Pakistan's institutional failure, how can we make it better?

[TheSolution]

Back in 2012, a Pakistani professor named Farakh A. Khan issued a dire warning about the state of his country’s public institutions.

“Pakistan suffers from institutional failure,” he declared in an essay published about a year before his death. “Failed institutions are unable to correct the problems faced by the society and eventually lead to economic failure…If our leaders are sincere for change in Pakistan then they have to first get the institutions working again. But do they know how or have the will to do it?”

Today, the state of Pakistan’s institutions of governance remains poor, as illustrated by a slew of measures. The World Bank’s latest Worldwide Governance Indicators, based on data from 2016, rank Pakistan in the 29th percentile for government effectiveness, the 27th percentile for regulatory quality, the 20th percentile for rule of law, and the 19th percentile for control of corruption. Pakistan fell from 144th place in 2016 to 148th place in 2018 in the World Bank’s ease of doing business rankings. The latest United Nations Development Program Human Development report, published in 2017, ranks Pakistan 147th. The country improved its position on the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index in 2017, though it was still a lowly 115th out of 137 countries, after coming out 122th in 2016.

The consequences of these struggles are stark and sobering: Ineffective institutions complicate efforts to develop and implement effective public policies. This means that Pakistan’s broader development challenges—which range from food, water, and energy insecurity to widespread public health epidemics and millions of out-of-school children—will remain in place, if not worsen.

Additionally, Pakistan’s institutional shortcomings pave the way for the military as well as problematic non-state actors—including charitable groups tied to militant organizations—to step in and fill service delivery roles that civilian institutions are unwilling or unable to serve. This dynamic not only further marginalizes civilian institutions—it also undermines the institution of democracy. In short, Pakistan’s institutional failures have troubling economic, development, and political implications for state and society.

Given the significance and far-reaching consequences of institutional struggles in Pakistan, the Wilson Center and the Fellowship Fund for Pakistan hosted an all-day conference on the topic in 2017. The event focused on the problems, but also on the encouraging reforms and success stories that highlight the possibilities for turning institutions around for the better.

A fully detailed analysis publication can be viewed here:

Pakistan's Institutions: We Know They Matter, But How Can They Work Better?

www.wilsoncenter.org

@Signalian @PanzerKiel @villageidiot @Olympus81 @Areesh @N.Siddiqui @ThunderCat @PakFactor @Meengla @hussain0216 @Maula Jatt @_NOBODY_ @Great Janjua @FuturePAF @akramishaqkhan @Al_Muhannad

This man died while saying what I've been saying on this forum, we need an entire institutional revamp with higher standards. Even the world recognises our problem is complete institutional failure.

 

[Erieye]

That was 2012, in an entire decade we've gotten nowhere, if anything maybe we regressed.

It's so sad because this country has a lot of potential just with the right leadership but it is hellbent on screwing itself over.

 

[TheSolution]

That was 2012, in an entire decade we've gotten nowhere, if anything maybe we regressed.

It's so sad because this country has a lot of potential just with the right leadership but it is hellbent on screwing itself over.

The army being the most influential force should recognise this and lead institutional reforms across the country.

Strict policies of meritocracy, high quality man power which is experienced and skilled. Discourage nepotism at an institutional level.

Form an accountability body that makes sure every institution is performing at a productive level.

Too much tea and buscuit culture with unskilled and inexperienced people eating tax money doing literally nothing has ruined this country. They get the job through personal connections and do no productive work. How can you expect the country to function properly as one should?

Also some things can be contracted to the private sector and different companies can compete for the project. CBD in Lahore signifies how much better our private sector is than actual government bodies. It looks a lot more promising.

 

[ThunderCat]

The problem started with these irrigation programs and producing too much food for the population, which lead to a birthrate explosion. Like it or not.

That is a policy failure right there. This happened all for a reason:

 

[chinasun]

Pakistan lacks a large middle class to counterbalance the powerful. South Korea's solution is a military autocratic government and the development of heavy industry. During this period, Korean national enterprises developed and expanded, which met the employment needs of college students and created a huge middle class. complete the transition to democracy.Taiwan, Japan, and Chile were also authoritarian governments at the time. I think only a huge middle class can balance the rich and powerful. Only then can democracy function effectively.


The scientific research departments of foreign-invested enterprises are not located in Pakistan, so they do not need too many scientific and technological talents. To fully meet the employment needs of scientific and technological talents, national enterprises are needed, which will also create a batch of middle class.

Park Chung Hee - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Khan_patriot]

There is no other solution to the problem other than each and everyone of us deciding that we are actually going to work for the country. No messiah is coming, Jinnah is not going to be reincarnated. We all hope that we are going to have a leader materialise out of nowhere and he is going to pull it off, in the meanwhile any and everyone of us who make it into the “institutions”, become just like the system they cussed earlier. We fix ourselves, the institutions are going to get fixed themselves. This is a reality no one is willing to face unfortunately.

 

[TheSolution]

The problem started with these irrigation programs and producing too much food for the population, which lead to a birthrate explosion. Like it or not.

That is a policy failure right there. This happened all for a reason:

That's not an explanation for the institutional failure being described.

Even India that is much worse than us in population/population density still has powerful competent institutions.

Overpopulation is not an excuse in this regard.

 

[TheSolution]

There is no other solution to the problem other than each and everyone of us deciding that we are actually going to work for the country. No messiah is coming, Jinnah is not going to be reincarnated. We all hope that we are going to have a leader materialise out of nowhere and he is going to pull it off, in the meanwhile any and everyone of us who make it into the “institutions”, become just like the system they cussed earlier. We fix ourselves, the institutions are going to get fixed themselves. This is a reality no one is willing to face unfortunately.

Very very unlikely, you can't just unilaterally change something that has been engrained into your socioculture. Sounds good but it's just never going to happen, it's incredibly unlikely and the few that do it will make no difference on the wider scale.

There's no fast or quick way to becoming developed and debt free, that requires consistent hard work over decades - BUT reforming institutions into productive ones is possible if someone is dedicated in the establishment.

If we are being realistic for actual effective nation-wide institutional reforms you need someone at the top to take notice and to be strict about it. (Like the PM/COAS)

Average individuals having a change in mindset, and actually enough of them to actually make a difference in government institutions is just not going to happen. If you keep waiting eventually everything is going to self-destruct rather than correct itself.

 

[ThunderCat]

That's not an explanation for the institutional failure being described.

Even India that is much worse than us in population/population density still has powerful competent institutions.

Overpopulation is not an excuse in this regard.

It is an institutional failure for a competent insitution makes the rights desicions.

 

[Khan_patriot]

Very very unlikely, you can't just unilaterally change something that has been engrained into your socioculture. Sounds good but it's just never going to happen, it's incredibly unlikely and the few that do it will make no difference on the wider scale.

I am sorry, I mistook you for a Pakistani

 

[karachidude86]

by free and fair electronically managed elections for 20 years where only people with a minimum education of Intermediate (12th grade) + a mandatory comprehensive Religious law course trumps can vote.

no vote for the other 85 percent, gullible selling there vote biryani and baradri

 

[TheSolution]

I am sorry, I mistook you for a Pakistani

I am but I was speaking in general there, you go to any country it's impossible to expect them to stop doing something that has become ingrained into their culture, but with a bit of top-down enforcement it will slowly change

Just like here, reform all national institutions have stricter policy for hiring, monitor their productivity, and also encourage meritocracy. A combination from top-down will be truly effective

 

[Khan_patriot]

I am but I was speaking in general there, you go to any country it's impossible to expect them to stop doing something that has become ingrained into their culture, but with a bit of top-down enforcement it will slowly change

Just like here, reform all national institutions have stricter policy for hiring, monitor their productivity, and also encourage meritocracy. A combination from top-down will be truly effective

I agree.

 

[Clutch]

The army being the most influential force should recognise this and lead institutional reforms across the country.

Corrupt cannot change the corrupt. Fact of life.

 

[TheSolution]

Corrupt cannot change the corrupt. Fact of life.

The army and ISI are a very large institution, a part of me likes to think there's at least a few who have some gheirat and patriotism to do this. If not now then it must inevitable...

But the problems we face right now can only be solved from the top