Lack of good governance in Pakistan is evident from the precarious law and order situation in the country, social inequalities, poor infrastructure and an energy crisis, the Institute for Policy Reforms said in a report issued on Thursday.
The report titled Strategy not Tactics: Better Governance for Social Stability in Pakistan talks about political stability, participation in decision-making, and effectiveness of state organisations.
Poor governance has alienated people, the report says. What they see in their daily lives is a government that’s not interested in governing and state institutions that do not perform. There is also growing concentration of power among the economic, financial, and political elite, the report says. The resultant social inequality breeds the perception that the state is inherently unjust. Pakistan’s stability and prosperity depends on improving governance.
It says this year, Pakistan performed poorly in most governance indices, in fact, worse than before on some indicators. People want better quality of service, rule of law, and control over corruption.
The report refers to civil servants as the essential link between the state and the individual and speaks about issues that affect their performance. It says that political patronage has weakened state institutions while centres of power compete for influence. A political economy that favours the elite leaves limited space for inclusive development. It says that political parties are weak and the media and civil society are not in a position to check executive power. It says at present, Pakistan’s state institutions do not have the strength to become an agent of change and growth.
While civil servants are indeed the face of the state, the onus for poor performance also lies on the political leadership and certain segments of the society. The report says military governments actually perform better on certain indices than elected governments. In the last decade, the Human Development Index improved under a military leader, this index has plateaued since elected governments came to power. Similarly, participation in government decision-making has declined. In 2006, the country had over 85,000 elected officials in 6,628 assemblies and councils compared to 1,207 in seven elected bodies at present.
The report says well-governed countries have strong institutions that set rules of conduct. Institutions grow stronger when people in power place faith in them. Countries with inclusive economic policies have a high ratio of public spending to GDP, and enjoy higher standards of living. In these countries, most of the public spending takes place at the level of local governments, the report says. They prioritise public welfare and have strong institutions.
The report says that Pakistan had one of the lowest public spending to GDP ratios and even more paltry contribution from direct taxes. It says Pakistan had two civil servants for 1,000 people while India and the USA had 2.6 and 8.5 workers, respectively.
Transparency and efficiency must accompany an increase in public spending, the report says. People in power are best placed to bring reforms, it concludes.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 12th, 2014.