Achieving high production with limited resources is a major challenge faced by poultry farmers in countries with developing economies, such as Pakistan. Optimization of the technical efficiency (TE) of poultry business operations is a promising strategy. A representative sample of 210 poultry farms in the province of Punjab in Pakistan was analyzed for TE. The studied sample comprised 105 layer chicken farms (battery cage system, egg production) and 105 broiler chicken farms (environmental control shed system, meat production). A Cobb–Douglas stochastic frontier production analysis approach with the inefficiency effect model was used to simultaneously estimate TE levels and identify factors that influence efficiency. The results indicated that flock size, labor, feed, and water consumption are positively related to egg production, whereas vaccination was found to be insignificant. For broiler businesses, flock size, feed, and water consumption were positively related to the output, whereas labor and vaccination were found to be insignificant. The results of the TE inefficiency effect model revealed that farmer age, education, experience, access to credit, and access to extension services all had a significant and positive influence on the technical efficiency of both layer and broiler farmers. The estimated mean TE level of layer and broiler poultry farmers was 89% and 92%, respectively, evaluated against the benchmark of the identified frontier of efficient production with prevailing systems. The study concludes that it is possible to increase egg production by 11% and meat production by 8% by making more efficient use of the available resources and technology. To improve poultry farmers’ efficiency, policy interventions should focus more on the pronounced effects of variables such as education, farmer experience, credit access, and extension services.

Export is the backbone of healthy economies and Pakistan is the emerging economies of the South Asian region. This study examines the impact of the exchange rate on Pakistani exports using time series data from the period 1980 to 2018. Secondary data are taken from the central bank (State Bank of Pakistan) and WDI (World Development Indicators). Unit root and Phillips Peron test were used to check the stationarity of the variables while the ARDL model was applied to verify the relations between variables. The findings of the study demonstrated that the exchange rate has negative and insignificant relations with Pakistani exports. Exchange rate appreciation hurts the trade balance of Pakistan. The policy implication based on our findings is that heavy fluctuations in the exchange rate have limited importance, The trade balance is always a deficit in Pakistan because our exports are the primary product due to this market price charges are low. It indicates that only the exchange rate is not a fruitful option to boost the trade balance.

Background: Pakistan has challenges in fulfilling its universal responsibilities of providing better health facilities to everyone. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates. Despite declines in mother and child death, the total mortality ratio has marginally increased. However, neonatal death has not decreased significantly. Family planning is important for controlling population growth and improving child as well as maternal health. Pakistan’s government has unceasingly tried to enhance the provision of contraceptive facilities, but still, an unmet need for family planning (UMNFP) exists in our country. Women are said to have UMNFP if they want to limit or space childbearing, but they are not using contraception methods for any reason. The study aimed to explore the effect of the UMNFP and to investigate the moderating role of a mother’s education and employment status on a child’s health. Methods: We analyzed the data of 2,244 women in this study. To investigate the study objectives, we utilized the secondary dataset of the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2017–18 (publicly available on the website of the National Institute of Population Studies) and applied binary logistic regression using SPSS 24. Results: Results suggest a positive effect of a woman’s age (25 to 39 years), maternal education (higher), father’s education (higher), family’s wealth status (richest), mass media exposure, and adequate birth spacing (at least for 33 months) on a child’s health. On the other hand, there is an indirect association between maternal employment, unmet need for family planning, and a child’s health. The moderating role of maternal education and employment on the relationship between household wealth status and a child’s health is positive. Conclusions: We conclude that the strong predictors of child health are UMNFP, maternal education, and employment. The link between the met need for family planning and the child’s health is positive. The moderating effect of maternal education and household wealth status on a child’s health is progressive. Similarly, the interaction effect of a mother’s employment and household wealth status on a child’s health is positive. Finally, we concluded that the link between the health of the child and household wealth status is much more diverse and positive when the mother is highly educated and currently employed.

Strengthening healthcare system increases the productivity of healthcare spending. To evaluate changes in cost productivity over a five year period (2011- 2015) in 55 OIC’s member states. The cost Malmquist productivity index and bootstrap truncated regression are applied to estimate the dynamics of the cost productivity and its determinants in the healthcare system of OIC’s member states. Life expectancy and under 5 child survival rate are used as outputs while doctors, nurses, mid wives and beds per thousand population are used as inputs. Public health expenditure is used as input price for measuring allocative efficiency change. The results of the study indicate that the cost productivity increases by 7.9% and the classical technical productivity grows by 8.9%. The increase in the cost productivity is mainly driven by an increase in allocative efficiency and technological change. All the determinants except population growth rate of cost productivity are found significant. Literacy rate and Per Capita GDP have come up the main driver of cost productivity growth. The study concludes that the impact of population growth on the overall shifts in the health production frontier is not significant.

This study examines the relationship between economic growth and the expansion of education in Pakistan. The study utilizes 2SLS and GMM estimators to estimate the growth equations with a potential issue of endogeneity using data for the period 1973-2018. Empirical results show that educational expansion at the primary and secondary level effect economic growth positively. The evidence is quite compelling that the effect of educational expansion on economic growth is low due to the poor quality of education. Also, the lower effect of physical capital is due to lower human capital embodied in the labor force. Keywords: human capital; economic growth; GMM; Endogeneity; Pakistan. JEL Classification: O47, I21, C26