Where do we stand on the IPR Index?

While there may be some improvements in broad economic figures, the foundations and pillars of the country still remain frail. Referring to various international indices, being poorly rated in terms of structural loopholes has become the same-old for Pakistan. And the findings of International Property Rights Index (IPRI) - a publication by Property Rights Alliance - are no different.
IPRI comprises of three primary ingredients: legal and political environment, physical property rights, and intellectual property rights. Legal and political climate considers judicial independence, rule of law, political stability and corruption management. The other two indicators relate to physical and intellectual property and include protection of rights, copyright security among others.
In the IPR index 2014, Pakistan is ranked at the 86th position out of 97 countries covered. Also, in Asia and Oceana region, the country is graded as 15th out of 16 countries in the region. Moreover, Pakistans IPRI score has declined from 4.4 in 2013 to 4.3 in 2014, which has been labelled as the second consecutive decline in countrys score, according to Property Right Alliance.
The drop in overall score is, however, to be blamed to the deterioration in intellectual and physical property rights in the country. Here, restricted access to loans, which is perhaps the outcome of lower levels of financial inclusion and issues related to property rights, property protection and copyright piracy are to be held responsible for the countrys mediocre standing in the index.
In relation to its Saarc peers included in the index, Pakistans performance remains below par. In other words, it remains the only country in the region to experience a drop in IPRI score on a yearly basis (see table). Even Bangladesh, which has a weaker rating in the overall index, has managed to sustain its scores. Moreover, with an overall score of 4.3, Pakistan rests at second position from the bottom, beating only Bangladesh that secures the lowest seat with a score of 3.3.
Not to disregard the strong and positive correlation between IPRI scores and a countrys economic performance as measured by GDP per capita. Hence, Pakistans lower GDP per capita and muted economic growth can be linked to its vulnerable rating on IPR index. Giving the political disturbances encircling the country, there is a probability of Pakistans score sinking further next year, let alone the chances of any improvements, at least in the near future.

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Score Comparison with SAARC Countries

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                Overall     Legal &   Physical   Intellectual

                           Political

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India              5.5         4.5        6.8             5.3

Sri Lanka          5.0         4.5        5.9             5.8

Nepal              4.5         3.3        5.9             4.1

Pakistan           4.3         3.8        5.9             3.3

Bangladesh         3.4         3.2        4.6             2.5

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Change in IPRI score 2013-2014

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Country        Change   IPRI 2014   IPRI 2013

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India            0.0        5.5           5.5

Sri Lanka        0.0        5.0           5.0

Nepal            0.0        4.5           4.5

Pakistan        -0.1        4.3           4.4

Bangladesh       0.0        3.4           3.4

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Source: IPR Index