DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

         The Department of Cooperation and Credit (renamed as Development Economics) was established in 1961 in the Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology. The department in the university over the years trained manpower and conducted research in line with the concerned objective of agricultural development. The department did a commendable job in producing over 100 M.Sc, students, alongwith the workable models of cooperatives and the methodology for credit disbursement and its use for maximum efficiency were developed. These methodologies have worked well when adopted by the Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan and other Commercial Banks and the Department of Cooperatives, for practical purposes for advancing loans and organising associations of rural communities for collective action participatory programmes of development. Moreover the department has completed 17 research

projects and published numerous papers in journals of repute.

        The research conducted has been published in the form of Memographs and research reports, on diverse issues i.e. Cooperatives, Agricultural Finance, Income distribution, Development Issues and Rural community Organization.

Recently the Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology has completed its reorganization and the Department of Development Economics has been established by renaming the existing Department of Cooperation and Credit in order to address the emerging changes in the job market demand of development economists.

           There was a pressing demand for reorganization of the existing department because over time the agenda for development has shifted from agricultural to rural development while agriculture being its part, and lately the development pattern has moved towards overall economic development with emphasis on management and allocation issues, while considering agriculture and rural economies as sub-sectors of a macro-economy with stronger inter-dependant linkages. The agriculture and rural sectors are no more considered as the isolated independent micro entities, as was the case in the past. They are now coherently integrated with other sector of the economy. Moreover, the market requirements at present, with the entry of NGOs in the agriculture sector, are of a more comprehensively trained development economist.

            Therefore, it lead us to the establishment of the department of Development Economics to give content of highest quality by imparting instructions of the analytical tools both in economic theory and its application to multifarious development aspects of the economy. It has broadened the job market base of the graduates of this department as compared with the existing specialization in cooperation and credit.

            The department has developed courses on the subject areas i.e. Development Economics, Public and Monetary Economics, Benefit Cost Analysis, Agricultural Finance, Cooperative Institutions, Rural and Human Resource Development, Managerial Economics and Applied Economic Theory, to train manpower at B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels while keeping in view the job market demands, and the accomplishment of following vision with a mission in view.

Vision: The Department of Development Economics strives to be a premier source of education, research, and leadership development by adjusting its programs to respond to future challenges and maintain a high standard of excellence, and paving the way for broader and disciplined participation of the people in the economy.

Mission: The Department of Development Economics engages people in the use of economic analysis for making decisions involving natural resources, rural development and communities through the pursuit of learning, leadership, diversity, professional development, and excellence, with the aim to help in the growth and transformation of the economy to meet the changing social, economics and equity requirements.