Governance Education Network (GEN)

CONCEPT NOTE ON DEVELOPMENT OF GOVERNANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

2010-02-19T12:42:00.011+05:00

General

1. Six baseline research studies (available at GINI website

(http://www.giniweb.net/genweb/research_updates.html)

related to governance programs, TNA and executive education were conducted during 2009 under GINI program aimed at promoting governance education in Pakistan. Main outcomes of these studies were shared in the wider forum of all stakeholders during the Pakistan-Norway Forum/Governance Education Network First International Conference on Governance held from 13-15 December, 2009 at Islamabad. Subsequently, the Program Steering Committee in its meeting held in the morning of 15th December, 2009, inter-alia considered the development of governance education programs in the light of baseline research findings. The minutes of the Steering Committee meeting are at Click here for Minutes of PSC Meeting. This was followed by experts consultation held during a workshop in the afternoon of 15th December at Islamabad. An executive summary of the proceedings of experts’ consultative workshop is given at Click here for Executive Summary of Proceedings of Experts Consultative Workshop.

2. In the light of above deliberations, this concept note has been developed for ascertaining views of stakeholders on development of governance programs.

SUGGESTED POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT OF
GOVERNANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

3. Following programs/courses may be developed for piloting in fall 2010:-

(i) Strengthen existing MPA and BS (Hons) programs (Public Administration/Public Management) by introducing governance contents in the existing foundation, core, and elective courses and developing new courses such as Regulatory Governance, Managing Service Delivery, Governance and Administrative Reform, Administrative Ethics, Tools of Effective Governance, Information Systems and Evidence Based Policy Analysis.

(ii) Develop new programs in Public Policy at MS and BS level.

(iii) Strengthen existing Masters-Programs in Governance and Organizational Sciences.

(iv) Develop governance course for elective offering at bachelors’ level. Prepare proposed course syllabi for a minor in governance.

(v) Strengthen governance contents at intermediate and bachelors’ level in colleges. Review and propose additions to the Civics Curriculum and the Pakistan Studies Curriculum in collaboration with Higher Education Commission and Provincial Intermediate Boards.

(vi) Revision of existing executive education programs/courses and development of new programs, where available through procurement, for various categories of governance practitioners.

4. Policy actions for development and piloting of approved governance programs and suggested timelines are as follows:

(i) Select partner institutions for development/piloting of approved programs by 15 Mar, 2010

(ii) Develop detailed TOR for development of approved programs by 31 Mar, 2010

(iii) Submission of detailed proposals on given TOR by the partner institutions by 15 Apr, 2010

(iv) Formalization of agreements with the partner institutions by 30 Apr, 2010

(v) Submission of inception reports by the partner institutions by 20 May, 2010

(vi) Development of approved governance programs and supporting faculty capacity building programs – May-Sep, 2010

(vii) One week Visit by 10-12 senior faculty members/members of curriculums development teams to attend seminars/workshop in Norway - 30 May- 5 Jun, 2010

(viii) Evaluation/finalization of draft curriculums for approved governance programs and supporting faculty capacity building programs - Oct-Nov, 2010

(ix) Writing of three books: 1) Governance and Public Administration in Pakistan; 2) Governance and Public Policy in Pakistan; 3) Governance and Organizational Sciences - Nov, 2010- Jul, 2011

(x) Marketability of approved governance programs including capacity building of institutions in terms of infrastructure/training material- Jul-Sep, 2011

(xi) Faculty Capacity Building Programs for partner institutions in Pakistan & Abroad Jul-Sep, 2011

(xii) Piloting of approved programs/courses in partner institutions - Sep, 2011

5. Methodology

(i)   Curriculum development, development of a Master Reader for each core course, production of a text book for each of three areas, Public Administration, Public Policy and Governance and selected elective courses along with local case studies, and capacity building of faculty may be assigned to the those member institutions who are selected for opting to pilot these programs and courses. Identified Curriculums development teams would be required to submit inception reports on assigned work as per the TOR/agreements covering framework to:
(1) Identify and define the learning outcomes of the respective academic program in the light of research outcomes and current situation of governance/public administration/public policy. Learning objectives should be formulated in measurable terms and should measure the following:
    (a) content to be mastered,
    (b) skills to be mastered,
    (c) techniques to be acquired, and
    (d) values, habits, behaviour and attitudes to be developed.
(2)   Identify the governance/public administration/public policy programs in selected top class universities of the world and assess the relevance of the programs and course contents for Pakistan.
(3) Develop a list of core/minor/elective courses in line with learning outcomes and objectives of the program.
(4)   Identify and define learning outcomes and objectives for each course.
(5) Develop detailed course contents for each course.
(6)   Determine the credit hours of each course keeping in view the time required for coverage of course contents.
(7) Identify background knowledge, pre-requisites and sequence of the courses to be offered.
(8)   Identify appropriate instructional methodologies and resources (teaching material) for each course.
(9)   Identify the student assessment/evaluation methods and their timings.
(10) Identify the potential market for employment of graduates with the minor in governance.

(ii) International input for development of Curriculums would be arranged through video conferencing with the Norwegian experts and short visits by curriculum development teams to Norway.
(iii) Capacity gaps in the faculty of piloting universities/institutions may be filled through workshops/seminars to be organized locally and in Norway as well as with potential partners in the region such as Dubai and Singapore.

(iv) Development of case studies for executive education in collaboration with the NSPP and NDU as well as other network members. Procurement of relevant research materials for short courses and seminars for elected representatives and civil society members.

(v) Regional approach to go to scale by selecting BISE/universities in batches for a series of phases will be adopted for taking to scale governance studies in intermediate and two year and four year bachelor programs in colleges.

Note:

The above strategy/timeframe will be suitably applied in case of strengthening of governance contents at intermediate and bachelors’ level in colleges and revision of existing executive education programs/courses and development of new programs for various categories of governance practitioners.

Stakeholders Views
6. Based on the deliberations of experts’ consultative workshop held on 15th December, 2009, considered views of the stakeholders are solicited on the above proposed policy framework as well as on the contents of the programs/courses recommended for piloting in fall 2010-11.

7. GEN member organizations may also indicate their willingness for development and piloting of above programs/courses along with detailed proposal outlining work involved in development of curriculums, supporting teaching material/research and faculty capacity building and the estimated costs.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Final Report - User Needs Profile of Executive on Governance in Pakistan

2009-11-16T12:22:00.010+05:00

(Click here to download the report)

by Innovative Development Strategies (IDS), Islamabad

Introduction

This report seeks to delineate a user needs profile of executive education on governance in Pakistan for a variety of stakeholders including legislatures, public institutes, local governments, think tanks, NGOs, associations, clubs, chambers, and unions, while co-relating it with the current state of executive education courses/programs being run in public and private sector institutions of Pakistan.

The exercise forms part of a larger project currently being implemented by the Governance Institute Network International (GINI) with the assistance of Government of Norway and in partnership with the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR), Oslo. GINI program on governance education network aims at developing a national integrated network of learning and research institutions to systematically approach the furtherance of governance knowledge. The objective of the program is to create governance capacity in various spheres of governance covering universities, institutions, practitioners, researchers, NGOs, think tanks and the student body of Pakistan which elects to take up governance courses.

Scope of work

Under the project, Innovative Development Strategies (IDS) has been tasked with the preparation of a comprehensive user needs profile of executive education on governance in Pakistan. The profile will be based on the requirements of key stakeholders including legislatures, local governments, government institutes, think tanks, NGOs, associations, clubs, chambers, and unions. While it is important to focus on some of the key elements of good governance (accountability, participation, predictability and transparency) at all levels, it is also crucial to relate these to existing government structures, constraints and challenges. The needs assessment would, therefore, elicit requirements of the above key stakeholders within the context of existing constraints and challenges, while suggesting ways of moving towards achieving the cited elements through executive education on good governance.

Methodology

The report sought to develop a comprehensive user needs profile of executive education on governance in Pakistan with the help of the following tools:

A Desk Review of executive education on governance in Pakistan involving a thorough literature review focusing on major themes of executive education in the country. The review helped in identifying key target areas as well as laying the basic framework for the development of a draft questionnaire to be administered to key informants.

In-depth Interviews with educationists, academics, public servants, etc. on the challenges, opportunities and needs relevant to governance with particular reference to executive education.

Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): Expert inputs on defining problems, assessing needs and proposing recommendations vis-à-vis executive education on governance.

Three focus groups were organized comprising representatives of the key stakeholder sets. The composition of Focus Groups was extremely important for this study. The groups comprised of participants from a diverse set of backgrounds relevant to the objectives of the study. The FGDs included various types of bureaucrats and governance practitioners at the national, provincial and local level. These exercises were also helpful in identifying specific constraints, bottlenecks and structural problems, while proposing practical recommendations to improve the state of executive education on good governance.

(Click here to download the report)

Final Report - Baseline Research on Executive Education Courses & Programs in Pakistan

2009-11-16T11:59:00.019+05:00

(Click here to download the report)

Prepared by:

Dr. Pervez Tahir
Dr. Nadia Saleem
Ms. Saima Bashir

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report analyzes the state of executive education courses/programs being run in public and private sector in Pakistan. It identifies the priority areas for training. The increasing complexity of a modern government and the changing paradigm of public service to deliver public value require professionals with a good education and sound administrative skills. Similarly, executive education in private for-profit and nonprofit sectors can longer be driven by blanket views on efficiency and altruism.

Executives joined the public service with the idea of limitless authority and subordinate to the whim and will of the rulers only. The idea of an administration being an instrument for ensuring a civilized relationship between the citizens and the state is not embedded in the working of executives. Unfortunately the officials were not trained enough to deal with the changing roles. In general, there is lack of quality training institutions. Training in institutions that exist has deteriorated. However, the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) has taken steps towards improvement. While service delivery suffers, no clear national policy is insight to deal with the situation.

For its analysis, this study used the survey method. The survey was conducted in public sector and private sector institutions involved in executive education in Pakistan. In the case of the Federal Government training institutions, the survey indicated that there were 24 training institutions engaged in training of civil servants of various cadres. Another 24 training and skill enhancement institutions cater mainly to the corporate sector and other management professionals and the army. During the Musharraf period, the Government established the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) to focus on management training at all levels.

Management training for civil servants takes three main forms: a) Pre-Service Training, b) In-Service Training, c) Training Abroad. The ingredient to value the training was found to be missing in all levels of executives training. All training institutions reported government as their primary source of funding. Private sector training institutions also take public servants as their trainees, but their main intake comes from the corporate sector. The government nominates trainees for various courses and the institutions simply accept and train them. In the public sector training institutions the physical infrastructure was found to be good. There are not many institutions which have a Curriculum Development Approach. Only the NSPP has moved in this direction. The Specialized Training Institutions do not need a Curriculum Committee as they all run single subject courses. Most other public sector training institutions do not have this incentive. Most of the faculty were visiting and without the perspective of training officials. The quality of visiting faculty in training programmes is not of high caliber. There is no distinction between education and training. The NSPP has formulated a strategy to overcome this dichotomy. All officers selected for public service have a certain level of education but lack training. Training is in a flux because of the system is in a flux. Training prepares for generalist pursuits: it can enrich the participants intellectually but it cannot change the attitude towards training. As it is formal and based on education, training fails to develop training circles and professional groups. No priority sectors have been identified by the top level policy makers, for instance the Establishment Division, for training. There is little collaboration between the public or private sector training institutions and the industry. Training fails to win institutional pride and officers can’t relate themselves as better officers after completing the training. Future guidance on the basis of training is lacking. There is realization in the NSPP that training should train servants of the public who are supposed to maximize public values rather than officers of the government. Others have to follow this lead. Training institutions tend to confuse management with governance. Service delivery is not helped in this train of thought.

Rule of law presumes existence of laws made by informed legislators. Other than ad hoc orientation on matters of procedure, no formal training institution exists in a country boasting two houses of Parliament, four provincial and two regional assemblies. Nongovernment sector and donors are left to improvise.

A country which has experienced media explosion in less than a decade, has no formal institution to train media persons.

While public sector has been attempting to transplant client-centered approach of the private sector, the private sector training continues to struggle with social responsibility.

In sum, the baseline for executive education in Pakistan draws attention to a critical set of gaps on the supply side, more in terms of software than hardware. Filling these gaps will have to take cognizance of the demand side.

(Click here to download the report)

Final Report - Baseline Research related to TNA for Instituting Governance as Elective Subject/Course in Public Colleges in Pakistan

2009-11-10T13:30:00.008+05:00

(Click here for detailed report)

Department of Public Administration
University of Karachi, Karachi-Pakistan

By Dr. S. Shabib ul Hasan, Survey Leader
AND THE TEAM
Dr. Akhtar Baloch, Supervisor

Survey Objectives:

This training need assessment survey is conducted to evaluate the current facilities at the college level in Pakistan with specific objective of introducing governance related courses. Research focuses on availability of Teaching Faculty and College infrastructure, such as class rooms, Library, level and degree of education offered and academic disciplines etc.

Survey Design & Techniques:

The survey was designed to collected quantitative data through a structured questionnaire with closed ended questions design. Two different forms were used. Form A was designed for collecting data related to college structure and Form B, for teaching faculties and courses and degrees offered.

To generate qualitative data interviews were conducted from college principals and civil servants using unstructured questionnaires. Focus group workshops were conducted in Karachi, Hyderabad and Khuzdar with the teaching of colleges from all the three regions. In this regard faculty who are teaching courses on Civics and Pakistan Studies were focused in case of Intermediate level.

Courses like Political Science, Public Administration, Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Education, Business Administration, Public Policy and other social sciences were focused in case of Bachelors and Masters Level.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This baseline research on training needs assessment (TNA) for instituting governance as elective subject / course in public colleges in Pakistan. This study was carried out to evaluate the existing teaching capacity of the teaching faculty, and college Infrastructure and provide recommendation for introducing Governance courses at that level.

Currently governance is not taught as a course in any level, therefore, the capacity of teaching faculty was evaluated on the basis of relevant courses, such as Civics / Political Science and Pakistan Studies. The teaching faculty of Civics and Political Science are available only in Faculty of Arts; therefore, Pakistan Studies was used as the yard stick to measure the capacity.

Secondly, Pakistan Studies is a compulsory course in every discipline at college level and therefore, faculties engaged in this course are available at all levels.

Based on findings of the study our research team, it was recommended that need for Infra –structural in public sector colleges has to be addressed. Course material and books are to be developed in both the languages (Urdu and English). If course/s related to Governance has to be introduced, colleges with only sciences disciplines must be given serious thought because the colleges with social sciences and commerce may be able to overcome these deficiencies of teaching with the relevant and available teaching faculty. Teaching faculty must Trained before Governance course is to be introduced. Finally, it was concluded that it is feasible to introduce governance courses at college level in Pakistan.

For remaining portion of this report............. (Click here for detailed report)

Final Report on TNA for Two Year & Four Year Bachelor's Level Prgrams

2009-11-10T13:08:00.017+05:00

(Click here for detailed report)

Department of Economics, School of Social Sciences and Institute of Public
Beaconhouse National University, Lahore - Pakistan
Project Leader: Ijaz Hussain
Project Co-Leader: Tahir Sadiq
Project Sub-Leader: Sumbal Rana
Research Assistant: Aisha Khalid

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The study was carried out to assess and analyze public policy linked programs at bachelor level, existing teaching capacity of the faculty, university Infrastructure and student preparedness and provide recommendations to institute a Masters in Public Policy and Governance.

Based on findings of the study our research team recommends that there exists ample scope of training for students as well as faculty in the discipline of governance and public policy in Pakistan. But success of the program of governance and public policy at masters level rests with a special focus on inducement from demand side apart from supply side measures. In current scenario, there exists intense demand for graduates with competence and expertise in governance and public policy in public sector. There is a need to instigate realization in the public sector circles that conventional hiring process in public sector for selection and induction of civil servants through competitive examination or direct placements through political influence is absolutely flawed and we need to devise and introduce new hiring process based on knowledge, skills, competence and expertise in governance and public policy acquired through well structured curriculum and training. Students with two year bachelor degree apparently seem not prepared for training in governing and public policy at masters level. A curriculum of introductory level may be introduced in four years bachelor degree and students may be trained for governance and public policy issues through well structured advanced curriculum and training.

Based on identified strengths of faculty from survey results namely relatively more senior faculty, number of PhDs, and foreign qualified at senior and even at junior level in private sector academic institutions, we can conclude and comfortably recommend that private sector is suitable for launching the master level program in governance and public policy. On the other hand, public sector strongly needs to enrich its faculty through carefully planned training on governance and public policy issues before it takes initiative to start such a program. Modalities for such training program will be identified and recommended in our final report based on further analysis of the survey (one part of the questionnaire for faculty deals with these modalities).

(Click here for detailed report)

Final Report - Baseline Research related to TNA of Masters Level Programs - CPPG

2009-11-10T11:17:00.022+05:00

(Click here for detailed report)

Centre for Public Policy & Governance,
FC College (A Chartered University), Lahore
Supervisor: Dr. Saeed Shafqat
Lead Researcher: Raheem ul Haque
Research Associate: Khurram Waqas Malik
Research Assistants: Adeel Riaz & Saboor Karamat

Scope of Work:

1. To prepare a comprehensive report on the credentials/Curriculum Vitae (CSV’s) of the faculty currently teaching courses in governance related disciplines in Pakistani universities and public training institutions to assess the potential and training requirements for adopting a Masters’ program in Governance. More importantly faculty qualification, experience, area concentration and research orientation will be assessed both to develop clear targets for capacity development as well as to define a road map for achieving these targets in comparison to world class programs offering multi-disciplinary Governance curriculum.

2. The evaluation will also include institutional infrastructure including library, faculty and student facilities to determine student induction and professional development capacity.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

History & Evolution

The history of policy programs in Pakistan goes back to the early 1960s when the Institute of Administrative Studies, Punjab University started a program in Public Administration (PA). Simultaneously, leading to the establishment of Pakistan Administrative Staff College and National Institutes of Public Administration for the training of public servants. Public Administration programs have since started at a number public universities but it is only recent that universities have started Public Policy and Governance programs.

Unlike the evolution of policy programs in the United States where school standards were maintained owing to policy school associations, no such association exists in Pakistan although recently HEC has played a small part in reformulating curriculums. An evaluation of international policy schools indicates that though some commonalities exist in the curriculum, each school tends to specialize in a particular area of Public Policy owing to its faculty, location or institutional strength.

But in spite of the history of policy programs in Pakistan, there hasn’t been an academic discussion regarding the need, objective and adhering standards for the programs. It is thus important for academics to discuss and build a consensus on the definition of Governance, Public Policy and Public Administration, the standards for curriculum and graduation within the Pakistani context.

Academic Programs & Curriculum

Currently there are fifteen universities offering policy programs in the country divided into: First, Master’s programs requiring 14 years of education which include 9 MPA, and 1 Governance and Public Policy program each. Second, there are Master’s/MPhil programs requiring 16 years of education including 4 PA and 3 Public Policy of which 6 extend to a PhD program. Third, there are two degree awarding Executive Programs, 1 each in Public Administration and Public Policy.

In terms of curriculum, policy programs can be divided into three. First, the MPA programs which have evolved more towards management than policy with concentrations in Human Resource Management (HRM), Marketing, Finance and MIS with only a few schools offering Development. Second, Public Policy programs with heavy economic concentration producing economic analysis experts. Third, programs in Public Policy, Administration and Governance, which have a diverse curriculum and an eye for producing generalists.

Faculty & Institutional Status

Similarly diversity exists among policy programs in terms of institutional culture, faculty expertise and student intake. But the overall situation requires a lot of improvement as average Student to Full Time Faculty Ratio is 30 reaching as high as 75 for one university. The general dearth of full time faculty is further compounded when relevant subject areas are taken into account. The faculty expertise is heavily tilted towards HRM with a total of 7 PhDs while there is only 1 PhD for Quantitative/Econometric Analysis. Though our analysis indicates 17 Economic PhDs, this number would be 5 if PIDE, an economic research organization is excluded from the analysis. Thus there is a critical need for faculty expertise in Economic Theory and Quantitative & Empirical Analysis among policy schools. Within Public Management, HRM expertise dominates while Structure and Process of Government, and Leadership and Administrative Theory are neglected. But the worst situation exists in the field of Political Economy, Globalization, Governance and Development, all core areas of Public Policy for which faculty expertise is non-existent in policy schools.

The reasons for the dearth of full time and additionally PhD faculty are numerous including a young discipline, institutional culture, student intake but one that stands out for public sector universities is the compensation mechanism. The Tenure Track System (TTS) introduced by the HEC improves compensation structure for public sector faculty if conditions for research output are met. But almost all public sector faculty interviewed were not part of the TTS and it is unlikely that they would become a part primarily because they are currently teaching up to 6 courses a semester to supplement their government grade based income, leaving them little time for research.

Faculty Development

In terms of faculty development, some public sector universities are availing opportunities to send their junior faculty for PhD through HEC scholarship and foreign university exchange programs. But an institutional strategic plan is missing among all interviewed institutions. All institutions had goals to improve academic quality, introduce new concentrations or start a new program but a detailed plan which encapsulates faculty skills requirements, budgetary requirements, projected student size, administrative and institutional needs was missing.

It is thus recommended that policy programs in the country bring themselves under the framework of an association, which is manned by academic experts and policy makers to evolve a consensus on definitional grounds and objectives of the various policy programs. Additionally the same association can facilitate policy programs both to devise a five year strategic plan and more importantly to execute and achieve it.

Recommendations

Based on the interviews and data gathered over the course of this research, it is recommended that a three tiered approach be taken:-

For the Short Term, policy programs should develop linkages with their own university’s social science departments to involve needed experts in teaching, while the association should kick start research activity by devising incentives for faculty research seminars. The association should create a pool of experts (both domestic and foreign faculty) to deliver intensive short-term courses in core policy subject areas at various cities in addition to exploring linkages and exchange program opportunities for domestic policy programs.
For the Medium Term, the association should institutionalize the curriculum, program structure and logistics for short-term faculty training in select subject areas. Additionally association should facilitate foreign summer research sabbaticals where junior faculty can work under the supervision of an expert in the field while facilitating domestic PhD degree holders to get Post-Docs for exposure to foreign academic and research culture.
For the Long Term, the association should institutionalize linkages and exchange programs with foreign universities for a long-term commitment towards faculty development and exchange; it should provide PhD scholarships in select subject areas for which experts do not exist in Pakistan. More importantly using its pool of experts, it should build a quality domestic PhD program by supporting it with faculty, library, lab and other institutional resources.

Further Study

The following areas of exploration were further suggested during the review process but time constraints have restricted their inclusion in the report.

A detailed assessment of Public Administration, Public Policy and Governance curriculums including texts of various universities would inform the scope, clarity, context (local or foreign) and datedness of what is being taught.
An overview of market supply and demand of policy graduates should be undertaken to understand national level needs.
The Annual Review Reports of policy departments can shed more light on the needs and functioning of these departments.

(Click here for detailed report)

Final Report - Final Report - Baseline Research on Governance related Programs & Disciplines Offered in Pakistan - IAS (Punjab University)

2009-11-05T16:15:00.022+05:00

(Click here for initial report)

and for The Research Base - click here

Human Resources Development Centre (HRDC)
Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab
By Prof. Zafar Iqbal Jadoon [Project Director]
Prof. Dr. Nasira Jabeen [LEAD CONSULTANT]
Mr. Atif Rahim Khan [CONSULTANT]
Ms. Madiha Ali [RESEARCH ASSISTANT]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report provides the results of a baseline research conducted on structure and contents of Governance programs and allied disciplines being taught in HEC recognized Pakistani universities. It also highlights key aspects of institutional environment including students’ profile and motivation, faculty and physical resources. Both undergraduate and graduate programs in Governance and its core areas such as Public Policy and Public Administration/Management along with supporting disciplines such as Political Science, Law, Economics, Sociology, History and Philosophy. The data was collected from universities through their admission related publications, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews with relevant academicians and managers and focus group discussions. The followings are the main findings of the study:

Structure and Contents of Governance Programs

Governance education, though recognized for its importance, is largely sparse in terms of dedicated programs, courses offered and breadth as well as depth of content. Only one institution, National University of Modern Languages, has launched BS/MS program in Governance and Organizational Science. However, BS program is being discontinued.
MPA (Master of Public Administration) is the oldest Governance related program and is well accepted as a Management degree in both public and private sector organizations. MPA programs are currently being offered by 12 public sectors in all four provinces including Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Public Policy is an upcoming field in Pakistan. Two public sector universities, University of the Punjab and National Defense University and one private university, Beaconhouse National University have launched Masters in public policy. Both MPA and MPP (Master of Public Policy) are of 2 years with minimum 66 semester credit hours offered after BA/BSc degree. These programs are being restructured under the new road map developed by Higher Education Commission for Business and Public Administration education. Under the proposed structure, MPA and MPP will be of three years duration with minimum 96 credit hours of course work and a project.
Few universities are offering BS(Hons)/BPA programs in Public Administration / Management which is of 4 years duration with a minimum of 130 credit of coursework and a project. This program is offered after FA/FSc or equivalent. This degree is equivalent to existing MPA and MPP in terms of academic standing.
Three universities are offering Governance related MS programs with different nomenclatures: University of the Punjab is offering MS-Management leading to PhD with a focus on public management; Beaconhouse has recently launched MS-Public Policy; and National University of Modern Languages has approved program of MS-Governance and Organizational Sciences. MS program is of two years duration with 30 credit of coursework and a thesis. The entry qualification for MS program is BS (Hons) or a Masters degree awarded after 16 years of education.
Curricula of Public Administration programs are skewed towards Management. Legal and political aspects are ignored. The regulation and service delivery aspects of Governance, which are the core activities of government, inter-governmental relations, sectoral management, new tools of governance, contract management, administrative and public management reforms have been totally overlooked in the existing courses. An inter-disciplinary approach is missing from curricula.
Both core and elective courses (which are offered) in programs studied lack exclusive focus on Public Administration, Public Policy and Governance. Business/Management oriented elective courses are more popular among student for employment purposes.
The structure of supporting disciplines is still largely traditional. MA degree is offered in a specific discipline after BA/BSc Four years BS (Hons) programs in social sciences have not yet been started even in major public sector universities. The newly structured LLB degree and BS (Hons) programs of two private universities are few exceptions. LLB is of 5 years duration after FA/FSc in all public as well as private universities.
The degree programs in supporting disciplines in general do not offer Governance related course. However, rare exceptions are there.

Faculty, Student Profiles and Motivations, Physical Facilities

There is acute shortage of PhD faculty. The reliance on part-time faculty is very high. Faculty’s capacity for indigenizing learning resources including text books is very limited.
Students come into the Public Administration programs with varied (mostly Social Sciences) backgrounds. Public Policy programs attract more experienced candidates with clearer focus on the public sector. Students’ motivation to join MPA/BS programs in Public Administration is better employment prospects as compared to other Master programs in social sciences despite the fact that public sector organizations do not have any preference for MPA/BPA graduates. Gender ratio varies by institution but is balanced overall. More females enroll in MS/MPhil programs.
Physical facilities of universities have generally improved in the last few years as a result of increased funding and self-generated income from self-supporting programs in marketable disciplines.

Recommendations for Governance Education

Pakistan’s experience of running Public Administration and Public Policy programs clearly suggests that new dedicated governance programs with nomenclature such as BS(Hons)/MS in Governance may not be viable at present. Instead, there is a need for strengthening existing programs in Public Administration, Public Management, and Public Policy through development of Governance curriculum, development of indigenous reading material, and capacity building of faculty.
Post-graduate Diploma and certificate in Governance may be a viable option for launching dedicated program in Governance Studies. The Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab, has shown willingness to start such courses subject to the availability funds for initial years.
Multidisciplinary approach is recommended for curriculum development with courses in the area of regulatory governance, service delivery, institutional and public management reform, public policy analysis, development governance and management, collaborative governance mechanisms. There is a need to develop courses with special focus on policy and management issues in various sectors of Pakistan’s economy.
Networking between institutions both on supply and demand side is strongly recommended for sustainability of Governance programs. Both GINI and GEN were long awaited initiatives that need to be strengthened.

(Click here for initial report)

and for The Research Base - click here

Article - Gender and Local Governance in Pakistan: Representation vs. Participation

2009-08-12T15:07:00.019+06:00

(Click here to view the Article)

byNasira Jabeen, Dr.Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan,
Post-Doctoral Research, South Asia
Institute, University of Austin at Texas, USA.And
Muhammad Zafar Iqbal Jadoon, Dr.
Institute of Administrative Sciences, Former Dean, Faculty of Economics and Management,
University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Accepted 28 April, 2008

Women’s participation in governance is extremely important for an even human resource development, poverty alleviation and good governance. In, Pakistan, a concerted and collaborated effort has been made in this regard by providing women 33% representation in local governance through the current local government ordinance, 2000. However, the traditional cultural values and societal norms that ascribe women domestic roles and accord them a lower status as compared to men are not compatible with their professional roles in politics. These cultural norms are reflected in the systemic, organizational and personal practices and constrain their participation in governance. The paper applying a holistic gender, organization system (GOS) perspective analyzes the diverse societal, institutional and individual factors that account for low participation of women in governance in Pakistan. Since women’s passive representation in governance has critical implications for gender sensitive legislation, resource allocation, utilization of human resources and poverty reduction the paper recommends measure such as review of LG policies; gender awareness and mainstreaming, capacity building, networking and mentoring etc. to facilitate their effective participation.

Key Words: Gender, local governance, representation, participation, Pakistan.

Governance and Civil Service Reform in Pakistan: Concept Note

2009-07-07T12:19:00.004+06:00

Saeed Shafqat
Centre for Public Policy and Governance,
F.C. College (a Chartered University), Lahore

Governance and Civil Service Reform in Pakistan: Concept Note

The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for initiating discussion on the concept of governance and issues of civil service reform in Pakistan. The paper attempts to offer context of why governance and civil service reform have become matters of crucial significance for Pakistani state. It recognizes that at the political and elite institutional level governance and reform issues are not getting the attention they deserve, therefore a bottom’s up approach may be pursued to induce behavioral and structural change. Thus, it argues that province and local government should be the pivot for improving governance and pushing civil service reform.

What is Governance?
Governance is a multifaceted venture generally defined as requiring an understanding of interrelationships among social, economic, political and cultural variables and all that within the institutional setting of the country. The meaning that these variables bring to the governance enterprise is profound. Governance work can most effectively occur when there is solid understanding and knowledge of local conditions. The principal components of governance are politico-cultural, institutional and to some degree technical (which increasingly involves imparting IT and others skills to bureaucracies) and revolve around distribution, exchange and regulation of authority and power sharing mechanisms between the state and citizens. The World Bank provides a more focused definition;

“Governance consists of the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised. This includes the process by which governments are selected, monitored and replaced; the capacity of the government to effectively formulate and implement sound policies; and the respect of citizens and the state for the institutions that govern economic and social interactions among them.”

Given this definitional context we may examine the dynamics of governance in Pakistan.

Governance in Pakistan, like most developing countries, is a complex issue. It is like a concentric circle, each circle is tangled with the other – touching one means, opening the other. It is not simply a three Es issue – Economy, Efficiency and Effectiveness. It has cultural and political manifestations – that have social costs, reflected in the form of patronage, lack of consensus among the political leaders and various types of elites, ethnic/religious cleavages, polarized political parties and absence of continuity in policies. In short the paradox is how to steer through centralized state institutions and fragmented societal structures? It is pertinent to remember that in the past three decades the state-society relations have undergone enormous transformation, citizens do not trust the state, there is faithlessness about its institutions and ability to provide, security, justice and development. The fabric of societal value structure has undergone convulsions. Zia-ul- Haq (1977-1988) institutionalized hypocrisy. Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif rivalry (1989-1999) squandered an opportunity for party development, representative government and promoting norms of good governance and democracy. Parvez Musharraf (1999-2008) converted the very idea of national sovereignty into organized hypocrisy. We reached a point where Pakistani leaders could communicate with each other only through an ‘international broker’. The installation of representative government in February 2008, roused lot of expectation about electoral outcome and democratic process, however, political parties and their leadership have yet to demonstrate the kind of vision and commitment that can sustain representative government and build public’s faith in party system. Pakistan continues to dither and suffer from a directionless drift. Under these conditions restoring respect for rule of law and promoting habits of compliance among the people is a daunting task. It is equally important to recognize that given absence of consensus and competing visions about the role of the state, the citizens disenchantment with state’s capacity to produce good governance is likely to increase and not decrease.

Fixing the State
It appears to me that debate in Pakistan on governance and governance reform has taken a wrong turn, because it assumes that governance and reform of civil service is about implementing designs created by committees of technocrats. In Pakistani case the crisis is deepening, the state- society disconnect has reached a point where faithlessness about state is pervasive and this demands re-imagining the state.

Can the state mediate between competing interests that constantly put demands on it? Leadership at the national level seems incapable of performing this role of mediation as a result what happens that policy is held hostage by a small group, with little credibility-- the challenge for leadership is to negotiate between these groups fairly and credibly. This demands making bold and imaginative deals among the power contenders rather than focusing only on civil service reform, second major challenge is restoring the respect of constitutional offices-- the president, chief justice, chief election commissioner and chairman Federal Public Service Commission(FPSC), to name a few. If the constitutional offices are not seen as independent and impartial, institutional integrity is at stake, so (decentralize and federalize the state) the government should make appointments that restore the credibility of institutions. The constitutional offices must be seen as neutral arbiters of conflict resolution. Of course this is easier said than done, but must be said.

What are the sovereign functions of the state? Any governance reform effort should take account of that. For example our defense capability is built around conventional warfare, not designed for fighting the insurgency and counter insurgency and the kind of Taliban war that we are fighting? The US, UK and France have offered to re-orient and re-furbish training of Pakistan’s armed forces. The very nature of security threats has enormously changed and that is having a deep institutional crisis within our armed forces. The armed forces of Pakistan have not only institutional integrity but commanded a considerable respect in our society, however, both seem to be under strain and eroding.

Citizen security and law and order have become issues of primary concern. In this context police reform and police ordinance has been talked a lot, however, it needs to be underscored that police and law and order is provincial subject and if the political parties / leadership in the provinces demonstrate will to carry reform, that should not be difficult. Let provinces take charge and introduce police reform.

An equally important but somewhat difficult area to pursue reform is the hierarchical nature of the state itself. For example, the National Management College (NMC) and National Defence University (NDU) spend millions of rupees to expose the senior (civil servants and military officials) to foreign travels, training and exposure, while at the middle and lower levels it is watched enviously and there is little sense of ownership of this practice; it is also not clear if such an expensive exposure promotes proficiency in policy process and enhances professional pride. In fact, in the civil services, a class war like situation prevails, where Police, Accounts, DMG, and OMG- to name a few services appear to be contesting rather than acting in harmony.

Finally it must be put upfront that no governance reform is possible without serious effort towards political reform and the political parties are linchpin for any representative and democratic order. Pakistan suffers from not only a reputation crisis of political leadership but also their inability to democratize political parties. Increasingly political parties are becoming dynastic and less democratic in their decision making and selection of leadership. Given this trend political reform should be top priority but dispensation of current political leadership and elites does not consider it an issue of reform and crucial for improving governance. Decadence and decay of political parties and illegitimacy of military rule is encouraging extremist forces to capture power and provide an alternate model. Unless the political leadership recognizes that they need to build a party system which exudes rule of law; supports respect for dissent, shows willingness to fight terrorism, combat corruption and has the capacity to initiate institutional revival, governance would not improve. There are no signs that rouse confidence that the political parties in Pakistan are ready to play such a role. Political reform is a prerequisite for fixing the state.

Perceived and Real Governance Issues
A description of governance issues can be summarized from three perspectives. First, what are the public perceptions on governance? Second, what kind of issues is identified in the literature on Pakistan on the subject? Third, how do the public officials and policy makers look at the issues of governance? What should be the priority areas of reform to improve governance?

In public perception civil servants are corrupt, inefficient, arrogant and not pro-public. Government offices are unresponsive to public needs, procedures are tedious, because of lack of redressal of grievances, citizens have little or no control over policies and service deliveries, insufficient investment in development, (particularly, housing, health, sanitation, roads etc., people’s welfare needs) and rise in concern about personal insecurity.

The literature on Pakistan identifies governance issues as: Over centralization, lack of participation, weak political institutions, bloated bureaucracy, adhoc or isolated policy formulation, corruption. No clear vision of state’s role, weak capacity for regulation and growing gap between the state and civil society.

From the public officials and policy formulator’s perspective, as reflected in various institutional reform commission reports, the governance issues are. Non-adherence to procedures, absence of rule of law and accountability, departmental weaknesses, over staffing of the departments, inadequate incentives for the civil servants, inter-departmental frictions, lack of adequate, authentic and timely information, inaction on corrective reports.

Given these perceptions and realities the real test for Pakistan is to create/promote a civil service that has the expertise and sophistication to manage decentralized administrative and political centers of authority. Simultaneously it should have the capacity to comprehend the forces that influence the shaping up of an open economy. The civil service must have the ability to facilitate privatization and corporatization, and also be capable of mitigating the adverse environmental impacts of such processes. This requires a governance capability which can create and maintain stable, yet adaptive systems of law which can regulate a dynamic society where knowledge and its effective application become the primary tools of governance. In contemporary world of technology, policy formulation and delivery of services both require greater reliance and proficiency in technology, its application and retooling of government functionaries can no longer be further delayed. Pakistan has no choice except to improve its governance by redefining the mission and tasks of the civil services.

Redesigning the Framework of Civil Services Reform
To achieve this goal, there is a need to evolve an integrated and holistic approach that covers reform at all levels, the federal, provincial and local. At the federal level the challenge is to build capacity in policy formulation on major macro-economic and macro-political issues. Therefore, at this level the need is to build capacity of higher bureaucracy on macro-economic, social sector, infrastructure development (Engineering, Transport, Communications, Agriculture resource mobilization). A strategy could be devised to produce a critical mass of 250-350 officers who have professional expertise and competence in these areas. The focus ought to be officers between BPS 18-20. It is at this level that retaining competent officers in the federal civil service is emerging as a serious challenge. Second level of reform has to be at the provincial level, where policy formulation and implementation capacity needs to be redesigned and strengthened. For the provincial governments, the key issue is: how to provide security, justice, protection of life to the citizens, besides sound and judicious socioeconomic policies. It is at the provincial level that the functioning of bureaucracy has been most adversely affected, by recruitment through patronage, posting transfers and lack of accountability. At this level there is need to revamp, redesign and strengthen the Provincial Public Service Commission (PPSC), so that recruitment both at the officer and subordinate level is merit based, transparent and competitive. In the above mentioned ideas of a critical mass, there is a need to select and integrate officers from the provincial services, so that the benefits of professionalism and expertise are distributed among the provinces.

Third tier of administration is most crucial. At this level the need is to radically restructure the administrative set up. This is the level of government which affects the citizens most, here redressal system is in disarray, and enforcement of rule of law is ineffective. Police is an instrument of extortion and suppression rather than protection of the citizen; Civil/Criminal Magistrates lower courts are weak, corrupt and politicized. Thus justice is sacrificed and reform of the subordinate structures of administration remains illusionary.

The performance appraisal of subordinate government functionaries is rarely done. Based on the conduct of these public officials, people form an opinion. Revenue collection, speedy and fair justice, citizen security (policing), prevention of crime/detection and maintenance of law and order-the much emphasized operational areas of public concern and reform. If these public officials fail to exhibit good behaviour, the reputation of corruption, inefficiency ineffectiveness spreads like wild fire. The arrogant and coercive behavior of the Subordinate Public Officials is an equal contributor in bringing bad name to bureaucracy, as has been the ineffectiveness of senior bureaucracy to control and regulate the behavior and performance of those under them. Therefore, performance appraisal mechanism must be built for all levels of the bureaucracy.

Province: where governance and reform matters?
As noted above ideally reform effort must be holistic and start from the top but there is serious lack of will, vision and commitment at the political level. That goal should not be abandoned and efforts must continue to bring to the attention of political leadership that political reform is in their enlightened self interest, meanwhile provinces must become focal points for improving governance.

The chief minister and chief secretary do govern the province but it is ruled by the above mentioned third tier of government. To combat terrorism, promote development and empower citizens, the responsibility sharing mechanisms between provincial and local government must be re-designed—constitutionally, politically, administratively and fiscally. In the existing arrangements of governance, the citizen’s initial contact with government is through three functionaries of the state i.e. the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Police, the Patwari (Revenue Collector), the lower courts – session and civil (Judiciary). These three officials have enormous powers in public perception and in reality. They have also become the primary instruments of corruption, misrule and abuse of authority. The state operates through these functionaries, whose authority is ingrained in public mind. Over the years these offices have become oppressive, anti-people and provide little relief to citizens. The redressal of grievance against these offices has also become weak over the years. The democratically elected governments since 1985-1999 and 2002-2008 have made large scale patronage appointments in bureaucracy and lower judiciary ignoring rules, merit or imparting any training (not to mention the violent behavior and constitutional/political havoc that president Musharraf created in 2007 alone). Thus in the past 20 plus years some of these political appointees have attained mid management positions. A large number of these appointees have become Tehsildars, Police Inspectors, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Extra Assistant Commissioner and officers in other branches of government. The subordinate bureaucracy is not only politicized but also inadequately trained, ill mannered and corrupt. Therefore, the need is to adopt a bottom’s up approach to introduce reform at grass root level so that the ordinary citizen is able to see the benefits of reform. One option is that through community participation oversights are developed to monitor and regulate the functions of these subordinates. Second is to improve mechanism through which they can be monitored effectively. Third is to replace them that would mean first developing an alternate office. It would also mean rethinking district as a unit of administration. However, short of replacing them by effective, efficient, and adequately trained functionaries, good governance is unlikely to emerge. Devolution of power without radically transforming the character and power of these three subordinate offices is not likely to bring much relief to the people. Devolution process (LGO 2001 and subsequent amendments) has stumbled because the provinces never owned it; today they are resisting and want to reverse devolution with vengeance not reason. In any case the LGO runs out of life on December 31st 2009, unless renewed by the president and approved by the parliament. This also implies that the focus of reform has to shift to the province because that is where power resides and that is where the re-engineering and rearrangement of local and provincial relations is occurring. Re-designing and reform of power sharing mechanisms at the province –district level could open up window of opportunity to combat terrorism, improve governance and empower the citizens.

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