Household savings is the key determinant of economic development by inducing domestic savings and ultimately investment. It also leads to high employment, industrial growth, improvement in quality of products; stabilize prices and higher GDP growth rate. The present study is an attempt to examine various factors influencing saving behavior among lower, middle and higher income groups; and Rural and Urban regions. In this study, primary source of data is collected through random sampling technique. Ordinary Least square method is employed and econometric problems are also removed from the estimated models (i.e. Heteroskedasticity, Multicollinearity etc.). This study will really help the graduate students that how to conduct research at primary level, how to solve various problems of survey, how to organize and arrange the results using econometric methods. Moreover, the study shows that how to elaborate survey results at preliminary level using percentages and graphs.

Discussion related to sex and reproduction is somehow considered taboo subject for women living in traditional cultures. Reproductive Health is a neglected issue among majority of rural women. This book draws its data from ethnographic study conducted in village Burhan, District Attock, Pakistan. The principal objective of the study was to explore socio-cultural context in which process of reproduction takes place. Key research questions which this study tries to answer include how women complete different stages of reproductive cycle (Pregnancy, Delivery and Confinement), their right to decide the number and spacing of children, their consent for marriage and equality in Marriage, nature of spousal communication on fertility related issues, access and information related to appropriate family planning services and their right to safe abortion and post abortion care. The findings of this study suggest strengthening of socio-economic status of women in order to give them a sense of belonging, responsibility and role in contributing towards the development of the society as a whole.

Present study was conducted in District Gujrat to investigate the impact of the microcredit scheme of Punjab Rural Support Program (PRSP) on women's empowerment. Researches throughout the developing world have highlighted the impact of microcredit programs on women's empowerment. This research was divided into three main sections. First section deals with the status of women at housed level before taking microcredit while second and third sections deal with the impact of microcredit in raising women's awareness and women's empowerment after taking microcredit. In the second section information was analyzed that whether microcredit increased the awareness among women regarding their status, legal rights and importance of say at household level. In the last section a situational analysis of the women after taking microcredit is presented. The data analysis has shown that there is a positive impact of microcredit program introduced by PRSP in the rural Gujrat on women's empowerment.

This book is based on the ethnographic study conducted in Imambargah Hussainyia in Rural Jhang, Pakistan. The main aim of this research was to investigate the ways of Muharram rituals performance among the Shi'a devotees in the locale. Researchers have used mix methods to investigate the intensity and magnitude of the rituals performance. The inhabitants perform following rituals during the month of Muharram; matam, majales, taziya, processions, alam, zuljinah, langar, and visitation of the holy shrines. According to Shi'a Muslims, these rituals were started soon after the incident of the Karbala in 61 year of Islamic Calendar. With the passage of time, these rituals matured and altered by the devotees of differences races and regions. In the present study area, people practice these rituals as a part of their daily activities and they love to practice the teachings of their Imams. For the community members, Muharram is a month of symbolic association of the Shi'as towards their Imams. Practices they perform are venerating them to the cohesion and letting them to develop a strong association at communal level.

Revisiting Migration Issues in Pakistan is a collection of articles, based on the primary research conducted by the different scholars across Pakistan. It mainly addresses the international migration related issues in Pakistan. Few of the articles are addressing the general patterns of international migration and its impact on the local communities in Pakistan while there are some articles on the issues of utilization patterns of international remittances. Subsequently, this book also focuses on the brain drain issues and how the internationalization of the job market has increased the chances for the skilled persons to move abroad for the search of reasonable professions. The article presented in this book shows that migration of the parents had inverse affect on the education performance of their children left behind. Last article of the book addresses the problems of the social integration of the Pakistani migrants living in Norway.

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is an important and is a good source of proteins, vitamins and minerals. In Pakistan local strains of mushroom are cultivated on various agricultural by-products as substrate. The widely used substrate for cultivation of the Oyster mushroom in Asia is rice straw. Keeping in view, its importance as a good source of energetic product having high protein value, the present studies were conducted to investigate the yield of exotic strains on cotton waste alone and were compared with amended rice husk under our natural environmental conditions. It was found that cotton waste + rice substrate gave the maximum yield of edible mushroom with the strain P. (sajor-caju) pulmonarious (WC-537) as compared to the substrate applied alone.

The present study intends to analyze the impact of women's education on maternal health care utilization in rural areas of District Gujrat. A survey was conducted in one Union Council (Kunjah) of Tehsil Gujrat. A sample of 139 female respondents (delivered a baby having the age group of 6 weeks to 8 months) was drawn with the help of simple random sampling technique. List of females was collected from Union Council Office. Interview schedule was developed to collect relevant information from the respondents. Univariat tables were constructed to show frequency distribution and percentages. Cross-tabulations were constructed to show the relationship of different variables. Statistical test Tau-b and Gamma was used to test the hypothesis. A great significance was seen after the data analysis and interpretation between women's education and maternal health care utilization in the selected Union Council of District Gujrat.

Fighting against poverty is one of the core objectives of United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) under the project the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The potential to gain economic opportunities depends on the scale of access to monetary services. Micro finance made possible the access of the poor to the economic opportunities and enhanced their income in order to come out of the poverty cycle. The main objective of the study was to explore the impact of micro credit provided by NRSP on poverty alleviation in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. A survey with the help of purposive sampling was conducted and 100 borrowers of NRSP were selected as respondent from five villages. The result shows that Micro credit had made a significant difference in improving income levels of the borrowers. Micro credit is an effective tool which works as a mediator towards the improved livelihood of the loonies and also enhances their income. Borrowers were satisfied by the utilization of micro credit in a productive and purposeful way. People in rural areas have been benefiting from micro credit scheme.

Fertility Behaviour of Rural Women in Pakistan illustrates an anthropological perspective of all social and cultural factors which affect the ideas, attitudes and beliefs of rural women that underpin their fertility behaviour and eventually the process of fertility decline. The principal objective of the research was to explore the relationship between social norms, individual beliefs and fertility. The main argument, which emerged from this study, is that the large family has immense social and cultural significance for variety of reasons related to status, prestige, income and security. This study also highlighted this fact that women subjugated position does not really allow them to effectively participate in the decision making process with regards to fertility regulation because of the social constraints and culturally or traditionally defined norms. Thus, the fertility of a woman is not actually controlled by her; rather the social environment in which she lives.

Present study is based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in 2005-06. This research tries explores the major reasons of sectarian divide in early Muslim society and its expansion to the later period. It also investigates the major causes and consequences of sectarian conflict in district Jhang. The District Jhang among others faced worst nature of sectarian conflict in the history of Pakistan. The sectarianism here in Jhang is a conflict between Shiites and Deobandis. Throughout the last three decades sectarian clashes increased dramatically in Jhang. According to the office records of Jhang District Police Officer (DPO), 123 sectarian clashes were registered in various Police Stations from 1989 to 2002. These clashes produced high uncertainty among inhabitants with large-scale emigration; affected businesses; and unprecedented deaths on both sides. There are different precursors of this sectarian conflict. Among others theological difference; religious leaders' strife and political patronage; and ethnic identities of the inhabitants are the major determinants of this conflict.