How rich are the Pakistani rich? – The Express Tribune

How rich are the Pakistani rich? – The Express Tribune: "How rich are the Pakistani rich? Incredibly so, or just what is expected in a country that has income distribution more skewed than is normal for a country at its stage of development? The questions are important since the answers to them matter for the making of public economic policy. The answers will also affect the course of political development. Some of those who are watching the explosion in the Arab streets realise that relative deprivation — a concept developed by political economists many decades ago — is playing a role in turning millions of people against the regimes that have governed them for so long. Growing income disparity and widening consumption gaps are often the source of great political alienation. The political and economic systems that give rise to them come under pressure and may — and sometimes do — collapse under the weight of political discontent. This is what we are seeing in the Middle East."