KARACHI: In the late 1990s, a group of researchers and academics decided to look at the state of social sciences in Pakistan, at a time when the internet was not considered the bane of many academics` existence. And so began the first-hand account of S. Akbar Zaidi`s journey at a lecture titled `Still dismal one decade later? Social science in Pakistan since 2002` held at the Alliance Française on Thursday.

Mr Zaidi, who is a political economist, published writer and adjunct professor at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, shared how `in the 1980s there was a wave of academics doing excellent research in Pakistan. However, towards 2000 there was a sense of decay and decline in public-sector institutions, with economists dominating the field of social scientists.

There was no formal community of scholars and only individuals happened to be doing academic research. Many socialscientists, particularly economists, were abandoning the endeavour altogether to join foreign organisations, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and it was this dearth, according to Mr Zaidi, due to which the social sciences have suffered considerably in Pakistan.

More than a decade since his initial observations, Mr Zaidi confidently expressed the belief that, `keeping certain qualifications in mind, there has been a boom in the social sciences in Pakistan`.

And in the span of his talk, he aimed to discuss and explore the social and politicalreasons that have propelled this particular change.

`From among the many reasons, one has been the role of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan. Though there are a lot of people who do not like the HEC, I think there is a need to analyse what it has accomplished in the matter of higher education.

He described the large number of public-sector faculty members sent abroad bythe HEC to study at the PhD level as a significant intervention. Although acknowledging the view of critics that many were sent without any rhyme or reason, he added that many who returned did positively contribute towards higher education in Pakistan.

Another reason he elaborated on was the growth in private universities with a targeted focus on social sciences. `Be it Habib University, the IBA, LUMS, LSE, or even smaller government colleges, the increase of universities around the country suggests an interest in higher education,` he said. All these institutes have popular social science departments, which is a clear indication of a rising demand among people to pursue alternative fields of study.

Mr Zaidi also credits the return of second generation Pakistanis from the West for the rising interest in social sciences.

They have opted to join private-sector universities in Pakistan and are now teaching there, actively involved in research too. Adding to them is the large number of social scientists who hadmoved away, but after retirement have decided to either join academic institutions or set up think tanks for academic research.

He also picked up on one of the most prominent debates about whether consulting, working for donors and NGOs constitutes as social science research. `In my opinion, this type of consulting is not social science research,` he said.

`This was an old problem which has become a new problem too. A lot of very well-qualified Pakistani social scientists dedicated their entire lives to malcing a lot of money in consulting and as a result, academic research has suffered greatly, he added.

This trend of consultancy has also allowed a repetition in topics of research, and that too of a very non-academic kind.

Also, according to Mr Zaidi, as most of such research is for private individuals or institutions, they are not available in the public domain and as a result have become `knowledge lost`.

Mr Zaidi also lamented the `dumbing down of debate through social media asTwitter and Facebook have taken the place of academic journals.

Throughout the talk, Mr Zaidi stressed the fact that his findings were hypotheses and emphasised the need to study his findings in a more empirical manner and then present the results. `I am now trying to look at the hard numbers and see if the hypotheses I have presented have substance to them. I am hoping in the next few years I am able to give evidence to back my claims.

He also spoke about the much greater freedom of thought and expression the country experienced in the 1990s as compared to today. According to him, this freedom is necessary for academics.

`Unfortunately, the present environment in Pakistan is not conducive to academic research.

The way forward, according to Mr Zaidi, is to develop a large volume of scholars and scholarship, and provide them with a public space in their academic endeavours; then only can we come closer to understanding where the social sciences in Pakistan stand.