澳门六合彩

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



鈥淧akistan suffers from institutional failure,鈥� he declared in an essay published about a year before his death. 鈥淔ailed institutions are unable to correct the problems faced by the society and eventually lead to economic failure鈥f 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?鈥�

Today, the state of Pakistan鈥檚 institutions of governance remains poor, as illustrated by a slew of measures. The World Bank鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 broader development challenges鈥攚hich range from food, water, and energy insecurity to widespread public health epidemics and millions of out-of-school children鈥攚ill remain in place, if not worsen.

Additionally, Pakistan鈥檚 institutional shortcomings pave the way for the military as well as problematic non-state actors鈥攊ncluding charitable groups tied to militant organizations鈥攖o step in and fill service delivery roles that civilian institutions are unwilling or unable to serve. This dynamic not only further marginalizes civilian institutions鈥攊t also undermines the institution of democracy. In short, Pakistan鈥檚 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, 澳门六合彩 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. Edited versions of the papers presented at the conference appear in this volume.  You can download a digital copy of the report at this link.