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Estimating the Middle Class in Pakistan

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  • Durr-e-Nayab

    (Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad.)

Abstract

The concept ‘middle class’ is one of the most commonly used terms in the social sciences, including economics, sociology and political science. Despite its frequent use there is, however, no consensus on what the term exactly implies and its meaning remains ambiguous depending primarily on the context in which it is used. It is viewed as the class that is between, and separates, the lower and the upper classes, that is the rich and the poor, but there is no agreement on the exact boundaries that separates them. Most of the definitions and measurements of the middle class continue to be somewhat arbitrary and vague.

Suggested Citation

  • Durr-e-Nayab, 2011. "Estimating the Middle Class in Pakistan," PIDE-Working Papers 2011:77, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:pid:wpaper:2011:77
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Pakistan’s Middle-Class Rage Against Military Rule
      by Adeel Malik in Project Syndicate on 2024-02-14 16:05:43

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification
    • R20 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - General
    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics

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