Sarajuddin Isar
isar2000.bsky.social
Sarajuddin Isar
@isar2000.bsky.social
Research Fellow CICAM @radboudpol.bsky.socia, PhD Political Economy @soasuni.bsky.socia, Senior Researcher @IAB/Accountant, Visiting Scholar @AREU, Chief of Staff @Afghanistan Central Bank
Pinned
1. Excited to share my new article - Why Did Muslim-Majority Syria & Afghanistan Fall? - published by @The Tribune in India. The piece is focused on analysing the factors behind the parallel downfalls in both cases, including future peace prospects. I argue that
www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment...
Why did Muslim-majority Syria & Afghanistan fall - The Tribune
These downfalls were not solely driven by the influence of global major powers. Both countries had long grappled with state fragility marked by conflicts, corruption, illicit economies and centralised...
www.tribuneindia.com
and future societal challenges. For more information about the conference, please visit the link below:

www.gu.se/en/event/ret...
September 4, 2025 at 12:29 AM
an Authoritarian Regime: A Review of Fiscal and Monetary Policies. The conference brought together academics, scholars, and practitioners to explore the intersections between fiscal and monetary policies and how tax law reforms and the evolving role of taxation can help address both contemporary...
September 4, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a three-day conference — Rethinking the Tax Paradigm — organised by the Critical Approaches to Taxation and Society (CATS) Network at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, from 27–29 August 2025. I presented my new paper, Institutional Resilience under...
September 4, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
📢 New Policy Brief: How to make aid work in fragile states
Aid in fragile contexts needs more than technical fixes. The brief calls for long-term, flexible support rooted in local legitimacy.

📄: go.unu.edu/pTvBB

#FragileAid @apvjustino.bsky.social @rgisselquist.bsky.social @anvaccaro.bsky.social
August 4, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
The West African Economic and Monetary Union has been engaged in an ambitious project to harmonise its members’ domestic tax systems.

30 years later, what have been the challenges and successes of this policy? Find out here: www.ictd.ac/publication/...

#Taxation #WestAfrica #WAEMU
July 7, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
Joining #FfD4? Don’t miss our side event: “From Insight to Impact: Harnessing Research Collaboration to Build Better Tax Systems” co-hosted by @iisd.org, @ictdtax.bsky.social, @odi.global & @theifs.bsky.social

📍July 3, 8:30 a.m. | Room 12 | In person only
🔗Register eventbrite.co.uk/e/from-insig...
From Insight to Impact: Research Collaboration to Build Better Tax Systems
Join us as we explore how research collaboration can lead to tangible improvements in tax systems at our event, From Insight to Impact!
eventbrite.co.uk
June 25, 2025 at 9:14 AM
1. I had the pleasure of attending the @British International Studies Association (BISA 2025) conference, held in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This year’s event marked the 50th anniversary of BISA’s founding and brought together hundreds of scholars and academics from around the world. More than 1,000
June 22, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
In case you missed it! The latest #WIID release is here! 📊 Data up to 2022 for 202 countries is now available for free download. Explore the WIID Explorer for charts, tables, and inequality factsheets. We are very proud of it!

See it here: go.unu.edu/DI5xt...
May 16, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
New book: Fragile Aid

Why does aid fail in fragile states? Our book looks into this—it's not just about how much we give, but how.

• Delivery methods matter.
• Top-down aid often fails without local understanding.
• We need adaptable, context-aware approaches.

👉 go.unu.edu/vnGwD
May 8, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
Many will be glad to see Haji Zaher fall from grace. He abused his positions of power to enrich himself, strike at rivals and grab land, keeping millions of Afghans trapped in poverty and the Republic mired in corruption. #Afghanistan bit.ly/44dc8pk
Losing His Immunity: Former Afghan MP Haji Zaher extradited to US on drug charges
Kenya is extraditing the Afghan commander and politician, Haji Abdul Zaher Qadir, to the United States, after arresting him at a hotel in Nairobi. The US has charged Haji Zaher with drug and weapons t...
bit.ly
April 30, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
Fragile contexts are home to 24% of the world’s population (1.9 billion people) and 73% of the world’s extreme poor.

Here are three reasons why donors should prioritise investment in strengthening tax systems and how to do so: ow.ly/GiMc50VJu4H

#FFD4 #PublicFinance #FragileStates
Why tax matters in fragile states and how donors can support it
In fragile and conflict-affected states, taxation is often treated as a secondary concern. But this misses a central point: taxation is not just about raising revenue, it is also foundational to the s...
ow.ly
April 29, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
Ali Yawar Adili, Non-Resident Fellow at @nyucic.bsky.social looks at the Islamic Emirate of #Afghanistan’s relations with six local #Hazara commanders, who were initially showcased, as proving the inclusiveness of the movement, but how well have they fared since the Taliban takeover? bit.ly/3G1JKwc
The Politics of Survival in the Face of Exclusion (2): The Emirate’s accommodation and suppression of local Hazara commanders
This report examines the Taliban’s incorporation of six Hazara commanders into its ranks and how they have fared since the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate. Three of the commanders joined the T...
bit.ly
April 11, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
Today I got my copy of Authoritarian Consolidation in Times of Crisis, edited by @jpolga.bsky.social and Raúl Sánchez Urribarrí.

A nice present in troubled times.

Thanks to the editors for their amazing work and to @benedictebull.bsky.social and Manuel Sutherland for awesome team effort.
April 10, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
It’s time for a broader, bolder feminist fiscal agenda, argue
Caren Grown, @giuliamascagni.bsky.social & @rhiannoncm.bsky.social.

🚺 Today's @un-ecosoc.bsky.social meeting on #gender and #tax is a key opportunity to move in this direction.

READ 👉 ow.ly/CejT50Vqixp

#IWD2025 @brookings.edu
Time for a broader, bolder approach to tax justice for women - ICTD
As policymakers gather to discuss gender and tax at the UN today, this blog draws on research to call for moving beyond a narrow focus on gender bias in tax policy toward a broader, more effective fem...
ow.ly
March 28, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
🔔 New on the Global Observatory: “Making Peace Great Again? The Challenges and Potentials of Trump’s Approach to Peace Diplomacy” By Isabel Bramsen, Isak Svensson, and Peter Wallensteen
Read the full article here 👇 theglobalobservatory.org/2025/03/maki...
Making Peace Great Again? The Challenges and Potentials of Trump’s Approach to Peace Diplomacy - IPI Global Observatory
How should we assess Trump’s peace diplomacy? And what can Europe and Ukraine do to position themselves strategically in the diplomatic battle over Ukraine’s and Europe’s future?
theglobalobservatory.org
March 25, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
Faced with some of the worse #debt levels in over a decade, #African countries will likely need to increase their revenue sources to balance the books. What about starting by looking at #tax contributions from #wealthycitizens?

theconversation.com/wealthy-afri...
Wealthy Africans often don’t pay tax: the answer lies in smarter collection - expert
African countries need to implement effective approaches to ensure wealthy citizens make a bigger tax contribution.
theconversation.com
March 25, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
Afghanistan contributes little to global emissions, but faces dire climate crises with losses up to $3B! Yet, it's not getting any funds promised to poorest countries. @assemmayar1 looks into the economic toll of climate change putting figures to the harm being done. #ClimateChange bit.ly/4iSWNOB
The Economic Consequences of Climate Change for Afghanistan: Losses, projections … and pathways to mitigation
Despite contributing minimally to global emissions, Afghanistan faces escalating economic and social crises from climate change. Climate shocks, such as from floods, droughts, landslides, avalanches a...
bit.ly
March 23, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
Funded PhD opportunity!

Are you a PhD student working on economics or global development challenges? Do you want to advance your work with UNU-WIDER’s experts as your mentor? This is your chance!

Apply for our Visiting PhD fellowship by 31 March 👉 go.unu.edu/vJkcD
March 20, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
How does research on inequalities, conflicts, and fiscal space for development have the potential to change the world?

Read about it in this feature by Timothy Shipp in the 2024 WIDER Annual Report out now!
🔗go.unu.edu/xrUbb
March 17, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
The Emirate is writing its own history, trying to shape the narrative about why it came to power, with books by and about Taliban being published with state support. We review and analyse some of those books, uncovering themes of heroism and endurance - but are they selling? bit.ly/4ivzMkO
Taliban Narratives (1) Books: “Who we are and why we fought”
Until recently, the Taliban was a movement that wrote little about itself, in contrast to others – especially foreigners, but also Afghans – who have written so much about them. This was rooted partly...
bit.ly
March 17, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Reposted by Sarajuddin Isar
📢 Call for Papers!

How do societies and individuals envision and shape their futures in conflict, violence, and insecurity? The APeCS Conference 2025 invites proposals from researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to explore this.

🔗 Learn more:
APeCS Conference 2025: Future-Making in Times of Conflict, Violence and Insecurity | School of Social and Political Science
APeCS_CallForPapers.pdf
buff.ly
March 10, 2025 at 9:45 PM