Essay: Making the Pakistani Economy: An analysis of how IMF���s staff recommendations and reports have constructed Pakistan���s economy

Anum Khalid graduated from 間眅埶AV in June 2025 with a BA in Sociology (Honours) and completed her honours project under the supervision of Dr. Kyle Willmott.

Anum���s project examined IMF (International Monetary Fund) staff reports and recommendations from 1958 to 1972 through a discourse analysis approach. We spoke with her to learn more about the project and how her experience in the honours program inspired her to apply to 間眅埶AV���s Sociology MA program, which she will begin in Fall 2025.

1. What is your honours project about?

My honours project was a discourse analysis of IMF (International Monetary Fund) staff reports and recommendations from 1958 to 1972. These reports were generated to provide an overview and assess Pakistan���s economy at the time, determining whether the country was in a position to receive a loan from the IMF. Through this analysis, I highlighted the underlying social and political implications of the language used, as well as the ideas put forth by IMF economists. I argued that international financial institutions such as the IMF have constructed Pakistan���s economy as an object of power and knowledge. Through discursive technologies, the IMF naturalizes market logics, shapes conceptions of ���aid��� and ���debt��� as specific and necessary features of developing economies, and influences the actions of Pakistani leaders that create hegemonic bonds over the people of Pakistan. The purpose of this research was to show that language and more importantly, taken-for-granted ideas like ���the economy��� within these IMF staff reports are evidential of the logics of coloniality and reflect the imperialistic gaze of international financial institutions and their impact on developing economies.

2. How did you decide on your topic? What sparked your interest in it?

I was born and raised in Pakistan. My father has an extensive background in economics, and growing up, I spent a lot of time watching the news with him. From a very early age, I became familiar with concepts like national debt and the discourses surrounding ���the economy.��� When I was around 8, the government sector my father worked for was privatized, and he was given the option to take a severance package or stay on, facing looming job insecurity. That���s how my family decided to move to Canada.

It wasn���t until I began writing my honours thesis that I realized this privatization was driven by the increasing national debt owed to international financial institutions like the IMF. Given my background, I had always been interested in the IMF, and I remember discussing it during my SA 101 course. This project was sparked by many things, but I wouldn���t categorize it as just a topic as it is a lived experience for me. I���ve existed within the IMF���s reality for as long as I can remember, so I think it was only a matter of time and finding the right mentors to ignite and guide me toward pursuing this research.

3. What motivated you to pursue the honours program in Sociology & Anthropology?

Initially, I wasn���t interested in pursuing the honours program. I didn���t really feel the need to do so. But then I took SA 442 with Dr. Kyle Willmott in the fall of my third year. In that class, we completed an assignment called a text analysis, which was very similar to the discourse analysis I later conducted in my honours project. I instantly felt drawn to this method and realized the power of decoding ideas and language in historical texts that are so often taken for granted. It felt like a real moment of deconstruction for me.

I was also deeply inspired by Dr. Kyle Willmott as his research and methodology were fascinating, and I felt a strong need to embark on a project with him. Throughout my time in the SA department, I was encouraged by many incredible professors to pursue topics I was genuinely curious about, and their influence was instrumental in the development of this project as well.

Dr. Bascom Guffin, who read my drafts and introduced me to discourse analysis, has been a constant mentor throughout my academic journey. I wouldn���t have pursued the honours program without his constant encouragement to challenge myself and work on what I���m passionate about. Taking classes with Dr. Kathleen Millar and learning to deconstruct the idea of ���the economy��� and think critically with her was foundational to my project. I received phenomenal reading recommendations from Dr. Prof-Collins Ifeonu at a time when I was just beginning to conceptualize the project, and those readings shaped the final product immensely.

Dr. Elliot Montpellier provided invaluable support in not only by reading my drafts repeatedly but also by helping me think critically about Pakistan, South Asia, and the political economy. His challenges to my thinking elevated this project and will continue to influence my future work.

So many members of our incredible faculty made time and space for me and helped me envision and pursue this project. That���s the (somewhat long) story of how I found myself knocking on our lovely advisor Terrance���s door to ask about the honours program.

4. What was the most challenging part of writing your honours essay, and how did you overcome it?

I honestly had a lot of fun researching and writing my project. I think the hardest part was containing its scope. As a beginner conducting research at this level, I had this wishful thinking that I could incorporate everything I was remotely interested in into one project. Whenever I strayed too far beyond what was possible, I���d end up with disorganized thoughts and find myself unable to write.

I also felt immense pressure. The topic is deeply personal to me, and it is something I���ve lived with my entire life. I chose this topic because I felt like not enough people were talking about Pakistan and the condition of its economy under the grip of neocolonial economic interests. Because of that, I put a lot of pressure on myself to represent my arguments in the ���right��� way. It was emotionally burdensome at times.

What helped me the most were the countless conversations I had with my faculty supervisor, Dr. Kyle Willmott. In hindsight, I think he was very aware of the difficulties I was experiencing, and he always offered insightful feedback that helped me stay grounded. I was also lucky to have wonderful peers to share my early academic anxieties with. My kindhearted and incredibly intelligent peers (Tara, Hope, Maira, Hannah, Erin, Nat, Kamran, Xander, Elijah, Jacqueline, Sofia, Ariana to name a few) were always there to talk through ideas and empathize with my struggles as a young academic.

5. What was it like working with your faculty supervisor, Dr. Kyle Willmott, on your project?

It has truly been one of the greatest privileges of my life to work with Dr. Kyle Willmott. I was initially intimidated by him, but that feeling quickly gave way to deep admiration for the care and genuine interest he showed in me and my project. I remember walking into his office during SA 442 office hours and telling him how I���d been sitting with the urge to write something about the IMF for a while, and he agreed without much thought in supervising me which was very surprising to me. At first, I proposed a project on taxation and the IMF, inspired by his own research on taxpayer mentalities. But when I discovered the IMF staff reports, I shifted directions. He was supportive regardless.

He gave phenomenal constructive feedback and was always understanding about deadlines. What stood out the most was how excited he got every time I walked into a meeting with a new idea or finding. Having someone who matched my excitement and supported me through such a vulnerable and personal research process was more than I could���ve asked for in a mentor.

I truly owe my development as an academic and any success I may have to his unconditional support in these early, formative days.

6. What skills or perspectives did you gain through your honours program that you think will stay with you?

A large part of my honours project involved the deconstruction of ���the economy��� and the ideas attached to that concept. Taking apart this idea was truly eye-opening for me. I learned how to critically deconstruct my assumptions about the world and especially the things we often take for granted that can, in fact, be harmful to those they are projected onto. I think this is one of the major takeaways from my honours program.

Going into the program initially made me very nervous because I had never conceptualized myself as someone who could conduct research or be an academic. Finding a voice for myself and realizing my research interests helped me grow immensely as a person. Ultimately, this process allowed me to carve out my own space in academia and helped me see myself as someone who could be here in thinking, writing, and building something meaningful.

Above all, I think many of us just starting out in academia feel a sense of competition whether it���s about publishing, writing in certain ways, or holding on to specific theories. That made me very nervous at first. But actually experiencing the incredible level of mentorship I received changed my perspective. I came to see that academia can be a space of flourishing for young people like me and building these relationships with faculty members and peers showed me that community and care do exist in these spaces even if it can often feel like they are missing.

7. What advice would you give to students considering the essay-based honours path?

I would highly recommend it to anyone who has even the slightest interest in pursuing a research topic. If you find yourself sitting with an idea for a while, do not ignore it. Try to find people around you who are thinking about similar things (which you always will). That act of communication can spark a lifelong project that���s deeply meaningful and powerful.

Even if it doesn���t become a long-term project, you���ll still gain incredible skills like critical thinking, writing with purpose and intentionality, and, most importantly, finding your own voice. The honours program gave me a lot of freedom to carve out my project on my own terms while still being supported by amazing faculty members. Regardless of whether you stay in academia, that is a worthwhile experience to have. The writing and research may feel like a lot at times (which, to be fair, it is!), but the process will help you build lasting connections and work on something you���re truly passionate about.