The Islamic State (IS), al-Qaeda-linked groups, Boko Haram and other extremist movements are protagonists in today’s deadliest crises, complicating efforts to end them. They have exploited wars, state collapse and geopolitical upheaval in the Middle East, gained new footholds in Africa and pose an evolving threat elsewhere. Reversing their gains requires avoiding the mistakes that...

This paper reports empirical evidence, which shows that institutional configurations form an important factor in mediating and articulating the relationship between religion, state and society in Muslim countries. The findings are that trust in religious institutions and their public influence are greater in Muslim countries with differentiated institutional configurations.

Pakistan is a country much in focus today. This is not just because of the myriad challenges it confronts. It is also because of its immense potential. A nuclear armed nation, with an overwhelming Muslim majority population, it is often in the news, but, alas, almost always for the wrong reasons. With an area of...

This paper has two overarching concerns, namely, examining the performance of the national and state governments in advancing social and economic development of socio-religious communities in India; and identifying the institutions and policies necessary for the government to ensure the constitutional right of all Indian citizens to equal opportunity, especially its minorities. Towards this end...

In this essay I will concentrate on economics, my discipline and the one that I have practised not only in Pakistan but in four dozen countries around the world. However, I have learned from this experience that economics should not be separated from other social sciences. In order to fully understand where a country has...