Several simplified design procedures for solar energy systems require monthly average meteorological data. Monthly average daily totals of the solar radiation incident on a horizontal surface are available. However, radiation data on tilted surfaces, required by the design procedures, are generally not available. A simple method of estimating the average daily radiation for each calendar month on surfaces facing directly towards the equator has been presented by Liu and Jordan [1]. This method is verified with experimental measurements and extended to allow calculation of monthly average radiation on surfaces of a wide range of orientations.

Calculation of monthly average insolation on tilted surfaces

Pakistan is one of the world's top 10 remittance receiving countries. This paper examines the potential for the use of remittances as a development strategy. Remittances to Pakistan do seem to promote growth and reduce economic inequality and poverty. However, they also cause the Dutch disease, are inflationary, and tend to be pro-cyclical. The paper describes the challenges in employing remittances as the cornerstone of the country's development model, particularly the loss in competitiveness, volatility and the development of a dependency mindset that high remittance inflows can foster. In the end, some steps are suggested that are needed to be taken in this regard. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Remittances as development strategy: stepping stones or slippery slope?

The mechanism by which oil price affects remittance outflows is not well understood and investigated. Using non-linear autoregressive distributed lag model (Shin, Yu, and. Greenwood-Nimmo. 2014. “Modelling Asymmetric Cointegration and Dynamic Multipliers in a Nonlinear ARDL Framework.” In Festschrift in Honor of Peter Schmidt, vol. 44, edited by R. C. Sickles, and W. C. Horrace, 281–314. New York: Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-8008-3_9), this study mainly seeks to investigate the asymmetric impact of oil prices on remittance outflows over the period from 1975 to 2015, for an oil-based economy, Oman. The results of the study reveal that changes in oil price are asymmetrically associated with remittance outflows in both short and long run. Furthermore, the response of remittance outflows to developments in oil prices is different in a way that positive shocks in oil prices promote remittance outflows, while negative shocks have no significant impact.

Does Oil Price Asymmetrically Impact Remittance Outflows? The Case of Oman

International migration and remittances from oil-exporting Gulf countries are important sources of employment, income, and foreign exchange for Pakistan. This study investigates the asymmetric impact of oil prices on remittances to Pakistan from GCC countries, over the period 1980 to 2018, by employing the recently advanced non-linear panel Pooled Mean Group (PMG) model. The findings show that oil prices and remittance are asymmetrically associated. The increasing oil prices have a significant positive effect only in the long run; whereas, reducing oil prices reveal a significant negative effect only in the short run. Findings of other explanatory variables show that the economic condition in host countries, exchange rate, and trade relations have positive effects only in the long run; whereas the economic condition in the home country has significant negative effects in the long run and positive effect in the short run. This study urges oil exports to stabilize oil supply and prices, and Pakistan to enhance trade relations, exchange rate adjustments, and financial development

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Impact of oil prices on remittances to Pakistan from GCC countries: evidence from panel asymmetric analysis

\nPurpose\nHousing prices have been increasing tremendously in Pakistan, there should be many reasons but the haphazard urbanization and rapidly growing population. To find out the causes of this price rise, this study aims to assess the impact of the foreign capital inflow and some domestic factors on housing prices.\n\n\nDesign/methodology/approach\nTo get the benefits of high-frequency data, it has been converted into a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis. The unit root is performed to see the stationarity, Johansen test is used for cointegration and coefficients are obtained through the ordinary least squares technique. The robustness of the results is checked with dynamic ordinary least squares and the Chow breakpoint test is used to detect structural breaks.\n\n\nFindings\nThe housing prices have increased over time; this has been reflected in all the data sets under observation. The country has observed a rapid growth in population and urbanization that has badly affected almost every activity of city life. The impact of foreign capital inflow is positive on the house price appreciation. There is a dire need to divert such foreign funds in the housing sector so that it cannot create an artificial price hike. The government should regularly publish a housing policy for the guidance of investors and the public at large. Also, public authorities should provide housing finance facility.\n\n\nOriginality/value\nThis is a novel work to the best of the authors’ knowledge because no one has studied the impact of foreign capital inflow on the housing market for the economy of Pakistan. Furthermore, this study is different in the sense that it has disaggregated annual data into a monthly and quarterly basis to get the benefits of high-frequency data.\n

Foreign capital inflows and housing market in Pakistan

Saudi Arabia is the largest source country of remittances to Pakistan since the 1970s. This study examined the impact of home versus host country's economic conditions on remittances from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan. The ARDL bounds testing is used on the annual data set from 1973 to 2014. The study concluded that economic growth in the host country and economic crises in the home country increase remittances. 1% decrease in domestic output increases remittances by 2.79% while 1% increase in sending country's output growth increases remittances by 5.2% in the long-run. The bilateral trade has a positive while financial deepening has a negative impact on inflows. The impact of oil shock is insignificant. We suggest cautious foreign policy as remittances depend significantly on the host country's economic condition that is not directly under the control of the home country but remittances can be sustained with bilateral trade.

https://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/imig.12344

What Drives Remittances from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan? Home Versus Host Country's Economic Conditions

The proper designing and monitoring of solar application require accurate estimation of solar diffuse radiations. In this study, new empirical models are developed from for four selected cities: Ka...

Development of diffuse solar radiation models using measured data

In this study, 50 empirical models from 2 categories, diffuse fraction and diffusion coefficient, were defined with 4 subcategories to estimate monthly mean diffuse solar radiation over the arid cl...

Estimating the average diffuse solar radiation based on multiple parameters: a case study of arid climate zone of Pakistan

Urban-urban migration has socio-economic and demographic consequences on the labor markets. It affects job mobility and gender-balance in the urban workplace. This study analyzes the gender wage gap among urban-urban migrant workers in Pakistan. The study used the most recent Labour Force Survey, a nationally representative dataset, to identify the determinants of wages for male and female migrant workers separately. The wages of urban-urban female migrants tend to be 45% lower than their male counterparts. The results indicated disparities in working hours and human capital endowment as some of the contributing factors to the increasing gender wage gap. This research calls for implementing drastic measures, i.e., gender-insensitive capacity building of urban migrant workers, workplace incentives for women, and enhancement of women leadership roles, to reduce gender inequalities in the urban labor market.

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Muhammad Umair

Papers

What Drives Remittances from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan? Home Versus Host Country's Economic Conditions

Development of diffuse solar radiation models using measured data

Estimating the average diffuse solar radiation based on multiple parameters: a case study of arid climate zone of Pakistan

Gender Pay Gap Among Urban-Urban Migrant Workers: Pakistan's Two-Tier Urban Labor Market