- Name:
- Mr Sarajuddin Isar
- Email address:
- 270469@soas.ac.uk
- Thesis title:
- Taxation and state-building in Afghanistan, a political economy framework
- Year of Study:
- Year of Entry 2011
- Website:
- http://msafropolitan.academia.edu/SarajuddinIsar
Internal Supervisors
Biography
Sarajuddin Isar is a political economy researcher with extensive overseas’ experience in banking, finance and international development. He is currently working as a Compliance Officer with a financial firm in London. He is also a part-time editor/writer with Simorg Quarterly (an Afghan diaspora publication) as well as a casual presenter and analyst with BBC Persian. He is a writer and debater on economics, politics and development policy issues and has worked in key roles in a series of organizations including the Central Bank of Afghanistan, United States Agency for International Development/BearingPoint, United Nations World Food Programme and international charities such as the Catholic Relief Services, Acted, Afghanaid and Oxfam. He has also taught economics and tutored community members in a range of different language class settings in Afghanistan and in the UK.
PhD Research
The research studies the fiscal dimension of state building with particular focus on taxation's role in state building in Afghanistan. It discusses the evolution of taxation and fiscal policies historically and today which lies in the linkages and interactions between external resources/influence, rent extraction, state coercive capacity and the nature of the political settlement.
Publications
Academic Papers
- 2012, Account for the relative success of economic reform of the centrally planned economy in China from 1978-1993, MA dissertation, University of Manchester
- 2012, Was the highly indebted poor country initiative (HIPC) a success? Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 9, Iss. 1, Pp. 107 - 122
Books
- 2010, Account for the relative success of economic reform of the centrally planned economy in China from 1978–1993, unpublished
- 2009, The golden age of banking in Afghanistan from 2002–2009 (Dari), Kabul, unpublished
- 2005, Qamoos-e-Sukhan, published collection of thoughts on sociology, philosophy, culture and economy, published, Takanak Publishing, Kabul
Media Stories
- The New Londoner (2012), Afghans get together, p.16–17
- Huffintonpost (2012), The booming cost of Afghan marriages, another terrorism on the way, London
- Huffintonpost (2012), Once century dependence, a dark past and a cloudy future, London
- Simorg (2012), To a brighter future
- Khorasanzameen (2012) From dark caves to red carpets
- BBC Persian (2012), Barriers to reaching the hidden treasure of Afghanistan, (Dari)
- BBC Persian (2012), Gemstones, the buried asset of Afghanistan, (Dari)
- Kabulnath (2012), Tokyo conference, two faces in one image, Kabul
- Kabulnath (2012), TAPI: The opportunity to not lose, (Dari, English version is available in Simorg)
- Kabulnath and Simorg (2012), The flight of capital, (Dari), London
- BBC Persian (2011), Don’t forget the Afghan economy in Bonn, (Dari)
Affiliations
- Member of Paiwand's Board of Trustees (an Afghan based charity in London)
- Advisory Board Member for Transitions (a British charity helping professional refugees into employment)