Report, the measurement has hardly ever been seen as anything else but a badge of shame. The World Economic Forum’s listing is nevertheless quite handy on several counts as it tells us, for instance, where Pakistan stands in direct comparison to other countries and whether it has the wherewithal to compete together with what exactly it is required to do. And yes we have to pull up our socks in a number of areas. While the report does grab headlines the world over and generates mild to moderate academic interest as well it must be remembered that until the six or seven decades, macro-competitiveness was treated as a minor issue and thus largely ignored even in academic circles.

But by and by the mist of skepticism around competitiveness as a reliable or even suitable tool for measurement has lifted. In today’s world the issue of competitiveness is less incongruous and not merely limited to the level of enterprises where it represents capability to create, produce, sale and service its product or its commercial services. Governments are tempted to treat it as a dangerous obsession bit need not be one.

Although overall Pakistan has slipped to 107^th place, a step lower in this year’s index out of the 140 countries ranked, there are very few indicators that also underscore the potential of the country. For instance, the country is ranked 31^st for its sheer market size and 56^th for business dynamism — perhaps the only bright spots in a sea of gloom judging from how we measure up against the rest of the world in macroeconomic stability: health, institutions and skills. There are sufficient lessons though for both the government and people provided they are willing to change their habits and adjust more closely and adeptly to the demands of reform. Apart from working harder on building on our strong pillars it is equally important to address our weak spots. Greater help is needed from the business community to work with the government to fix the holes in our system.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2018.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.