CPS Quarterly March 2018

CPS Quarterly Volume 5 Number 4 December 2018

• Note From CPS………………………………………………………………………….......1

Dr. Imran Syed

• Editorial Note……………………………………………………………………………......1

Dr. Zahara Bukhari

• Policy and the Development of Civic Values through Education………………………..2

Dr. Imran Syed

• The uses of Alternate energy resources available apart from hydroelectric power

plants that can help deplete the energy crisis in Pakistan………………………………..4

Dr. Zahara Bukhari

• Electocracy and Public Policy Paradoxes? Elections, Austerity and Anti-Corruption

strategies in Pakistan………………………………………………………………………11

Dr. Muhammad Shakeel Ahmad

• Impact of Poverty on Economic and Political Outlook of Pakistan…………………….14

Dr. Saeed Anwar

• Policy perspective of youth Volunteerism in Pakistan…………………………………..18

Abaid Ullah

• The Super Ministry Approach to Coordination and Governance……………………...21

Umar Sheraz

A publication of the Centre for Policy Studies

COMSATS University Islamabad

CPS Quarterly December 2018

CPS Quarterly December 2018

Note from CPS

This is the fourth issue of the CPS Quarterly in 2018 and this issue wraps up a very successful year for the

publication. During 2018, the CPS Quarterly was able to put forth more than twenty policy briefs. These

briefs covered a diverse range of policy areas, such as, ethics, elections, governance, migration, foreign

policy, the environment, etc. The success of the CPS Quarterly in 2018 was because of the special efforts of

the editor, Dr. Zahara Bukhari; the designer, Tahir Aslam; and the CPS staff members who wrote for the

Quarterly. Nice work!

The previous issues of the CPS Quarterly are available electronically on the CPS website at

http://ww3.comsats.edu.pk/cps/.

Dr. Imran Syed

Head CPS

Editorial Note The Center of Policy Studies (CPS) focuses on coherent and practicable responses on issues of public interest

of policy makers. The CPS Quarterly helps support appropriate recommendations and policy options through

sound theoretical and empirical research and global best practices in public policy analysis and management.

The Quarterly helps create and execute a research agenda that promotes rigorous evidence-based public

policy-making, analysis, and its implementation. Its agenda is to serve as a bridge between various

stakeholders such as the academia, industry and Government for promotion of evidence-based policy research

carried out by qualified and knowledgeable faculty and experts with the aim to promote the public awareness.

This issue of the Quarterly presents policy related research in six articles. The first is about, Policy and the

Development of Civic Values through Education, by Dr. Imran Syed, Head, CPS. The second is Impact of

Poverty on Economic and Political outlook of Pakistan, by Dr. Saeed Anwar. The third is The Super Ministry

Approach to Coordination and Governance, by Umar Sheraz. The fourth is Policy Perspective of Youth

Volunteerism in Pakistan, by Abaid Ullah. The fifth is Electocracy and Public Policy Paradoxes? Elections,

Austerity and Anti-Corruption strategies in Pakistan, by Dr. Shakeel Ahmad. The sixth is about The uses of

Alternate energy resources available apart from hydroelectric power plants that can help deplete the energy

crisis in Pakistan, by Dr. Zahara Bukhari.

Dr. Zahara Bukhari

Editor

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are the views of the writers and are not

necessarily the views of CPS or Comsats University, Islamabad

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

Policy and the Development of Civic Values through Education.

By Dr. Imran Syed, Head, Centre for Policy Studies (CPS)

Summary

Civic values can be important in influencing the attitudes individuals hold towards community life in general

and, in particular, towards duties and responsibilities of individuals as citizens. This policy brief selectively

traces some of the historical thinking on the concept of civic values as it develops from antiquity and evolves

through the Renaissance. The brief builds the discussion towards the Pakistani context and focuses on how

civic values can be important for the improvement of the lives of Pakistanis, especially, through an

appropriate form of civic education. There can be many sources that contribute to the shaping of civic values

and this brief look at educational institutions as a potent vehicle to shape civic values. The brief does not

specifically recommend any particular values per se, however, it does recommend that the government

undertake an inclusive process that looks at arriving at those civic values that may be important to cultivate in

Pakistan, especially among the youth. The brief further recommends that once the values have been identified

then effective means and methods be looked at for promoting these civic values, including them through

schools and other educational institutions.

Background

Attitudes and actions in communities and societies are anchored in prevailing norms and values. These values

and norms, in-turn, inform individual choices in relation to work ethics, social capital, political participation,

community support, conflict resolution, tolerance, etc. At the outset, it is important to clarify the definitions of

the key concepts that this policy brief is addressing. Civics can be defined as a “social science dealing with

the rights and duties of citizens” (www.merriam-webster.com) and Civic Education, broadly speaking, is

being used in this policy brief to mean “all the processes that affect people’s beliefs, commitments,

capabilities, and actions as members or prospective members of communities” (Stanford-Plato Encyclopedia).

These rather broad definitions leave much room for discovering, discussing and deciding which values are

important for a given community. To better understand the formation and transmission of norms and values it

is useful to view these processes as an ongoing process that can be formal or informal, intentional or

incidental, constructive or destructive, etc. The establishment of values can be influenced from a variety of

sources, such as, parents, peers, relatives, community leaders, politicians, public intellectuals, the media, the

government, etc. An important source for establishing and transmitting values are educational institutions:

schools, colleges and universities.

History

The concern with civic education and citizenship can clearly be seen in the thinking of the Western

philosophers of antiquity. Among the works of the classical Greek philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle,

there is much thinking on what is and what should be the nature of politics and citizenry. The Renaissance

period thinkers continued to debate the concerns around civics. Among others, interesting is the work done by

English philosopher and economist, John Stuart Mill in the 19th century. Mill wrote a number of books on

politics and ethics, notable, for our discussion, is his 1861 book Considerations on Representative

Government. In this book Mill places moral importance on the self-development of the individual and

provides support for an inclusive and representative democracy (www.britannica.com). Mill talks about the

development of human beings as being critical to progress and also mentions certain individual qualities that

he feels can be consequential, such as, mental activity, enterprise, and courage (Mill 1873). This mentioning

of specific qualities as identified by Mill, is primarily to instantiate, in concrete terms, the thinking that has

been carried out by Western thinkers on the subject of civic values. This brief is not focused on arriving at a

list of desirable values but, firstly, more on recognizing the influence of civic values; then, secondly, on the

importance of cultivating civic values; and finally, on the process that policy makers and influencers in

Pakistan can undertake to explore, develop and eventually promote appropriate civic values.

Europe’s Recent Experience

With globalization, growing inequality, poverty and conflict, there are an increasing number of migrants and

refugees in the world. With the greater movement of population, especially from developing countries to the

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developed countries, there has been a renewed interest in discussion about the importance of identifying and

cultivating values that will promote accommodation and harmony among diverse populations. Recently, in

Europe there has been some interesting work done on those skills and competencies that along with

improving the extent of personal fulfillment also improve an individual’s engagement with society (DG

Education and Culture 2006). Some of the civic values that have been identified as important in the context of

the European Union, and associated with the liberal Western model, include political participation, due

process of law, service to the community, etc.

The Concept and Pakistan’s Context

This brief takes the position that civic values are important and they can play a major role in shaping the

quality of life in a community. The brief description of selected aspects of the historical discussion about civic

values and the more recent deliberate attempts to foster collective civic values in the European context,

underscore the recognition internationally of the importance of cultivating civic values. This brief takes the

position that civic values are best driven by the local context and have to be of relevance to a particular

community.

The discussion of what constitutes a community can also be very pertinent. Here the brief focuses on the

nation-state as a community that is of much consequence and where the government can have considerable

resources and juridical influence on individuals living within the borders of the state. The brief also takes the

position that the manner of governance and leaders of the government can be an important source of shaping

values. In Pakistan, our unique history and politics has shaped the unique civic values that are widely held by

individuals and groups within society. It would be naive to think that the politics of Pakistan, with its

weakness and shortcomings has not played a role, be it incidentally or in some cases very deliberately, in

shaping the views and values of the population in general (Hussain 2007).

The brief also takes a position that the educational institutions can be influential in shaping the civic values of

a community particularly through a well-designed formal program of civic education. There is evidence that

the influence of civic education at an educational institution can be important but the relative effectiveness of

a formal program of civic education can vary along a variety of factors (Nurdin 2017).

The transfer of civic values that are pertinent in one community to another, markedly different community is

not always viable. In Pakistan’s case we need to recognize the importance of cultivating civic values that are

specifically relevant to Pakistan, and then undertaking an inclusive dialogue and debate within society to

arrive at the values that are important for our future. There is already media discussion on the erosion of

values and on the flourishing of negative attitudes and behavior, be it in the discussion on rampant corruption,

on violence or on accountability etc. There is need to channel this discontent into a constructive process that

eventually leads to change and improvement. Once we arrive at the possible civic values that hold promise for

improving the lives of Pakistanis we need to carefully look at methods, processes and institutions that can

effectively promote the civic values.

Policy Recommendations

1. There is a need to recognize that civic values are an important pillar in supporting the development

and consolidation of a new and better Pakistan.

2. There is a need to recognize that the Government of Pakistan (GoP) can be a major contributor to the

further development and strengthening of appropriate civic values in Pakistan.

3. The GoP must undertake to put underway an inclusive and well thought-out process that helps define

what civic values are important to cultivate in the Pakistani population, especially in the sizable youth

population.

4. Once the civic values have been identified, then civic education and other effective means and

methods for cultivating these values need to be looked at.

5. Finally, the means and methods must translate into actions, perhaps initially as a few pilot projects,

and then based on the experience of the pilot projects, larger scale programs.

References

DG Education and Culture. 2006. The Key Competences for Lifelong Learning – A European Framework is

an annex of a Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key

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competences for lifelong learning that was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 30

December 2006/L394. Accessed through https://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/file/272/download

Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed at https://www.britannica.com/topic/Western-philosophy/Renaissance-

philosophy#ref365987

Mill, J. S. 1873. Considerations on Responsible Government. Henry Holt and Company, New York. Page 31

Hussain, S. 2007. Why civic education is a must? Dawn. Accessed

from https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_ied_pdck/59

Nurdin, Encep S. 2017. Civic Education policies: Their effect on university students’ spirit of nationalism and

patriots. Citizenship, Social and Economics Education 2017, Vol. 16(1) 69–82

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Accessed at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civics

Stanford-Plato Encyclopedia. Accessed at https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/civic-education/

The uses of Alternate energy resources available apart from hydroelectric power plants

that can help deplete the energy crisis in Pakistan.

By Dr. Zahara Bukhari, Assistant Professor, (CPS)

Summary

This policy brief explains how a number of alternate energy resources that are already available in Pakistan

can help deplete the energy crisis that the country is currently facing. This brief discusses the various

alternatives of nuclear, solar, wind and fossil fuel usage, out of which some our country is already using. The

main issue discussed here is how the government should increase its efforts in expanding the usage of these

alternatives. Currently Pakistan is focusing only on building dams and is not paying much attention to the

other options available that are already being used in the country. Nuclear and solar energy is playing a small

role in the energy production currently, but it needs to be expanded to help meet the energy needs of the

country. The focus should not only be on building hydroelectric power plants but should also be on further

developing the solar and nuclear power plants. This brief will discuss the current usage of these alternatives

and also highlight the options of wind and fossil fuel.

Background and Discussion:

Nuclear Power:

As of 2017, 5 commercial nuclear power plants are providing nuclear power in Pakistan. At the moment the

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) is solely responsible for operating these civil power plants. In

2012, the commercial nuclear power plants were generating an estimate of 3.6% of electricity, compared to

62% generated by fossil fuel and 33% by hydroelectric power. A minor amount was being generated from

coal 0.3%. (Zulfikar,2012)

Nuclear power plants are a viable solution for Pakistan as an alternative energy resource. The first commercial

nuclear power plant was built near Karachi called KANUPP. It was a small power plant a 137 MWe and

started operating in 1972(Saddiqui,2005). PAEC's engineers and scientists then went on to build PARR-II IN

1974. The PAEC engineers in 1977 built the plutonium nuclear reprocessing plant "new labs" and khushab

nuclear complex. In 1989 China signed an agreement with Pakistan to provide 300 MWe CHASNUPP-1

power plant. In 2000, China expanded its contract with PAEC to assist to build CHASNUPP-II, III and IV.

CHASNUPP-II was successfully completed by 2011. The Pakistan government plans on building 32 nuclear

power plants by 2050(khan,2011). PAEC had started planning the construction of KANUPP-II nuclear power

plant consisting of 1100 MWe, but work was put on hold since 2009. By 2013 the groundbreaking ceremony

for two more nuclear power plants was performed. China has always supported Pakistan's nuclear power

generation programme dating back to the 1970s. In 2000, China supplied the second commercial nuclear

power plant CHASNUPP-I in Punjab, and then continued to help build CHASNUPP-II in 2005. Both

Pakistan Government and the Chinese government adopted and energy security plan generating and increase

capacity of 160,000 Mwe by 2030(Ijaz,2010). There were tentative plans for China to build two more units at

Karachi KANUPP-II and KANUPP-II. In 2012, China independently developed a 1000MWe pressurised

water nuclear power reactor and it was quite likely that they will exported to Pakistan. In 2008 commercial

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nuclear power plants III and IV at Chashma Punjab was planned. Later in 2009, SNERD, announced

proceeding with the design of CHASNUPP-III AND IV (armscontrolnow.org.,2011). Contracts for

CHASNUPP-I and II were signed in 1990 and 2000, but in 2004 China joined the nuclear supplier group

which maintains an embargo on sales of nuclear equipment to Pakistan, thus raising the question now that will

China's supply of Chashma 3 and 4 will go through and the safety of the design of these reactors is in question

(Chari,2011). In July 2013 it was announced that Pakistani officials were considering approval of KANUPP-

II. The current government should take up these issues and seriously considered the expansion of further

nuclear power plants development. In 2013 France agreed to consider the request for enhancing the civil

nuclear cooperation. The U.S- Pakistan strategic dialogue on 24 March 2010 consisted of Pakistan pressing

for a similar civil nuclear cooperation deal similar to that with India, button analyst suggested it is unrealistic

at present and might take 10 to 15 years more (Xinhua news,NTI,2018). Pakistan sought civil nuclear power

corporation with Japan in 2011, but the Japanese government refused the deal. Pakistan has operated one

Indigenous reprocessing plant built by PAEC outside PINSTECH, Nilore near Islamabad in the early

1980s(Munir,1998). An indigenous nuclear fuel fabrication complex at kundian also known as KNFC was

built in 1980 to make nuclear fuel for KANUPP. IAEA safeguards and conducts inspections of the Pakistan

nuclear power fuel Complex because it contributed in the Mega projects financially. The academic research

on nuclear Technology began in 1956 with the establishment of Pakistan atomic energy commission (Hafeez,

PINSTEC2010). Construction of KANUPP 2 and 3 started in 2015 and 2016, planning to start commercial

operation by 2020,2021. Because Pakistan is outside the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty due to its weapons

program it is largely excluded from trade in nuclear plant or materials, which hinders its development of civil

nuclear energy. So the Government should take further positive steps to develop these plans. In 2015 the total

electricity production from nuclear power was only 6.1Twh 5.5% of the electricity (world nuclear

association). There was no export and virtually no import and about 17% production was lost during

transmission. There should be new policies made to increase the production of electricity by nuclear power

and serious consideration is needed on how to build more nuclear power plant so that more electricity can be

produced. Pakistan is now also in the final stages of awarding contracts for an eight nuclear reactor with

capacity of 1100 megawatts, taking the countries total capacity to 5000 megawatt, when it is finished. The

current government should take steps to ensure that these plans go through. There are many foreign

contenders in the race. So to attract the countries to contend, Pakistan government needs to take further steps

in offering extra benefits or facilities by making some positive changes in its policies for the betterment of the

country in the long run. In 2017, officials say that existing nuclear power plants can be expanded also, but are

awaiting funding and loans. Pakistan should consider inviting other countries apart from China to bid.

Solar Energy:

Solar Energy is the science of sun rays producing electricity. The sun is the main source of energy rays that

pass through the atmosphere (Dept. of energy,2011). Panels absorb light and create electricity and

photovoltaic Panels are the best solution. Photovoltaic cells are designed for solar and thermal power rays.

They have a negative and positive field, the cells comprise of photons which the Silicon absorbs and photons

become free electrons. This is a DC power and requires a converted to transmit AC power to homes (Lewis,

Larry,2010). Solar thermal is better for large scale residential areas because it produces more electricity

through oil being heated, creating steam for larger mechanical cycles. But thermal is more expensive and has

larger production cost. Heater water solution can be more cost effective but production is less. China is

manufacturing roofs with solar design which would be a feasible option for future use.

Pakistan has an ideal climate condition for solar power generation by having 8 to 9 hours of sunshine per day.

However, the country has been slow to adopt the technology (Adnan, Shahzada,2012). Currently Pakistan has

solar plants in Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan(Ebrahim,Zofeen,2015). Pakistani private energy

sector has taken initiative to develop it with help from Chinese companies and Japan International cooperation

agency, true solar electricity generation system which is a special Grant. In 2012 Pakistan inaugurated its first

solar power on-grid power plant in Islamabad. This is the first on-grid solar PV project that employs net-

metering there by allowing the beneficiaries to sell surplus electricity to Islamabad Electric Supply Company

IESCO. Solar irradiance in Pakistan is 5.3kWh/m²/day. Pakistan set a target to add an estimated 10 GW

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renewable capacity by 2030. The Government of Pakistan allowed the provincial government of Sindh to

conduct a feasibility research so that a desalination plant can be installed powered by solar energy.

Energy's triggers economic prosperity and Pakistan can use the Solar Energy alternative to generate

electricity. Solar energy is an inexhaustible source; it is able to generate ample electricity and also reduces

pollution. By generating solar energy the cost of fossil fuels will lower. Cost saving solar energy for homes is

a reality and Pakistan should take further steps to advance this technology in the country. Large housing

societies need to be designed to build Mega solar projects. Pakistan is located at such a place that it can use

extensive solar rays to generate energy. Pakistan government needs to find cheaper solar equipment to lower

the cost of maintenance. This could be done by privatization handling distribution. The more companies are

included in this business, the more the competition will rise and automatically the prices will reduce. Solar

equipment is coming from China currently. A majority of companies do not have local presence to give

guarantee and warranties, which is needed to overcome any Hurdles. There are no certified solar installers,

which also creates a problem for proper installation. There need to be new policies related to this, so that

different solutions can be built for home and different for commercial use. So certified installers are a must,

the government should also look into the availability of local parts to be provided to the vendor. Cost

effective solutions are a need now, local production is the best solution and the Government of Pakistan needs

to venture into these options and offer bids to local producers, to manufacture local built equipment. Making

solar panels locally is cheap, however, the quality needs to be high with quality solar panels, energy does not

generate, and easily available smaller units need to be encouraged. However, pollution delineates the rays and

poor rays mean poor generation. Pakistan needs to ensure the reduction in pollution, which not only will be

feasible for solar power but also be good for the environment.

The solar power sector deserves more attention by the government of Pakistan. The world is doubling down

on solar power. Currently Pakistan is working on a number of solar power projects but its progress is slow

(Sarfaraz, Dawn,2018). While the government seems to be focused on promoting and building fossil fuel

based power plants the country is underutilizing its solar power potential (Sarfaraz,2018). Solar power

currently plays and negligible role in Pakistan's power generation mix. The share of solar power is so small

that it doesn't even get highlighted in the Finance ministry's report. The central power purchasing agency's

annual report shows that less than 1% of Pakistan's energy mix is by solar power. The rest of the world has

embrace solar power and Pakistan needs to follow in the steps of these countries, for example Germany gets

up almost a third of its electricity from solar power. Spain, Italy, and Japan also utilize this option readily, and

the US also gets 1.3 PC of its electricity from solar power projects. China however is spending heavily to

increase its solar power generation and has the most projects. In Pakistan the alternate energy development

board AEDB operating under the ministry of energy, are the sole authority here (Alternative energy

development board,2019). There are more than two dozen solar projects under various stages of development.

The Government of Pakistan should give more priority to generating power by solar energy, and support these

projects because it's unclear if these projects will actually begin commercial operations. This project located

in Nooribad, Sindh, received the Letter of Intent (LOI) from AEDB in 2013, planned to begin operations in

June 2018, but AEDB'S website shows that so far neither tariff nor a generation license has been awarded to

these projects (Alternative energy development board). The project in Cholistan desert "Quaid-e-Azam solar

power Park "(QASP) has experienced significant delays. The project was initially expected to be completed in

2017, but so far only 300 megawatts has been completed (The Express Tribune,2015). Pakistan is a perfect

candidate for solar power generation; this was confirmed last year when AEDB by partnering with World

Bank developed the country's solar energy maps. Pakistan was given 26th position in the Ernest and young's

renewable energy country attractiveness index, which ranks 40 countries that are most attractive for

renewable energy investment and development opportunities. The country is underutilizing it solar power

potential. Instead of focusing on building dams and fossil fuel based power plants, the government needs to

start focusing on the solar power potential also. The energy deficit budget of Pakistan demands for an energy

transition from Limited fossil fuel reserves to abundant renewable energy sources. ( IftikharA.Raja, M.G.

Dougar, 1999). In view of growing needs of energy in Pakistan, the efficient use and development of

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

renewable energy sources have become a major issue in the country (Adnan, 2012). Pakistan has a strong

potential for solar power generation.

Premier Energy Pvt limited is one of the private companies, who deal in solar systems in Pakistan. They are

working also in the agricultural area helping farmers build solar tube Wells (Premier energy).

The Government needs to privatize this sector and attract more such companies to work in Pakistan to help

produce more electricity through solar power.

Pakistan solar services, also is just one more company providing solar equipment (Paksolar). But only these

companies are not sufficient for the country's production of solar power, more companies need to be included

and encouraged to work in this field, the more the companies the more competition is created, which results in

lower cost. So it's important for Pakistan to offer other companies to come and invest in the country to

produce solar power. The Government needs to pay serious attention to this sector and help develop this

sector further and faster.

Wind Power:

Wind power is the kinetic energy of wind, harnessed and redirected to perform a task mechanically or to

generate electric power. The basic wind turbine design consists of a bladed rotor that drives a shaft to a

generator which uses electromagnetic induction to produce a voltage. Wind turbines are a common source of

renewable energy it produces no Greenhouse gas emissions during operation, consumes no water, and uses

little land (Fthenakis,V Kim,H.C,2009). A wind farm consists of many individual wind turbines, which are

connected to the electric power transmission network. It is cheaper than coal or gas plants. Onshore wind is an

inexpensive source of electric power (Walwyn, Gasch,2013-2015).

The first windmill used for the production of electric power was built in Scotland in 1887(Price,

Trevor,2005). The U.S built and started operating this system in 1886 until 1900(Charles F.Bush,2007).

Throughout the 20th century parallel paths develop small wind stations suitable for farms or homes, and

larger utility-scale wind generators that could be connected to an electric power grid for remote use of power.

Today wind powered generators operate in every size and range, for example "Gansu wind farm" is the

largest wind farm in the world and has several thousand turbines (Watts,2012). A wind farm can also be

located offshore. Offshore wind power refers to the construction of wind farms in large bodies of water to

generate electric power (Gipe,Paul,1993). However, the construction and maintenance cost are considerably

higher. In 2012, 1,662 turbines at 55 offshore wind farms in 10 European countries were producing 18 TWh,

enough to power almost 5 million households. United Kingdom has the largest offshore wind farm in the

world since 2018 at 659 megawatts (Offshore wind market, EWEA,2014). The biggest challenge is, however,

to develop transmission lines to carry power from the wind farms. The actual amount of electric power that

wind is able to generate is calculated by multiplying the nameplate capacity by the capacity factor, which

varies according to equipment and location (Wald, Matthew,2008). China, Germany, and USA are the

countries producing the largest amount of electricity by wind power, but Brazil, India, Canada, the United

Kingdom, Sweden, France, and Turkey have also entered the race (International energy statistics, EIA2018).

Wind onshore is the cheapest option for electric power generation. A 2008 study released by the U.S.

department of energy noted that the capacity factor of new wind installations was increasing as the technology

improves (Dept. of Energy,2013). Australia since 2011 is generating around half of the Nations wind power

capacity in the south Australian region.

Wind power hardly ever suffers major technical failures, since failures of individual wind turbines have

hardly any effect on overall power so that the distributed wind power is reliable and predictable (Center for

national policy, Washinton DC,2012). Germany has an installed capacity of wind and solar that can exceed

daily demand and has been exporting peak power to neighboring countries which exports amounted to some

14.7 billion kwh in 2012(Birken, Gunther,2012). Pakistan makes up more than 6% of the total electricity

production in the country by wind power. As of 2018, wind power capacity in Pakistan was 1,237 megawatts.

The government plans to increase the share of renewable energy capacity(bbc.co.uk,2017). The Gharo-

Jhimpir wind corridor in Sindh and Balochistan, according to surveys conducted is an ideal area for building

wind power plants. Jhimpir, Sindh if the first wind farm in Pakistan and started operation of 50 MW in 2014.

Sapphire wind power plant attained commercial operation in 2015. The Tapal wind farm in Sindh was

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

scheduled for completion in 2016. Also Metro Power Company limited was scheduled to commence

operation in 3rd quarter of 2016(The Express Tribune,2012). Pakistan is well on track to achieve the target of

increased production from renewable energy sources in the long run, but the government needs to take further

initiatives to develop means to generate power by wind. The increase in clean renewable energy production is

a must for protecting the environment which is deteriorating face due to carbon emission from thermal power

houses, which run on fuels like furnace oil and coal (The Express Tribune,2017). 9 more projects with

cumulative generation capacity of 445 megawatts are in various stages of construction presently. These

projects need to be completed. AEDB is encouraging development in this sector, but the government needs to

build new policies regarding this and help in the construction of this project through competitive bidding of

tariff.

Pakistan's big business houses are diversifying their investments into the renewable energy source due to the

incentives been offered. The government needs to encourage these companies further to attract investment by

offering maybe a tax free investment for the first five years.

Fossil Fuels:

Fossil fuels are sources of energy that are formed from the accumulated remains of living organisms that were

buried millions of years ago. Please, heat, and time allowed organic matter to transform into one of the three

major types of fossil fuels, which are Coal, Oil, and natural gas (Sciencedaily,2012). Fossil fuels contain high

percentages of carbon and include petroleum coal and natural gas. Other commonly used derivatives include

kerosene and propane. Fossil fuel is considered to be a non-renewable source of energy because they take

millions of years to form and the known viable reserves are being depleted much faster than new ones are

being made (Fossil fuel advantages and disadvantages, ch.15). The use of fossil fuels raises serious

environmental concerns because the burning of fossil fuels produces large amounts of carbon dioxide per

year. Carbon dioxide is a Greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. A global movement towards the

generation of low carbon renewable energy is underway to help reduce global Greenhouse gas emissions (US

Dept. of energy,2007). Fossil fuel energy consumption in Pakistan was 59.70 as of 2014(World Bank), but the

reserves are depleting fast. The government needs to find new reserves and utilize them. Recently in Dera

Ismail Khan, Mogal coat, seven Wells were discovered near the flowing waterfalls there have been discovered

fossil fuel very near the surface of the earth. The locals are using the oil from these walls to sell locally at

cheap rates. The Government of Pakistan needs to take initiatives to obtain and extract this oil, which is

similar to diesel or kerosene oil, buried only maybe 5 to 6 feet Deep. The nearby area of Musazai locals also

claim that a vast amount of these minerals can easily be found here, and raise the question of why the

government has not yet taken any positive steps to extract this valuable entity from the ground. Pakistan's

government needs to conduct surveys in these areas, and try to find a cost effective way of extraction. The

locals are extracting by their own means almost 30 to 40 liters’ per day(Mansoor khan,fb,video). Dr Noman

Latif, suggest this is crude oil that is being extracted by the locals by just digging holes in the ground, he

suggests that a government Team should conduct a survey and quantify how large and amount is present here.

At least if not on a huge level but if extracted it can be sufficient for the nearby areas. And that this crude oil

can be easily refined to be used in many things. The location of one of these small Wells is near the M-50

right next to the road, and locals have dug small holes to extract this oil. The government needs to pay

attention to the possibility of extracting these fossil fuels effectively from this area. More policies need to be

made to facilitate this extraction and government efforts should focus on this (Mansoor khan,fb,videos).

Conclusion:

This policy brief concludes that there are many alternative energy sources that Pakistan can use and is already

using as an alternative to produce electricity. These alternatives are already available, but need more attention

by the government, so that the country can overcome the energy deficit in a more effective manner. Instead of

just relying on building dams the Pakistan government needs to pay more attention to the other projects, most

of which are still pending due to many reasons. Building dams is a good step forward but building and

completing the dam projects still requires many years and is a slow solution, even though a good one. But

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

along with focusing on dams as a solution, the government needs to also start focusing on these other

alternative that are available. Pakistan is already working to generate electricity through nuclear plants, solar

plants, and fossil fuel. New policies need to be constructed to enhance these alternative options and think of

positive solutions that would support the enhancement of these alternate energy projects. Also, the

Government of Pakistan should take an initiative in discovering the present abundance of fossil fuel in Sindh

and Balochistan, and take steps to extract and bring in use these fossil fuels that are being ignored at present.

Positive strategies need to be made and implemented regarding all options of alternate energy sources

available in the country so that the people of the nation can benefit from these options now. Most problems

arise simply due to an unreasonably high cost of electricity for the average consumer. Fix that, and most

issues will dissipate automatically in due course.

Some may call for the government to increase its contributions to the power sector to aid the people, but that

doesn't shift or reduce the burden — it merely realigns it from energy bills to tax bills. Others may call for

privatization of the energy supply chain, and although private markets may do wonders for an ailing and

inefficient sector, it wouldn’t be enough. While a privately-run power distributor may be able to invest in and

maintain an efficient transmission infrastructure, it cannot magically force its customers to pay their dues on

time. The only long-term, sustainable solution to all these chronic problems is to reduce the cost of

generation. And though Thar coal may be a small blessing — if one ignores the effect on an already

deteriorating environment — some of the coal-fired plants being built run on imported fuel. Although the

share of renewable wind and solar (which can offer non-fuel based clean energy at attractive rates once the

initial payback period runs its course) will still be abysmally low, that of hydropower is expected to increase

to 32pc from 26pc in 2017, with no further addition to non-coal based thermal generation beyond 2018. But

that includes large additions in capacity from uncertain projects such as the Diamer-Bhasha dam, which has

so far been restricted to crowd funding due to judicial activism rather than an attempt at professional planning

and project financing. If they don’t materialize on time and demand continues to march ahead, the

government will then be forced to resort to the relatively quick-to-set-up thermal generation. In short, nothing

would change seven years down the line. Unless our public planners start working towards better ten to 15-

year goals that address core issues in a sustainable way, we would be stuck implementing short-term

measures that simply delay the problems than fix them.

We are already in an energy crisis, so depending only on dams is not a viable solution. By the time dams are

built, the situation will deteriorate further and industry will weaken further, forcing on more imports causing a

larger deficit and an increase in inflation and jobless situations. So instead of waiting and relying only on

dams, Pakistan should focus on alternative resources also, by privatizing various energy sectors and attracting

foreign investors especially from the energy sector.

Policy Recommendations:

1. The government of Pakistan should announce new projects regarding alternate energy sources, especially in

the International Energy sector to attract companies to come and invest in Pakistan to produce electricity.

2. The government should announce a Five year tax exempt to any company wanting to come and invest in

Pakistan to produce alternate energy into electricity.

3. The Five year tax exempt will attract more energy companies to invest in Pakistan creating new jobs and

reducing the electricity costs, because without tax the companies can work on producing cheap electricity and

Consumers will benefit.

4. The competition created will increase the quality and reduce the price for consumers.

5. The privatization of the electricity sector with an example of tax free for the first five years will benefit the

country in the long run. Companies will not have to pay tax, but a minimum amount can be charged in the

bills to generate money for the country.

6. The equipment used by these companies should be duty free from customs to help reduce the cost of

starting a new project or industry.

7. The tax free and duty free scheme should be limited to the first three years, in which companies can come

and bid for these projects so that in this limited time more investors are attracted to invest.

8. All alternative sectors of Solar, Nuclear, Wind and Fossil fuel extraction companies need to be approached

and offered to come and invest in various projects.

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

9. After the first five years the companies will have enough consumers and will have progressed in their

investments and then will be easily available to pay high taxes benefiting the country.

10. International companies can come and extract the crude oil at cheaper cost also.

11. By attracting foreign International Energy companies to come and invest on the incentives of a Five year

tax free and duty free system, more companies will be attracted, more jobs will be created and the local

industry will get a boost by the extra energy been produced.

References:

Nuclear power in Pakistan, Dr. Zia H. Siddiqui and Dr. I.H. Qureshi, pp.31–33.

Khan, Zia (July 15, 2011). "Pakistan wants to join Nuclear Suppliers Group". Tribune Express.

"Germany Opposes United States on China-Pakistan Nuclear Deal". armscontrolnow.org. 21 June 2011

Ijaz, Muhammad, Director of Scientific Information and Public Relation (SIPR) (December 2010). "PAEC

assigned 8,800 MWe nuclear power target by 2030:PAEC contributing to socio-economic uplift of the

country" (PDF). PakAtom Newsletter. Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory: Pakistan Atomic Energy

Commission.

Chari, P.R. (13 July 2011). "Why Indians are not welcome members at the NSG club". Daily News and

Analysis (DNA)

(PAEC), Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (12 May 2011). 340 MW Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit-

2: Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission's Press Directorate.

Nuclear power in Pakistan, Dr. Zia H. Siddiqui and Dr. I.H. Qureshi, pp.31–33.

(PAEC), Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. "Nuclear Power Generation Programme". Government of

Pakistan. PAEC.

Zulfikar, Saman (23 April 2012). "Pak-China energy cooperation". Pakistan Observer.

Professor Riazuddin (13 October 2005)."Contribution of Abdus Salam as Member of PAEC" (PDF). The

Nucleus. Nilore, Islamabad: The Nucleus PINSTECH publication. 42 (1–2): 31–34. ISSN 0029-5698.

Siddiqui, Dr. Zia; Dr. Iqbal Hussain Qureshi (13 October 2005). "Nuclear power in Pakistan" (PDF). The

Nucleus. Nilore, Islamabad: The Nucleus PINSTECH publication. 42 (1–2): 63–66. ISSN 0029-5698.

Munir Ahmad Khan, How Pakistan made nuclear fuel, The Nation, 1998

"China, Pakistan reach controversial deal on nuclear power plant, sources say". foxnews.com. 21 March 2013.

Michealson, David (27 February 2011). "Japan denied the civil nuclear power cooperation with Pakistan".

Daily Jang (in Urdu). Tokyo, Japan: Jang Group of Newspapers. pp. 3–4.

Albright, David (1 June 1998). "The New Labs".

Chaudhry, M.A. (1998). "Pakistan's Nuclear History: Separating Myth from Reality".

Defence Journal of Pakistan.

Ebrahim, Zofeen T. (2015-09-08). "World's largest solar park to light up Pakistan's future". "Quaid-e-Azam

Solar Park: Solar energy's 100MW to arrive in April". The Express Tribune. 27 March 2015.

"International Energy Agency, A Snapshot of Global Photovoltaics Market 2015" (PDF).

"Pakistan looks to wind power". 8 November 2017 – via news.bbc.co.uk.

"Why Wind Energy..?". www.pmd.gov.pk.

"Guidelines for Environmental Assessment of Wind Farms in the Gharo Wind Corridor- Pakistan".

Alternative Energy Development Board.

Jhimpir Wind Power: Pakistan’s first wind farm gets global recognition, Published in "The Express Tribune"

on 22 April 2012.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1432473/pakistan-can-produce-renewable-energy-so-why-do-we-continue-to-

import-pricey-fossil-fuels.

http://www.facebook.com/mansoor.khan.5059601/videos/10157446216609947/

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

Electocracy and Public Policy Paradoxes? Elections, Austerity and Anti-Corruption

strategies in Pakistan.

By Dr. Muhammad Shakeel Ahmad, Assistant Professor, (CPS)

Summary

Elections without fundamental spirit of democracy create a structure of electocracy which leads to policy

paradoxes. Being an integral part of a hybrid regime, electocratic rule is missing democratic norms and

values. Policy paradoxes persist in electocracy as people have limited democratic rights. Public policies are

used as an instrument of governance to control the subaltern voices. Electoral pledges by political parties in

post-colonial hybrid regimes are usually made to transform public policies in the light of neo-liberal context

in order to set a political tone of a society as per the requirement of market driven forces. All electoral slogans

having the statement, “in the larger interest of the citizens”, seldom translate themselves into public policy

programmes. In electocracy, politicians can win elections, but they are unable to translate electoral power into

public policy choices. As per Economist intelligence Unit’s Index Pakistan is included in the hybrid regime

with a score of 4.26 out of 10 and is witnessing a gradual decline in democratic indicators (Economic

Intelligence Unit 2018). Political parties struggled to win elections without promoting democratic values and

tried to initiate such populist strategies like austerity and anti-corruption move to turn away from mass

oriented public policies. The present ruling political party, Pakistan Tehreeq-i-Insaf has got electoral victory

through those electable who knows the science to win elections (Ikram Junaidi 2018), under electoral slogan

of “Change”. After assuming electoral power by PTI, the politics of change have multiple challenges to

address social and economic development of voters. Austerity and anti-corruption strategies seem effective

political tools to get rid of electoral promises and public policy choices. This policy brief explains paradoxes

of public policies and their relations with austerity measures and anti-corruption strategies.

Introduction

Pakistan Tehreeq-i-Insaf (PTI), a present ruling political party in Pakistan initiated the populist move of

austerity measures and anti-corruption strategies in Pakistan. These strategies are not new, previous

governments in Pakistan had also taken such type of initiatives, but they could not deliver to uplift human

dignity. As per UN human development report (2018), Human development index of Pakistan is 150/189

which is even lower than the regional countries. Despite austerity measures and anti-corruption strategies,

ruling party claim that elections are transparent. Regarding electoral transparency and integrity; why public

policies fail to improve human development indicators in Pakistan?

The market driven forces in the form of neoliberalism and their connections with post-colonial ruling elite in

Pakistan along with structural formation of state is important to understand the puzzle of austerity, anti-

corruption and public policy paradoxes. The colonial social classification and its permeation in post-colonial

power structure have designed neo-liberal post-colonial hybrid structure of Pakistan within the broader

arrangement of global capitalist expression.

The present austerity measures and anti-corruption strategies got mix responses. There is a need to understand

the relationship of elections, austerity measures and anti-corruption strategies in the framework of “neo-

liberal, post-colonial hybrid context”. Implementation of neoliberalism and its relations with post-colonialism

subsequently strengthen and favour the anti-democratic culture and seems most suitable to the existing

dominant power structure in the hybrid regime. To produce social relations that are more favourable to the

accumulation of capital austerity and anti-corruption strategies are employed as a tool to move further towards

a market society, creating a larger, more interventionist state and promoting authoritarianism. Anti-corruption

strategies and austerity are the emerging tools of neo-liberal forces to handle post-colonial power structure in

hybrid regimes like Pakistan. The history of austerity measures and anti-corruption strategies reflect

disparities and mistrust over the functioning of governments. Jennifer M. Silva 2013)

The market driven forces in the form of neoliberalism and their connections with post-colonial ruling elite in

Pakistan is a product and enforcer of anti-democratic practices.

Implementation of neoliberalism and its relations with post-colonialism subsequently strengthen and favour

the anti-democratic culture and seems most suitable to dominant the power structure in a hybrid regime.

To produce social relations that are more favourable to the accumulation of capital austerity and anti-

corruption strategies are employed as a tool to move further towards a market society, creating a larger, more

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

interventionist state and promoting authoritarianism. Anti-corruption strategies and austerity are the emerging

tools of neo-liberal forces to handle the post-colonial power structure in hybrid regimes like Pakistan.

The liberal trends in electoral politics and their relations with citizenship are facing great challenges. In liberal

and neo-liberal context state role remains central. In liberal context rights of the people have supremacy but in

neoliberal context market is the determining force of mass-oriented policies.

Discussion

The neoliberal-driven post-colonial hybrid regime care more about consolidating power in the hands of the

political, corporate and financial elite than they do about investing in the future of young people and

expanding the benefits of the social contract and common good. This attitude has been reflected in the entire

electoral history of Pakistan. The governing strategies of PTI after 2018 elections are also an expression of

neo-liberal post-colonial hybrid regime. The glittering public sphere of electoral campaigns and attractive

slogans like combating corruption, eradicating nepotism and ensuring accountability attracted voters to

support the parties of their own manufactured choices. In post- colonial and neoliberal context political parties

and elections act to fuse and distort political voices of subalterns and favoured political interest of dominant

corporate and political elite. Political parties in their electoral manifestos and electoral campaigns talk about

the interest of common people and when they get electoral power then they work to protect the interest of the

dominant political and corporate elite. Talking about the poor and working for the rich seems like a political

principle on which power policy in the name of public policy is based.

Such evidence has been reflected in the manifestos of PTI (2018), where it talked about the ordinary

Pakistanis by saying that it is the party of ordinary Pakistanis toiling hard to make a better future for

himself/herself and his/her family. The self-proclaimed party of the ordinary people later decided to award

electoral ticket to those electable who knew the science to win elections. Imran Khan, the PTI chairman

during the start of elections 2018 stated that, “…I want to make it clear that tickets will be awarded to those

who know the science of contesting elections because change cannot be brought without winning the

elections. So our first priority is to win the elections”. The manifestos of all political parties’ shows strong

commitments with democracy and welfare of the citizens but all these commitments seem to have failed to

deliver at the grass root level, (Ikram Junaidi (2018). The policy guidelines of PTI stated as:

“PTI stands for an effective government with merit and responsiveness as the guiding principles. PTI strongly

believes that an ineffective state structure has generated a crisis of governance that has effectively

marginalized everyone in the country except a small number of elites. Therefore, PTI will end this corrupt and

decaying system to build anew on the foundations of Justice and Equity. The legacy of misrule and misery by

the hands of corrupt inept elite will be relegated to the dustbin of history” (PTI manifesto 2018).

After winning the electoral race, new government under the premiership of Imran Khan has launched an

austerity and anti-corruption drive to avoid Pakistan going to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a

financial bailout. The austerity drives in Pakistan are not new it is an extension of global austerity measures

initiated in the neoliberal system. In 1980s, General Zia also extended the neo-liberal austerity idea with a

religious brand name “Islamic Simplicity” in Pakistan

It is not the first time that a Pakistani head of government has launched an austerity drive. In the early 1980s,

ex-military dictator General Zia promoted the idea of "Islamic simplicity". In 1980s and 1990s austerity and

measures related to eradication of corruption were publicised but did not yield substantial results.

Presently, Pakistan’s financial debt is estimated at $95.097 billion and its trade deficit is $37.7 billion in 2018

fiscal year. In the same year Pakistan spent $60.9 billion on import particularly the import of machinery to

facilitate infrastructural development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In such a situation

spending on social sectors for the development of common masses seem to be out of the question and lead to

increase inequalities in a society. It is not possible for public policies to be successful in “larger inequalities”.

Inequalities cause to convert public policies into power policies where common masses further fell in the

vicious circle of the domination of power. Keeping in view the severity of the economic situation, the present

government started an austerity derive. On celebrating 100th day performance on November 29, 2018, PTI

declared austerity and anti-corruption strategies as achieved targets within the stipulated time period of a

hundred days. PTI performance report stated as explained by Geo News on 29 November 2018 is as:

“The Prime Minister does not reside in the symbol of opulence that is the PM House. The government has

been auctioning luxury cars and austerity is visible in every aspect of the government’s functioning. In the

PM house alone, nearly Rs150 million have been saved since the start of this term. As another example, the

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

Communications Division auctioned vehicles worth more than Rs200 million and saved more than Rs30

million as a result of cost-cutting interventions”.

Austerity drive and anti-corruption strategies have mixed responses. These strategies in many other parts of

the world were used to reduce funding to social development sectors. Richard D. Wolff (2010), has argued

that “Austerity is yet another extreme burden imposed on the global economy by the capitalist crisis (in

addition to the millions suffering unemployment, reduced global trade, etc.).” Austerity is a tool of neo-liberal

forces to marginalize the powerless and it seems as a stage of market warfare, class consolidation and a

grabbing power by neoliberal post-colonial elite. In neo-liberal post-colonial arrangements public spheres and

institutions that nourish democratic values are being dismantled.

Conclusion

Public policies and their relations with austerity measures and anti-corruption strategies have a very complex

relationship with each other. In neoliberal post-colonial societies like Pakistan, public policies, austerity

drives and anti-corruption measures protect the interests of corporate and politically dominant elite. For the

oppressed and powerless these policies further create a web of powerlessness. Austerity and anti-corruption

strategies in the current configurations of electoral power in Pakistan will further reproduce electocracy.

In the current electocratic system, public policies, austerity and anti-corruption strategies act as a counter

strategy to fuse and distort the voices of social justice. Public policies camouflaged with austerity and anti-

corruption strategies seems as power policies that speak harsh to subaltern and politely to the corporate and

dominant political elite.

Policy Recommendations

1. For avoiding policy paradoxes, there is a need to restructure the economic system.

2. Strengthen the voices of marginalized communities in order to restructuring the mode of production

and social relations with production.

3. Reducing inequalities for effective policy implementation.

4. Efforts to convert electocratic trends into deliberative democratic values.

5. Be careful in austerity and anti-corruption drives as these are effective tools to protect the neo-liberal

corporate agenda.

6. Spend more and more on social development through improving masses’ social relations with

production.

References

Economic Intelligence Unit. (2018). Democracy Index 2017, http://www.eiu.com/topic/democracy-index

Ikram Junaidi. (2018). Electables’ are essential for poll triumph, Imran tells protesters , Daily Dawn (internet

Edition), June 23

UNDP. (2018). Human Development Index (HDI), http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-index-

hdi

Jennifer M. Silva. (2013). Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood In An Age of Uncertainty, Oxford

Press, New York, NY, 2013, p. 25.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. (2018). PTI Manifesto 2018, http://insaf.pk/public/insafpk/content/manifest

DW Asia. (2018). The myth of austerity: Why PM Imran Khan's populism won't solve Pakistan's woes,

https://www.dw.com/en/the-myth-of-austerity-why-pm-imran-khans-populism-wont-solve-pakistans-woes/a-

45304037

Geo News. (2018). PTI performance report on first 100 days, https://www.geo.tv/latest/220134-pti-

performance-report-on-first-100-days

Richard D. Wolff. (2010). “Austerity: Why and for Whom?,” In These Times, (July 15)

Online: http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/6232/austerity_why_and_for_whom/

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

Impact of Poverty on Economic and Political Outlook of Pakistan.

By Dr. Saeed Anwar, Assistant Professor, (CPS)

Summary

Poverty is such a menace which affects a society in different ways and creates several problems. Some of

these issues include corruption, drug-addiction, exploitation, famine, high crime rates, illiteracy, malnutrition,

pollution, unemployment, underemployment, suicides, terrorism, wars, chaos, lawlessness, disorder etc.

Pakistan is currently facing many cultural, economic, political and social problems due the prevalence of high

poverty ratios. Some tables in this policy brief will show the poverty ratio, national poverty line of Pakistan

and per capita income in Pakistan. Among these aspects, the present policy brief will shed light on only two

aspects i.e. the economic and the political impact of poverty on Pakistan. After analysis of the data, the write

will conclude policy brief along with some policy recommendations.

Poverty in Pakistan: Current Situation

Poverty exists in Pakistan since its independence in 1947. During the last seven decades, different

governments have followed different programs for poverty alleviation and poverty mitigation, however,

despite all efforts, the poverty ratios in Pakistan show a very minimum change (Afzal,2009). Table 1 shows

prevalence of poverty in different era of Pakistan:

Table 1: Poverty Ratios from 1960-2000(World Bank)

Year Poverty Ratio

1964 40.24

1967 44.50

1970 46.53

1979 30.68

1985 24.47

1988 17.32

1991 22.11

1993 22.40

1997 31.00

1999 32.60

The data depicts high ratios of poverty in Pakistan in each decade. From 1960s to 2000, the lowest value

observed was 17.32 percent. Conversely, Pakistan is a country which is thickly populated, consequently, this

17.32 is a sizable figure and amounted to increased poverty. In Pakistan, public and private organizations use

different methods for poverty measurement. Among these methods, “National Poverty Line” and “Dollar

based Headcount Ratio” are more popular. National Poverty Line method is being used by Government of

Pakistan, while Dollar based Headcount Ratio is being used by Word Bank. As these two methods use

different poverty measurement base, therefore, the percentage of poor, as depicted by them, is also different.

Table 2 shows percentage of poor measured by calorie based National Poverty Line by Government of

Pakistan:

Table 2: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Line

Year Population

(Million )

Poverty Rate

(%age of Population)

No. of Poor

(Million)

Poverty Line

(Rs. Per Month)

2005 153.35 50.4 77.29 878.64

2007 159.77 44.1 70.46 1141.53

2010 170.04 36.8 62.57 -

2011 173.67 36.3 63.04 1745.00

2013 181.19 29.5 53.45 3030

The data shows that on one hand poverty line is gradually raised by government from Rs. 878.64 in 2005 to

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

Rs. 3030/- in 2013, while on the other hand, the number of poor decreases from 50.4 percent in 2005 to 29.5

percent in 2013. (Finance Division)

In addition to National Poverty Line, World Bank also measures poverty on the basis of dollar earning per

day. There are two dollar standards set by World Bank i.e. earning $1.90 and $3.10 per day. Both of these

standards show the percentage of population which earns less than the respective dollar standards. Table 3

shows percentage of population which earns less than $1.90 per day, while table 4 shows the poverty

headcount ratios at $3.10 a day.

Table 3: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $1.90 a day (2011 PPP)

Year Population

(Million

Poverty Rate

(%age of Population)

No. of Poor

(Million)

2005 153.35 16.48 25.27

2007 159.77 13.13 20.98

2010 170.04 8.28 14.08

2011 173.67 7.93 13.77

2013 181.19 6.07 10.99

Table 4: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.10 a day (2011 PPP)

Year Population

(Million

Poverty Rate

(%age of Population)

No. of Poor

(Million)

2005 153.35 57.05 87.49

2007 159.77 52.88 84.49

2010 170.04 44.92 76.38

2011 173.67 43.58 75.68

2013 181.19 36.88 66.82

Table 3 shows that the percentage of people earning less than $1.90 a day fell from 16.48 in 2005 to 6.07 in

2013; while table 4 shows that the percentage of population earning less than $3.10 a day fell from 57.05 to

36.88 in 2013.

Table 3 and table 4 show that the percentage of poor in Pakistan, living in chronic poverty, is decreasing

rapidly. However, this is just one side of the picture. These ratios are based upon lowest level of earning, i.e.

earning $1.90 a day. According to these statistics, in 2013 approximately 11 million people in Pakistan were

unable to earn 1.90 dollar a day. This makes it very difficult for them to afford bare minimum necessities of

life, including food, shelter, clothing and medicine etc. (Fisman,2010)

In contrast to this, table 4 shows that in 2013, approximately 66 million people were earning less than $3.10

per day. Although $3.10 seems a reasonable value, however, in present days, it is very difficult for a person to

live a respectable life at 3.10 dollars a day.

National Poverty Line and World Bank’s headcount ratio methods are indicating that man is heading towards

alleviation of poverty from his societies, however, one must not forget that this data shows extreme poverty

levels. However, the development goals should be set in such a way that they can enable a person to easily

fulfill his basic needs, rather than living hand-to-mouth.

Impact of Poverty on Pakistan

Poverty is a gigantic threat which affects a society in diverse ways and creates several problems and issues.

Some these issues include malnutrition, pollution, unemployment, underemployment, suicides, terrorism,

wars, corruption, drug-addiction, exploitation, famine, high crime rates, illiteracy, etc(Krueger,2003).

Pakistan is currently facing severe problems of cultural, economic, political and social problems due the

prevalence of high poverty ratios. Among these aspects, the present policy brief will throw light on only two

aspects i.e. the economic and the political impact of poverty on Pakistan (Farmer,1993):

Economic Impact of Poverty in Pakistan

The existence of severe poverty in Pakistan affects the economic lives of people in many ways. Some of the

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

problems which are being faced by a common Pakistani due to the existence of poverty include (Nasir,2001):

Child Labour

According to International Labour Organization (ILO), there were approximately 3.4 million child labours in

Pakistan in 2015(Deen,2015). The problem of child labour in Pakistan is directly associated with poverty. In

poor families, the bread winners constitute both, adults as well as children. Although education is a basic right

of a child, however, these days it does not come free. Therefore, in the presence of poverty, parents of a child

cannot afford to send him/her for schooling; rather, he has to work in order to support his family. This does

not only affect the career of a child, but, in many cases, his/her personality also shatters, as he/she has to face

child abuse (Cockburn,2001).

Corruption

According to Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International, Pakistan was at a rank of 116 out of

a total of 176 countries. In Pakistan, poverty and corruption have a bilateral relationship, as both are the cause

of each other. As corruption results in poverty, similarly poverty forces a person towards corruption. In

Pakistan, a major part of development budget lands in the pockets of corrupt mafia, leaving a little amount for

the welfare of the poor and needy (Fisman,2010). Similarly, sometimes poverty forces a poor to start

following corrupt practices in order to fulfill the basic needs of his family as he cannot see them continuously

deprived of food, shelter, clothing and medicine. Therefore, this situation forces him to pursue corruption and

find illegal ways of earning. Thus, in Pakistan, the poverty has forced several towards bribery, adultery,

stealing, drug dealing and other social and economic crimes (Fisman,2010).

Illiteracy

According to the World Bank report (2014), tertiary gross enrollment rate in Pakistan is 10.3 percent. Among

many other factors contributing to this low tertiary enrollment rate, one is poverty, as formal education is

becoming expensive day-by-day, getting out of the reach of the poor. A poor person, who already has a

shortage of resources, cannot afford to provide his children with expensive education (Ali, Muynck, 2004).

As a result, his children remain illiterate and have to agree with low paying jobs. In some cases, a poor person

may be able to provide primary and secondary education, but higher education is out his reach. As the

university education (BS, MS and PhD) is very expensive these days, therefore, only that person can afford it

that has sufficient economic resources. As a result, the higher education is currently out of reach of the poor,

making it a luxury which can only be afforded by rich and elites (Cockburn,2001).

Unemployment and Underemployment

According to the World Bank, the unemployment rate in Pakistan was 5.2 percent in 2014. Although these

statistics seem reasonable, however, most of the people who are counted as ‘employed’ are actually

underemployed. Poverty has a significant role in underemployment or unemployment of a person (Finance

Division). As it is mentioned above that poverty hinders a person from attaining adequate education,

therefore, it results in unemployment or underemployment. In the present situation of Pakistan, due to lack of

jobs and competitive environment, a person with no or little education finds it difficult to acquire a

job(Krueger,2003). In the presence of severe poverty and concentration of jobs in Pakistan, a large number of

people are competing with each other for a limited number of jobs. As the number of jobs is less, as compared

to job seekers, therefore, the remaining have to face unemployment. Moreover, as a poor person cannot afford

high quality education, thus, in the presence of this competitive market, he has only two choices: (i) accept an

underemployed job or, (ii) remain unemployed for an unspecified period of time. Therefore, those who are in

dire need to support their families cannot afford to wait for a suitable job and have to accept

underemployment and are counted as ‘employed’ in government statistics (Afzal,2009).

Political Impact of Poverty in Pakistan

Poverty also has an evident impact on political outlook of a country. A country must be politically strong in

order to face internal and external challenges. However, severe and wide spread poverty results in political

instability in a country, hence, providing its enemies a chance to exploit the situation in their favour

(Nasir,2001). Pakistan is presently facing many political problems due to wide spread poverty. Some of these

problems include:

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

Immigration

In terms of immigration and mass movement, poverty has affected the population of certain areas of Pakistan.

The existence of severe and wide spread poverty has created several problems, forcing people to migrate from

one region to another. Some of these scenarios include famine, disasters, law and order, terrorism and wars

etc. As a result of these events, a large number of people have migrated from one region to another. For

instance, inadequate development activities, due to lack of economic resources, after the incidents of 2005

earthquake, 2010 flood and 2014 counter-terrorism operation in North Waziristan, forced people to leave their

homes (Deen,2015). This has resulted in skewed population distribution in major cities of Pakistan. As natural

resources in a certain geographical region are limited, therefore, this mass movement resulted in more people

and fewer economic opportunities. Therefore, severe and wide spread poverty has also affected those citizens

of Pakistan who are economically well-off.

Terrorism

Among many causes of terrorism in Pakistan, one important factor is poverty. Poverty has affected both sides

of terrorism, i.e. the terrorists and the terrorized. When, in the presence of poverty, people are not able to meet

their basic needs, some of them are attracted to the world of terror and crime (Krueger,2003). They are hired

by the terrorist organizations to spread terrorism in the society, in order to pursue their agenda. Moreover, due

to lack of budget, Pakistan is also not able to install and implement proper security equipment and protocols.

In the absence of proper security measures, terrorists have found it easy to pursue their agenda. Thus, as a

result of poverty, the law and order in Pakistan has been severely disturbed due to its economic inability to

fight terrorism (Fisman,2010).

War

A poor country may also have to face wars and battles. As poverty hinders a country to take sufficient

security measures, it remains weak and becomes an easy prey for aggressive neighbors. In some cases, when a

poor country has natural resources and it is unable to utilize them due to lack of infrastructure, it becomes a

battleground between rich countries who try to capture these natural resources. It was reported by several

researchers that one of the reasons of deprivation of Baluchistan is the existence of large quantities of natural

resources. Hence, world powers are trying to separate Baluchistan from Pakistan (Bansal,2006). Therefore,

even, when Pakistan does not want to indulge in war with anyone, it is forced to fight for its survival.

Conclusion

Poverty is a serious problem for Pakistan. It is such a multi-dimensional phenomenon which is affecting every

walk of life of a common Pakistani, whether he is rich or poor. Every aspect of life – cultural, economic,

political and social – is affected with the evils of this poverty. Some of the causes of this wide spread poverty

in Pakistan can be summarized as inadequate education, unemployment, racism, gender discrimination, low

wage rates, corruption and law and order.

Policy Recommendations:

Based on the above mentioned research, following policy recommendations are made to improve the political

and economic outlook in Pakistan:

1. Government should take initiative to mitigate and alleviate poverty.

2. Government should provide education to every citizen because education can help to overcome the

problems regarding cultural, economic, political and social issues.

3. All stake holders must contribute to eradicate poverty consequently prosperity can remove problems

associated with poverty.

4. Terrorism and extremism can be countered with the help of teaching and spreading peace education

and peace programs.

5. Universities and learning institutions should arrange conferences and programs of Peace education

because Pakistan needs peace and prosperity.

6. All educated people of Pakistan, Electronic and Print Media should spread awareness of education,

peace education, political vision and a way forward to economic growth.

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

References

Afzal, M. (2009). Population growth and economic development in Pakistan. The Open Demography Journal,

2(1).

Ahmed, A. (2016). FATA after operation Zarb-e-Azb. Defence Journal, 19(10).

Ali, M., Shahab, S., Ushijima, H., & de Muynck, A. (2004). Street children in Pakistan: a situational analysis

of social conditions and nutritional status. Social Science & Medicine, 59(8).

Bansal, A. (2006). Balochistan: Continuing violence and its implications. Strategic Analysis, 30(1).

Cockburn, J. (2001). Child labour versus education: Poverty constraints or income opportunities?. Center for

the Study of African Economies, Oxford University.

Davies, V. A. (2006). Diamonds, poverty and war in Sierra Leone. Small-scale mining, rural subsistence and

poverty in West Africa.

Deen, S. (2015). Pakistan 2010 floods. Policy gaps in disaster preparedness and response. International

journal of disaster risk reduction, 12.

Escaleras, M., Anbarci, N., & Register, C. A. (2007). Public sector corruption and major earthquakes: A

potentially deadly interaction. Public Choice, 132(1-2).

Farmer, P., Lindenbaum, S., & Good, M. J. D. (1993). Women, poverty and AIDS: an introduction. Culture,

Medicine and Psychiatry, 17(4).

Finance Division, Pakistan Economic Survey (http://www.finance.gov.pk/).

Fisman, R., & Miguel, E. (2010). Economic gangsters: corruption, violence, and the poverty of nations.

Princeton University Press.

Khan, S. B. (2010). Problems in Universalization of Primary Education in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of

Commerce & Social Sciences, 4(2).

Krueger, A. B., & Malečková, J. (2003). Education, poverty and terrorism: Is there a causal connection?. The

Journal of Economic Perspectives, 17(4).

Nasir, Z. M. (2001). Poverty and Labour Market Linkages in Pakistan. Pakistan institute of development

economics.

Wirsing, R. G. (2012). Baloch nationalism and the geopolitics of energy resources: The changing context of

separatism in Pakistan. Lulu. com.

Policy perspective of youth Volunteerism in Pakistan.

By Abaid Ullah, Manager, (CPS)

Summary

Pakistan is a developing country where civic responsibilities are less important. There is dire need to promote

volunteerism in Pakistan and for this purpose the government needs to implement sustainable nation

Volunteer policy through public private partnership. Volunteerism can benefit the government in the

following areas:

• Mobilize volunteers to achieve development goals

• Support in government priority areas

• Health, safety and education in Pakistan

• Disaster response mechanism

• Promotion of National citizenship and civic responsibilities etc

• Economic development etc

This policy brief is about the state of volunteerism in Pakistan and how Pakistan youth can be motivated and

engaged in volunteering activities. This policy brief has identified some areas of services where volunteerism

can play an important role

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Introduction

The Spirit of Volunteerism

In today’s global village, people know better about what is happening in the world due to the access of

internet and electronic media. We are seeing pictures and videos of the people who are helping others in

bringing their lives back on track after a disaster. Some people have compassion to approach avalanche hit

areas and help the people in whatever way they can. Pakistani youth have a passion to help others, but they

are not well trained for this cause, due to the lack of government attention and training, while developed

countries have sophisticated training programs for the promotion of volunteerism. These countries encourage

people to participate in the community’s development and rehabilitation programs.

What is Volunteerism?

Volunteerism is defined as freely shaping and influencing young people in development by identifying their

expertise and time. Volunteers act as a role model for the society and play their role in time to improve a

society’s situation in terms of conduct and action. They are basically an inspirational model for the society.

Volunteer’s functions are normally based on some set of principles and for the target outcome. (Haski-

Leventhal (2009))

Volunteer definition:

Anyone who offers time, skills and energy for the mutual interests with his own free will is called a volunteer.

A volunteer works without financial benefits and agrees upon non-reimbursement of expenses. (Haski-

Leventhal (2009))

Youth volunteerism in Pakistan

Pakistani youth have a passion to help others, but they are not well trained for this cause due to the lack of

government attention and training. On the other hand, developed countries have sophisticated training

programs for the promotion of volunteerism. These countries encourage people to participate in community’s

development and rehabilitation programs.

There is a wide scope of volunteerism in Pakistan, as a lot of community work can be done through this

activity. Pakistani youth which is the largest youth community in the world as per UNDP Report 2017, two

third of the population of Pakistanis are below 30 years of age. Pakistani youth have the abilities and time to

promote community’ driven activities in the country only if they are provided with proper training and are

motivated for a cause.

Energetic Pakistani youth are ready to contribute for the nation’s development, but all depends upon the

opportunities they are provided to them. Pakistani youth are very optimistic in bringing prosperity and peace

to the society by playing their role effectively. It is up to the government and its institutions to design youth

engagement policies and programs that provide opportunities to the youth to work for the society’s

betterment. (Sadaf,2012).

A study conducted by MattiUllah Butt in 2016, clearly shows that Pakistani youth have all the passion to

involve themselves in volunteers’ activities. Research index shows that the youth have more interests to

perform community service in the country and are ready to spend time and expertise for community welfare

(Butt, MattiUllah…etal, 2015)

The difference between developed countries and developing countries is that in developing countries, the

spirit of the volunteerism is seasonal like during a flood or earthquake etc. In developed countries there are

established volunteers’ program for example, the school children volunteer’s program, housewife’s

volunteer’s program, retired people’s volunteer program, and community work volunteer’s program etc, but

sadly these kind of programs are considered to be less important in our countries.

Areas for volunteering

Research shows that Pakistani youth have a potential and the time to contribute for the nation’s development

and can utilize time for volunteering activities for national interest as well as for their own learning and

development. What we need to do is to promote volunteerism in the society and empower our youth to come

up to the expectations.

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

A volunteer can be involved in the following areas:

General services

General volunteering service includes volunteer’s involvement in health sector and it can be effective both for

private and government hospitals. We can improve the services of the hospitals by involving volunteers and it

is the best way to provide cheap and free health facilities. Research work done by Hotchkiss, Unruh, &Fottler

(2014), shows that there is a significant health improvement by involving youth as volunteering health

services and it is a very cost-effective strategy. It also improves other health indicators like patient heath

safety and mental satisfaction.

Emergency services

It is obvious that the Pakistani nation act strongly in any disaster situation and people voluntarily help each

other in such situations. In the 2005 earthquake, everyone knows how the people voluntarily contributed and

saved human lives. Most of the people who participated in the rescue work were not trained and it was an

informal kind of volunteering, but they played their role effectively. Citizens of the Pakistan feel proud to

spend their time, abilities and resources in emergency situations. Proper volunteerism policy will help the

country in this kind of emergency services.

Environmental services.

Sentimental services get significant attention in Pakistan. The recent government has taken good measures to

protect the environment by planting trees in the country. Most of the work has been done through informal

volunteerism. Volunteers can be engaged in environmental services effectively. This is the core issue now a

days and involving volunteers in environmental protection is a very cost-effective strategy.

The other areas where volunteers can play their role are recreational services, religious services, and Political

volunteering.

Youth Volunteerism the way forward:

Pakistan’s urban and rural area both have many challenges and issues at different levels and it is up to the

policy makers to design long term plans for youth empowerment and engagement. Youth engagement was

included in the manifesto of this present government and now they have to implement their plan through

public private partnership in the country so that the youth may not get frustrated.

UNDP, UNV have an excellent plan to empower youth and promote youth volunteerism in different parts of

the globe. UNV is hiring volunteers and then putting them in training programs, and after that effectively

utilizes the services of the volunteer in a productive way. Currently UNV has more than 7500 volunteers’

worldwide that include men and women of 160 nationalities mainly from developing countries. These

volunteers are then assigned various responsibilities.

Pakistan Red Crescent is another good example of youth volunteerism. They have a sophisticated recruitment

plan and they recruit the graduates of different universities and then provide them with the required training,

after that they utilize their abilities during different assignments of blood donations and avalanche situations

etc.

The other organizations currently working in Pakistan for the promotion of volunteerism are Voluntary

Services Overseas, National Volunteers Movement, WWF and National Commission for Human

Development.

The role of youth in nation development is very important. The changing political environment is expected to

provide a platform to our youth to promote volunteerism and engage youth for the various policies

implementation. For this purpose, the need of the hour is to promote volunteerism among Pakistani youth

throughout their education period. After the 17th constitutional amendment, the resources are now in the hand

of the provinces. All provinces are required to draft comprehensive youth volunteer policies and to create an

action plan for the execution of the policy in their respective provinces.

Policy recommendations

1. Efforts are made to promote sustainable culture of volunteerism in Pakistan.

2. The Government needs to announce more intrinsic rewards, recognitions and honor for the

volunteering activities.

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

3. Volunteerism may be promoted through grass root level and basic information about volunteerism

needs to be included in the curriculum of the primary education as it is the initial learning period.

4. Volunteerism should be promoted at school level and University level, and a subject of civic

responsibilities should be included in the curriculum so that our youth can be aware of their civic

responsibilities and will be able to fulfill a psychological contract for their country.

Reference:

Sadaf B. (2012) Craving for Change: Educated youth perceptions survey report, Peace Education and

Development Foundation Islamabad

Haski-Leventhal, D. (2009). Altruism and Volunteerism: The perceptions of altruism in four disciplines and

their impact on the study of volunteerism. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 39(3), 271–299.

doi:10.1111/j.1468-5914.2009.00405.x

Sadaf, B Craving for Change: Educated youth perceptions survey report, Peace Education and Development

Foundation Islamabad. (2012)

The Next Generation, Pakistan: The Next Generation British Council, Pakistan. (2009)

Hoikkala, Tommi, and Leena Suurpää. "Finnish youth cultural research and its relevance to youth

policy." Young 13, no. 3 (2005): 285-312. (200

Haski‐Leventhal, Debbie. "Altruism and volunteerism: The perceptions of altruism in four disciplines and

their impact on the study of volunteerism." Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour 39, no. 3 (2009): 271-

299.

Butt, Mattiullah, Bei Hu, and Kamran Ahmed Soomro. "Volunteering activities in developing countries: A

study of youth participation in Pakistan." European Journal of Business and Management 7, no. 13 (2015):

317-327.

Hotchkiss, Renee Brent, Lynn Unruh, and Myron D. Fottler. "The role, measurement, and impact of

volunteerism in hospitals." Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 43, no. 6 (2014): 1111-1128.

The Super Ministry Approach to Coordination and Governance.

By Umar Sheraz, Senior Research officer, (CPS)

Summary

Due to the recent austerity drive of the present government, a super ministry approach for effective

coordination and governance can be considered. Such a governance approach, integrates authority under one

roof, minimizes cost and demonstrates government willing to improve governance. On the flip side, cultural

and historical path dependencies create limitations and a lack of a common shared worldview is important

hindrances to the success of the super ministry approach. Given its pros and cons, the adoption of the super

ministry model needs to be carefully scrutinized before it is implemented in Pakistan.

Introduction

Austerity is one of the important priorities of the present government to save money. One possible way of

achieving major objectives of austerity could be the creation of a “Super Ministry” for effective coordination

amongst different organs of government and implementation of good governance. Over the past few decades,

a super ministry approach to governance has emerged as one of the apparent solutions for governance and

policy coordination, in many parts of the world. Under this mode of governance, all relevant sectors can be

integrated under one ministry, and under a single leadership (minister). The minister has the authority to

develop facilitating strategies and can oblige the various divisions in his ministry to comply with his

approach. Due to this approach, costs as well as benefits are internalized within one organization, which

should noticeably lead to a reduction of negative externalities and hence more efficiency (Braun, 2008). Such

an organization would develop a ‘standard interest’ in pursuing cohesion of the knowledge space and link the

different policy sectors if such a strategy were fixed from the outset in its ‘constitution’. Transaction costs

usually involved in bringing different ministries together could be reduced considerably (Braun, 2008).

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Apart from the above, there is a great symbolic value to the specific organizational form of a new super

ministry. According to (Peters, 1998), the very fact that a super ministry is created is important because it

indicates the willingness of the government to think differently about moving ahead in a particular arena and

that it is prepared for organizational innovation, giving the relevant policy area a high priority. New visions

can be integrated into the ‘constitution’ of the ministry that determines the rationale of action, because of the

leadership of a new minister, who still has to earn his or her merits, and because new institutions are

generally more flexible and more innovative before they start to develop routines. This may provide the

impetus and energy for a new philosophy of innovation in policy making (Peters, 1998).

It is this ‘ideal’ portrayal of a super ministry that has influenced many governments to experiment with the

organizational form of a super ministry. Many countries like Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, etc have super ministries

devoted to Water-Energy/Electricity; Ethiopia has a Water, Energy and Irrigation “super ministry”. South

Korea, which has been a role model for development in the South has, established a new “super” Ministry of

Science, ICT and Future Planning, in 2013 under the leadership of President Park Geun-hye. In 2014, the

Indian government brought together the ministries of power, coal and renewable energy to form a new super

ministry under the minister of energy. Since 1993, the Danish policy on science, innovation, higher education

and technology has been formulated and coordinated by the ‘super ministry’, Ministry of Science,

Technology and Innovation (Ministeriet for Videnskab, Teknologi og Udvikling, VTU) (Braun, 2008).

VTU is an example of a centralized coordinated organization, with strong internal coordination of science,

innovation and technology policies as well as higher education in one ministry. The internal organization of

VTU is inspired by new public management approaches and the two most predominant horizontal and vertical

coordination and control tools within the area of research and innovation are the use of performance contracts

and institutional mergers (Koch, 2008).

The Limitations of the Super ministry Approach

The super ministry approach has its limitations as well, many of which are embedded in cultural and historical

path dependencies. To begin with, coordination and merger of different sectors/ministries does not come

without cost. People, who propose the process of reorganization of institutions and governance structures,

normally ignore that it is a massive and costly exercise. It involves multiple interactions and communications

(such as inter-departmental committees, working groups of stakeholders, ad-hoc or permanent forums and

arenas). There are important costs to organizational tinkering, especially in the public sector where managers

do not have the same power to enforce change as their private sector counterparts. Individual ministries

usually have a background of limited resources and self-interest, therefore incentives for entering the resource

consuming process of merger and coordination must be substantial. These incentives are strongest, when the

allocation of funds is involved, but even then coordination faces the problems inherent in the respective

administrative systems. Many cases indicate that the costs do not initially match the benefits, and corrective

measures have to be taken, not just from an administrative control point of view, but also from the budgetary

point-of-view.

Another massive area of concern is related to human resource allocation and redistribution. Reorganizations

in the public sector rarely lead to massive “people-rearrangement” so the same people put on new hats and

(unless someone specifically directs them) they generally carry on doing much the same things as they did

before. The mere implantation of different organizational and functional units within one ministry does not

automatically lead to a common vision and joint efforts. This needs time and an active strategy of building

shared worldviews. This result in older administrative units still persisting as subunits within the ministry,

maintaining their own cultures and worldviews, and this has put a big question mark over the ability of the

super ministry approach to coordinate internally.

Another unfavorable aspect of the super ministry approach is that the focus is too much on coordination

instead of developing each policy area as an area of its own, which needs to be nurtured properly (Koch,

2008). (Arnold and Boekholt, 2003) have commented that in super ministries, there has been too much focus

on coordination instead of developing each knowledge area that needs to be nurtured properly.

Conclusion

The lessons of the super ministry approach to governance, confirm the arguments against the creation of a

super ministry. Policy-makers in Finland have heatedly debated but declined to create a specific super

ministry for education, science, and technology. In terms of policy governance and coordination, the reasons

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CPS Quarterly December 2018

are of general relevance: the combination of previously unknown organizational units belonging to various

ministries might break down vertical ties (networks and expertise) that are a very important asset for

developing sectoral policies and also existing horizontal ties between divisions within ministries. Moreover,

the transaction costs to create such a super ministry are very high, given the breaking down of existing

organizational arrangements. Also there is no guarantee that the new hierarchy which is created actually

succeeds or if cultural segmentation can be overcome, in the short or medium term.

Policy Recommendations

1. Based on the results from various governance models over the past few decades, the creation of a super

ministry does not seem to be a “universal solution” to policy coordination problems and its success is

open to question. So while it might seem very enticing, the adoption of the super ministry model needs to

be carefully scrutinized before it is implemented in Pakistan.

2. Also the performance of super ministries which have been created in the past need to be scrutinized. Was

a super ministry approach a better way of governance or is this approach still being followed blindly?

3. Studies on coordination have revealed that the essence of policy coordination is how a country learns to

understand and internalize a particular burning issue and its role in wider policies. In this perspective, the

critical issue is not the selection of the best coordination mode, but how to build on the complementarities

and strengths of the different modes to develop institutional arrangements fitting the characteristics of the

knowledge system (Amable, 1999 as cited in Lepori, 2011). The key is to identify which combinations of

coordination modes are adopted and what are their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their

complementarities and their impact on the system-level performance (Lepori, 2011).

References

Amable, B., 1999. Institutional Complementarity and Diversity of Social Systems of

Innovation and Production. Discussion Paper FS 99-309, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für

Sozialforschung .

Arnold, E., Boekholt, P., Deiaco, E. and McKibbin, S., 2003. Research and innovation Governance in eight

countries. A Meta-Analysis of work funded by EZ (Netherlands) and RCN (Norway).

Braun, D. (2008). Organizing the political coordination of knowledge and innovation policies. Science and

Public Policy, 35(4), 227-239.

Braun, D., 2008. Lessons on the political coordination of knowledge and innovation policies. Science and

Public Policy, 35(4), pp.289-298.

Koch, Christian, 2008. Lasting tensions in research policy-making – a delegation problem.

Science and Public Policy 35(4), 253–264

Koch, Christian, 2008. The superministry approach: integrated governance of science, technology and

innovation with contracted autonomy. Science and Public Policy, 35(4),

253-264.

Lepori, B., 2011 Coordination modes in public funding systems. Research Policy 40, 355-367.

Peters, G. B. (1998) ‘Managing Horizontal Government: The Politics of Coordination’, Public

Administration, 76 (2), 295–311

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