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By Nicholas Kristof
I sometimes wonder if what Pakistan doesnt really need is a good dose of land reform to break up feudal power. The extraordinary inequities in Pakistan seem not only unjust but also an impediment to both economic growth and national consensus.
For those who havent been to Pakistan, you should know that in remote areas you periodically run into vast estates comparable to medieval Europe in which the landowner runs the town, perhaps operates a private prison in which enemies are placed, and sometimes pretty much enslaves local people through debt bondage, generation after generation. This feudal elite has migrated into politics, where it exerts huge influence. And just as the heartlessness of feudal and capitalist barons in the 19th century created space for Communists, so in Pakistan this same lack of compassion for ordinary people seems to create space for Islamic extremists. There are other answers, of course, such as education, civil society, and the lawyers movement. But I wonder if land reform wouldnt be a big help.
Dwight Perkins, the great Harvard economist of development, argued that a crucial factor in the rise of East Asia was the land reform and division in countries like Japan and South Korea after World War II, creating a more equal society. (In Japan, this was done under U.S. auspices: we were much more socialist outside our country than in it.) Likewise, India had its own land reform in 1953, but Pakistan was left out.
Ive often focused on education as the greatest need for Pakistan, but even there the feudal structure is replicated. There are first-rate schools in English for the elite, second-rate schools for the strivers, and execrable schools for the masses. At the bad schools, teachers dont even bother to show up. This highly stratified system tends to perpetuate an ossified economic and social structure, and creates less room for the country to innovate and build or use human capital.
But Im a novice here. Those of you who know Pakistan much better than I what do you think? Is the feudal land structure a major part of the problem? And if so, is it so entrenched that its not even worth dreaming of land reform? Is it more feasible to chip away at the feudal structure by broadening education? Im all ears. Let me know what you think.
Feudalism in Pakistan - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com
I sometimes wonder if what Pakistan doesnt really need is a good dose of land reform to break up feudal power. The extraordinary inequities in Pakistan seem not only unjust but also an impediment to both economic growth and national consensus.
For those who havent been to Pakistan, you should know that in remote areas you periodically run into vast estates comparable to medieval Europe in which the landowner runs the town, perhaps operates a private prison in which enemies are placed, and sometimes pretty much enslaves local people through debt bondage, generation after generation. This feudal elite has migrated into politics, where it exerts huge influence. And just as the heartlessness of feudal and capitalist barons in the 19th century created space for Communists, so in Pakistan this same lack of compassion for ordinary people seems to create space for Islamic extremists. There are other answers, of course, such as education, civil society, and the lawyers movement. But I wonder if land reform wouldnt be a big help.
Dwight Perkins, the great Harvard economist of development, argued that a crucial factor in the rise of East Asia was the land reform and division in countries like Japan and South Korea after World War II, creating a more equal society. (In Japan, this was done under U.S. auspices: we were much more socialist outside our country than in it.) Likewise, India had its own land reform in 1953, but Pakistan was left out.
Ive often focused on education as the greatest need for Pakistan, but even there the feudal structure is replicated. There are first-rate schools in English for the elite, second-rate schools for the strivers, and execrable schools for the masses. At the bad schools, teachers dont even bother to show up. This highly stratified system tends to perpetuate an ossified economic and social structure, and creates less room for the country to innovate and build or use human capital.
But Im a novice here. Those of you who know Pakistan much better than I what do you think? Is the feudal land structure a major part of the problem? And if so, is it so entrenched that its not even worth dreaming of land reform? Is it more feasible to chip away at the feudal structure by broadening education? Im all ears. Let me know what you think.
Feudalism in Pakistan - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com
