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Life is a daring adventure or nothing.
June 30, 2025. I decided to walk the pathless path. On my own terms. By my own rules. Synced to my core values and purpose.
The Recursivist began as my notes. I wrote to keep a record of what I saw, what bothered me, and what I would do differently next time. Over time, the notes kept piling up. So I decided to put them here.
I have spent years watching big decisions get made in rooms that do not talk to each other. Policy people. Deal teams. Program teams. Regulators. Fund staff. Ministers. Advisors. Everyone thinks they are being clear. Then the work hits reality, and the story breaks.
This page is your map.
What you’ll find here
I write to test my own thinking in public. I use it to update my models as I learn. When a belief fails in the real world, I replace it. When a method works, I keep it and reuse it.
I write about decision making under pressure, the gap between plans and results, and the small signals that tell you where a system is headed. Some posts are case notes from emerging markets. Some are short essays on work, learning, and judgment. Some are personal. Some are forward looking and based on my learnings and net assessments on what the future has in store for us.
I do not publish on a schedule. I publish when I have something I can stand behind.
If you’re new, start here
A short primer on how I think about systems and incentives
Link:A post that shows how I write about AI, institutions, and real-world constraints:
A post that shows how I write about governance and decision-making inside organizations:
Writing elsewhere
Dawn
The Nation
Stanford Center on Democracy, Development and Rule of Law
Frameworks for a Developmental Welfare State: Lessons From Pakistan's Ehsaas Programme (Contributing Author)
What I do outside the newsletter
I advise senior leaders, investor teams, and public institutions on investment and reform execution in Pakistan, the GCC, and Africa. That includes market entry, deal screening, due diligence support, regulatory pathways, fund operations, and program execution.
Subscribe and reach me
If you subscribe, start with one of the links above and reply to the welcome email with what you are working on.
For advisory and collaborations: shehryar@nyu.edu | LinkedIn: Connect here