DEVELOPMENT ADVOCATE

PAKISTAN Volume 3, Issue 3

Civil Service Reforms in Pakistan DEVELOPMENT ADVOCATE PAKISTAN © UNDP Pakistan A Police Officers’ Training Workshop in progress.

Development Advocate Pakistan provides a platform for the exchange of ideas on key development issues DEVELOPMENT ADVOCATE and challenges in Pakistan. Focusing on a specific development theme in each edition, this quarterly publication fosters public discourse and presents varying perspectives from civil society, academia, government and development partners. The PAKISTAN publication makes an explicit effort to include the voices of women and youth in the ongoing discourse. A combination of analysis and public opinion articles Disclaimer promote and inform debate on development ideas The views expressed here by external contributors or the members of whilepresentingup-to-dateinformation. the editorial board do not necessarily reflect the official views of the organizations they work for and that of UNDP’s.

Editorial Board Editor Maheen Hassan Ms. Tracy Viennings UNDP Deputy Country Director Design and Layout Mr. Shakeel Ahmad Hasnat Ahmed Assistant Country Director/Chief Development Policy Unit Printed by: Agha Jee Printer, Islamabad Mr. Aadil Mansoor Assistant Country Director/Chief United Nations Development Programme Pakistan Crisis Prevention and Recovery Unit 4th Floor, Serena Business Complex, Mr. Amir Goraya Khayaban-e-Suharwardy, Sector G-5/1, Assistant Country Director/Chief P. O. Box 1051, Democratic Governance Unit Islamabad, Pakistan

Mr. James Littleton Chief Technical Advisor For contributions and feedback, please write to us at: Strengthening Electoral and Legislative Processes [email protected]

Ms. Fatimah Inayet ISBN: 978-969-8736-15-6 Communications Analyst September 2016 CONTENTS

Analysis YouthVoices 02 200 Years of Civil Service Reform: 40 Fahand Mahmud Mirza What can we learn? 41 Daniyal Ahmed Javed Assessing Public Service Delivery 12 through Citizen Surveys: 41 Hayat Omer Malik Key findings of Two Perception Surveys 42 Sarah Hayat

Mariah Atiq Opinion 43

New Public Passion: Motivation in Public 19 Service – A New Zealand Perspective Ryan Orange 25 Technology, Innovation and e-Governnace – The Case of Pakistan Hasaan Khawar 28 Public Sector Training: Equipping Civil Servants for the Challenges of Modern Day Governance Arifa Saboohi 31 Using Social Media to Push for Good Governance Dr. Idrees Khawaja 34 Open Data - Improving Public Service Umar Nadeem

Interviews

Shaukat Hayat Khan 18 Inspector General National Highways and Motorway Police

Dr. Tahir Hijazi 37 Member (Governance and Reform) /undppakistan Planning Commission of Pakistan www.twitter.com/undp_pakistan Ahsan Iqbal Saleem Mandviwalla Federal Minster www www.pk.undp.orgProvincial nominee for NFC - Sindh 38 us Follow Planning Development and Reform © UNDP Pakistan The Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform and UNDP collaborate to promote key governance reforms at federal and provincialprovincial levels. Editorial CivilSR ervice eform and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda

Public service has remained key to the achievement of national recruitment, the Motorway Policy created and sustained an economic and social goals across the world. There is sufficient organizational culture which motivates its staff for high evidence to suggest that capable and motivated bureaucracy has performance. While higher wages can attract skilled people, a played an instrumental role in economic growth and overall congenial and enabling organizational culture is needed to drive prosperity.The way Britain became a dominant economy in the 18th performance. Reform is a continuous process and it should not be century, especially militarily, is attributed to its competent and treated as a one-time effort. For any major reform process to be efficient public administration to raise taxes. The UN Sustainable successful, it requires multi-stakeholder engagement and a Development Goals (SDGs) also recognizes the important role that holisticandevolutionaryapproach. state institutions play to achieve these goals. Goal 16 of the SDGs focuses especially on building institutions that are accountable, Theg overnment should implement reforms as and when inclusiveandcharacterizedbyrepresentativedecisionmaking. required to maintain a modern and efficient civil service that bene.ts from consistent and high level political commitment. This need for efficient service delivery is greater for developing Political will is key to successful reform initiatives. Countries which countries facing issues of poverty, inequality, hunger, limited access have gone through major reform and whose public to quality education and health services, lack of clean drinking water administrations are considered efficient, were championed at the and sanitation facilities, and other issues the SDGs aim to address. senior most level of political offices and sustained over long The state cannot resolve these development challenges without an periodsoftime.SingaporeandMalaysiaaregoodexamples. efficient civil service, which, in turn, cannot perform its functions in a manner characteristic of the SDGs without continuous reform. The Around the world, efficient public administration and increasing demand for service delivery (and accountability) calls for bureaucracy have been characterized by factors such as realigning public administration with the broader goals of meritocratic recruitment and predictable career ladders which development. provide long term tangible and intangible rewards. Max Weber, the German Sociologist in his work in early 20th century, argued Effective civil service is characterized by good governance which for the fundamental value of bureaucracy as one of the means sound policymaking, efficient service delivery, and institutional foundations of capitalist growth. Others have accountabilityandresponsibilityinpublicresourceutilization. emphasized the positive role of bureaucracy in the East Asian Miracle of the 1970s and 1980s. Given the fact that government Pakistan's civil service saw 38 major reform initiatives between 1947 provides public goods to which market mechanisms often do not and 2016 and many analysts consider these to be unsuccessful. The apply, an efficient public administration remains the only option reforms have largely been politically motivated and have failed to for addressing citizens' needs. Efficient and capable public service address critical issues of accountability, meritocracy, capacity and is therefore important for both economic and social competency. The good news is that public administration reform development. Certainly, an efficient and transparent civil service has been on the agenda of successive governments in one form or is far more likely to be able to address the 2030 Sustainable another. The Pakistan Vision 2025 also prioritizes civil service reform Development Agenda.This can happen if a long term, continuous as a key objective and the Ministry of Planning Development and and comprehensive approach to public service reform is Reforms is spearheading a process focusing on specialization and employed,whichischampionedatthehighestpoliticallevel. professionalism, outcome-based performance evaluation and meritocracyinappointments.

Like other countries, civil service reform in Pakistan has been largely driven by issues concerning salaries, perks and other .nancial incentives. There is ample research within and outside Pakistan suggesting that .nancial incentives do improve performance depending on context. However, there is also substantial evidence to suggest that many people still join the public service on the basis of intrinsic motivation— for example a feeling of pride and nationalism— to serve in public service. Non-.nancial incentives are required to award and support intrinsic motivation like best employee awards, empowering good performers though increased delegationetc.

Public sector reform should also go beyond incentives. For example, organizations play a key role in attracting and retaining talent.This is not an aspect looked at in reform initiatives thus far. The National Highway and Motorway Police is a case in point: besides the provision of incentives and employing a merit based system for 01 Analysis 200 Years of Civil Service Reform: What can we learn?

Note: Major analysis has been conducted by Usama Bakhtiar Ahmed (Advisor – Governance and Institutional Reform, UNDP Pakistan) and Adeel Khalid (Advisor - Result Based Management, UNDP Pakistan), with some analysis contributed by UNDP Staff.

akistani civil services have perhaps Box 1: Key ndings of Perception Survey 2007 been the most often reformed with Pleast effect than anywhere else in Ÿ Civil servants are demoralized: They acknowledge that the service is corrupt, which the world. Nearly 40 separate efforts have isaseriousproblem,andthattheirpublicapprovalratingislow. been launched by both elected governm- Ÿ Thereseemstobenotrustintheaccountabilityprocess. ents and military regimes since 1947.^ Yet, Ÿ Thecivilserviceappearstohavelittlefaithintheirhumanresourcemanagement. the consensus view today is that civil Ÿ While acknowledging the bene.ts of meritocracy, they continue to prefer seniority- servants continue to fail in performing basedpromotionandrewardsystem. their roles and responsibilities to global Ÿ Written job descriptions as well as criteria for performance evaluation are generally standards of modern governance. When notused. polled in 2007 (Box 1), the overwhelming Ÿ Connections' are perceived to be the major determinant of nominations for training majority of civil servants agreed with this especiallyforeigntraining. assessment – 93 percent said that civil Ÿ The civil service fears that their independence has been curbed through repeated service performance had deteriorated politicalinterference. over the years, with over a third characteri- Ÿ Fear of competition is clearly evident even when they recognize that merit and zing this deterioration as “extreme ”. _ professionalcompetenceareimportant. According to academics and practitio- Ÿ The motivation for joining the civil service is clearly not money. Power prestige and ners`⁴ – even civil servants – the service statusarecitedasthemainreasonsforjoiningtheservice. today, generally tends to lack capacity, Ÿ Despite low salaries, the majority is satis.ed with their civil service job. Police- motivation, neutrality, meritocracy, probably because of the power—Foreign Service and Commerce and transparency and accountability. In most Trade—probably because of choice foreign postings— record relatively higher cases, these weaknesses are linked to levelsofsatisfaction.Majorityoftheofficerswouldliketostayincivilservice. perverse incentives embedded in the Ÿ On their bene.ts, a majority favours portability of pensions and monetization of institutional environment within which perks. Portable pensions cut down the cost of switching jobs and hence encourage civil servants have arguably functioned for mobility. However, we also see that because of job security and power, civil servants over200years. donotshowapreferenceformobility.

But the difficulty of introducing real civil services reform in Pakistan is exceeded Source: Nadeem Ul Haque &Idrees Khawaja “Public Service through the eyes of Civil Servants” in PIDE Series on Governance & Instuons, only by the necessity of doing so. Civil 2007 servants make policy, prepare budgets these goals can be achieved or sustained of the world and becoming an upper- and develop plans. They manage crucial without tangible improvement in civil middle-income country during the next local services such as health and serviceperformance. decade. The Ministry has subsequently education. They de.ne property rights, moved to launch a full-0edged program in enforce laws, adjudicate disputes and Fortunately, recent governments have collaboration with UNDP to design and regulate industry. They collect taxes, build recognized this reality. The New Growth lead a comprehensive reform agenda. public works and run public corporations. Framework published in 2011 confessed Perhaps the greatest challenge to current They organize elections, advise elected that, “No public sector setup can intervene and future reform efforts will be representatives and backstop legislatures. effectively without competent and dismantling 'rules of the game' that past Recent public management literature is dedicated public servants” and called for dependence has preserved as a colonial replete with calls for a 'whole-of- the swift implementation of the National legacy. government' approach to public sector Commission for Government Reforms reform. In Pakistan's case, 'whole-of- (NCGR) reform proposals. More recently, Colonial Legacy government'means the civil service. A the Vision 2025 developed by the Ministry First, loyalty is primarily owed to the small step for civil service reform could of Planning, Development and Reform state. In 1886, the Aitcheson Commission arguably be a giant leap for the govern- prioritizes “a complete overhaul of the civil created two distinct service cadres: the ment of Pakistan and its citizens. Accele- services” to realize their vision of Pakistan Indian Civil Service (ICS) manned by rating growth, raising per capita incomes, joining the ranks of the top 25 economies formally contracted regulars (Covenanted) or improving social indicators – none of 1 Ishrat Husain, Governance Reforms in Pakistan; See Annexure I for details 2 http://www.pide.org.pk/pdf/Books/PB_Service.pdf 3 See for instance: http://www.pide.org.pk/pdf/PDR/1999/Volume4/995-1017.pdf 4 See for instance: Aminullah Chaudry, 2011 and Saeed Ahmad Qureshi, 2016 02 who were mostly English; and the constitutional/legal instruments, toward as the Grain Allowance in 1940, replaced Provincial Services employing mostly Un- self-rule. Parallel to this effort, however, by the Dearness Allowance in 1942. This covenanted Indians. This ensured that the the bureaucracy was also strengthened as failed to arrest the overall downward administrative leadership was institutio- a counterweight. The Rowlatt Act passed trendinrealtermcompensation.^⁶ nally disconnected from the indigenous in 1919 is a key example. “Civil servants population and would serve the interests were given vice regal assurances so as to By 1946, the rising cost of living forced the of the Crown, not the colony. While dispel the fears aroused by the pace of British government to appoint yet another subsequent reforms attempted to disma- constitutional development”.^^ By the time Pay Commission chaired by Sir Srinivasa ntle entry barriers for Indian inductees to they quit India, the British had concen- Varadachariar which (unlike its predec- the ICS, and provide upward mobility trated most power in the “steel frame ” of essors) concluded that civil service pay options from the Provincial Services, colonial administration i.e. the bureau- standards: could not be set below (including the Government Resolution, cracy.^_ minimum living wage levels; must re0ect 1892; Islington Commission 1917; Lee the payee's education, training and job Commission 1924); the ICS retained its Fourth, the public is patronized, not description; and the government was not essentially elitist, centralized, European served. With the bureaucracy preocc- a “monopolist employer” assured of character.⁵ upied with revenue collection and suitable human resources regardless of representative institutions neutralized, pay offered. ^⁷ Second, the most important service political stability came from co-opted required by the state is the collection of landlords, religious leaders and tribal Post-independence revenue. This ICS character was typi.ed elders. This patronage included lands, When the former Indian Civil Service (ICS) by the district administration posts of titles and pensions.^` While these clients was renamed the Civil Services of Pakistan Deputy Collectors and District Magist- held the native populace in check, they in (CSP), administrative positions were .lled rates, created by Regulation 9 of 1833, turn were reined in by a police force by civil servants who arguably lacked later merged into the same office and then headed by the local revenue collectors.^⁴ appropriate training, except for only 92 subsumed into the ICS. These few Citizens, therefore, did not have to be ICS officers inducted into CSP.^⁸ The hundred officials were charged with served directly, only controlled indirectly, problem was compounded by a weak legislation, criminal investigation, to keep resources 0owing in the correct political leadership which found it difficult adjudication, property rights administ- direction. tosurmountthehead-startenjoyedbythe ration and a number of other governance bureaucracy, in terms of legitimacy and functions affecting the lives of 300 million Fifth, nancial resources are prioritized power, for a number of reasons.First , Indians.⁶ These responsibilities however, above human resources. The business politicians had little experience in state- came secondary to the taxation of land- model of the Company, and later, the building, which in 1947 entailed holdings and agricultural production. As Crown, did not permit adequate .nancing .re.ghting a host of crises – the settle- under the Mughals,⁷ land revenue for the civil service. Covenanted services ment and rehabilitation of 7.2 million accounted for over 50 percent of all were introduced in India at the behest of refugees, division and cultivation of budget receipts under the Raj.⁸ From the Lord Cornwallis who found corruption so abandoned land, restoring law and order very outset, this “.scal imperative ” rampant upon his arrival that pay reform in the tribal areas, and resolving hostilities dominated all other public goods and was deemed necessary. Following the Act with India – all this from makeshift services – education, health, and of 1873, only covenanted officers could buildings in Karachi which was just the infrastructure were subordinated to hold high positions. The centerpiece of beginning of the colossal infrastructure taxation.⁹ The overriding concern was these covenants was that officials would challenge faced by the new state. Jinnah delivering money to the state, rather than not trade or receive presents, and in return even resorted to an appeal to civil servants servicestothecitizens. they could hold high office and be paid who had opted to serve in Pakistan, to more than 800 pounds a year (worth acceptavoluntarypaycut. Third, governance is the domain of civil about 844,700 pounds per year in 2011).^⁵ servants more than political leaders. However, beyond this high-water mark for Second, according to most historians, the What Saeed Shafqat has termed an “anti- compensation levels, they registered political party instrumental in the politics” attitude among Pakistani intermittent cuts throughout World War I founding of the state i.e. the Muslim bureaucrats, predates Pakistan itself.^⁰ The and its aftermath where the British League, had only shallow electoral roots in period from 1909 to 1947 may be government found itself with limited .scal the territories of Pakistan.^⁹ With weak described as the run-up to independence, options. Facing exceptional in0ationary credentials in politicaland policy terms, where Indian political leadership was pressures from 1930 onward, ad-hoc political leaders were inevitably sidelined increasingly empowered through support measures were introduced, such

5 Charles Kennedy,Bureaucracy in Pakistan, (Karachi, 1987) 6 Clive Dewey,Anglo-Indian Attitudes: The Mind of the Indian Civil Service (London, 1993) 7 (Swamy,2010) 8 (Stern, 1991) 9 (Swamy, 2010 10 Shafqat,S.(1989),Political System of Pakistan and Public Policy, Lahore: Progressive Publishers. 11 Report of Commissioners Appointed by the Punjab Sub-committee of Indian National Congress (New Delhi, reprint 1976) p.25 12 Kashif Noon, 2005 13 Ishrat Husain, Governance Reforms in Pakistan 14 (Petzschmann, 2010) 15 Based on the economic power value of the income relative to the total output of the economy, which is different from purchasing power calculation based on Relative Price Index used in the UK. It essentially measures the relative 'in0uence' the income recipient holds over production in the economy, which is best suited to our argument. 16 Anti-corruption and its Discontents, Daniyal Aziz & Usama Bakhtiar, 2012 17 Ibid 18 Aminullah Chaudry,Political Administrators , Oxford University Press, Karachi, 2011, Annexure I. 19 India, Pakistan, and Democracy: Solving the Puzzle of Divergent Paths, Philip Oldenburg, 2010 03 by the bureaucracy, who were cheered on followed. By its self-admitted goal of Cornelius, was less successful in pushing by the international press: “With so many compromising on the quality of human its proposals through to implementation. illiterate people, politicians could make a resource, it implicitly deprioritized both It was meant to analyze the structure of mess of things…A district officer or performance and integrity concerns. the CSP and recommend improvements. magistrate must be given full powers to deal Worse, it precluded any comparison The Commission envisioned an entirely with any situation. Politicians could make between public and private salaries by new 7-tier salary structure with 3-4 grades policy,buttheymustnotinterfere…”_⁰ assuming that the labour supply was under each service group. This was fundamentally different i.e. the private reminiscent of the structure prevailing Third, early disputes between civil sector required the very best, while the prior to the Islington Commission's post- servants and politicians were mostly governmentcouldmakedowiththerest. World War I reforms. It also suggested that settled in the bureaucracy's favour. the CSP be replaced by a Pakistan According to one of the most renowned TheAyubKhanEra Administrative Service with admission political scientists from Pakistan, Khalid The next reform effort was preceded by a open to technical services. The govern- bin Sayeed, politicians were placed“under purge among civil service officers, ment rejected this radical departure from bureaucratic tutelage” as Jinnah relied resultinginsome3,000dismissals.In1958, theprevailingsystemandchoseinsteadto increasingly on the civil service toward the an Administrative Reorganization revise the pay scales prescribed by the endofhislife._^ Committee was constituted which ush- Munir Commission. But the report was not ered in a number of unprecedented released publically and its proposals were Fourth, the death of Jinnah in 1948, and reforms:_⁵ not implemented (Ziring and LaPorte, the assassination of Liaqat Ali Khan, his Ÿ Multiple layers in the Secretariat 1974). successor, in 1951, left the political hierarchy were collapsed into one leadership rudderless, and fated to SectionOfficersystem; On balance though, the overall civil become the disadvantaged 'middle-child' Ÿ Financial control, budgeting and service structure (especially the in0uence in the struggle for legitimacy and power, accountingwasoverhauled; of the CSP) remained intact under the against its colonial siblings: the military Ÿ Administrative Ministries were military regime. “Most of the 3,000 andthebureaucracy.__ .nancially empowered to circumvent dismissals, compulsory retirements and cumbersome clearance procedures reductions in rank, took place at the lower It was in this context that the Justice Munir along with .nancial advisory services ranks.”_⁷ The purges at the political end Commission was tasked with the .rst civil built into Ministries to improve fund- were less merciful – 6,000 politicians were service reform effort in Pakistan's history. management; disquali.ed and barred from public office The Commission reacted more to the Ÿ An Economic Pool was created to .ll under the Elective Bodies (Disquali.- prevailing economic crisis rather than the senior positions in the Ministries of cation) Order, under what many believe to core problems of civil service salary FinanceandIndustry; be trumped-up charges of corruption._⁸ structures. The Munir Commission Ÿ The Foreign Service was empowered Commissioners and Deputy Commission- therefore based its recommendations on to perform commercial and public ers were further empowered to take up the principle that it was an incorrect policy relations functions abroad, that were the slack in administrative governance._⁹ to“offer such salaries to the servants so as to previously performed by the Ministr- By 1961, a group of 371 CSP officials locally attract the best available material. The iesofCommerceandInformation. administered a country of 100 million correct place for our men of genius is in the people.`⁰ Moreover, civil servants retained private enterprise and not in the humdrum While a Standing Reorganization their discretion in the arena of policy of public service where character and a Committee oversaw implementation of making. For instance, the Planning desire to serve honestly for a living is more these reforms through 1964, a number of Commissionwhichpreviouslyhadaminor essential than outstanding intellect. We additional measures were also intro- role, was converted into a full-0edged cannot therefore prescribe our pay scales duced:_⁶ Division in the President's Secretariat with withtheobjectofattractingtopublicservice Ÿ A network of new training institutions civilservantsinkeypositions.`^ allthebestintellectinthecountry.”_` was established, including an Administrative Staff College in Lahore TheYahyaKhanEra They recommended across-the-board (for senior government officers) and Yahya Khan, after coming into power in cuts in salaries, especially for higher posts three National Institutes of Public 1969, repeated the purge-and-reform where it found them unjusti.ably Administration in Lahore, Karachi and exercise, by .rst suspending 303 officers, generous. At the lower-paid end, it Dacca(formid-careerofficers). and barring their re-entry into the service recommended raise in the standard of Ÿ 14 Civil Awards were instituted to and then appointing Chief Justice A. R. living. It divided all employees into 30 recognizeexcellenceinpublicservice. Cornelius as the head of a thirteen- broad categories and recommended as member Service Re-Organization many standard pay scales which were Unfortunately, the Pay and Service Committee. Echoing the Pay and Services introduced in 1949._⁴ A drastic reduction Commission constituted in 1959, under Commission of 1959, the Committee in salaries of all categories of employees the Chairmanship of Chief Justice A. R. recommended abolishing both the PSP

20 The Times (London), October 30, 1954 21 Sayeed, K. B. (1980)Politics in Pakistan: The Nature and Direction of Change . New York: Praeger. 22 A number of experts have highlighted this phenomenon. See for instance: The Dynamics of Power: Military, Bureaucracy and the People, Akmal Hussain, 1993. 23 h p://www.pide.org.pk/pdf/civilservicereform/faizbilquees.pdf 24 Public Accountability Instuons and their Macroeconomic Impacts, Governance Instutes Network Internaonal (GINI), 2008 25 The Civil Service under the Revoluonary Government in Pakistan. Author(s): Albert Gorvine Source: Middle East Journal, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Summer, 1965), pp. 321-336. 26 Ibid 27 Ibid 28 Noman 1988, Sayeed 1980, Feldman 1967 29 Pakistan Times,14th October,1958 30 The Civil Service under the Revoluonary Government in Pakistan. Author(s): Albert Gorvine Source: Middle East Journal, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Summer, 1965), pp. 321-336. 31 (Kalia, 2013, p. 162) 04 and the CSP and replacing them with a provincialassemblies. practically infeasible) job evaluation Pakistan Administrative Service where projectnevergotofftheground. generalist officers would be recruited by It was in this context that two reform provinces while remaining positions at bodies initiated seminal changes to the In terms of civil service pay, the reform the Centre would be .lled from specialist structure of the civil service: the National made rigid and static what was always cadres. The Committee reasoned that as Pay Commission was set up in 1970, 0exible and adaptable. World War I had officers with technical backgrounds presenting its report in three volumes cost the British Empire £ 3.2 billion (in 1900 underwent more rigorous academic during 1971-72; and the Administrative prices),`⁶ nearly bankrupting the training, they should be appointed at the Reform Committee set up under Khurshid government. Even so, reform proposals as highest tier of the ministries and their Hasan Mir, Minister for Establishment (and radical as these had not even been divisions. The Committee also suggested the .rst politician to head a high-powered considered for their Indian colony. These that an elected district council should be civil service reform body). Together, these reforms could not therefore be explained set up, with provincial government's reforms set in motion the following in terms of .scal prudence alone. If .scal representatives appointed as the district structuralchanges: prudence – or even performance and commissioners. It may be surmised that Ÿ The abolition of service cadres, their honesty among civil servants – had been Justice Cornelius was looking to tie up functional replacement by the the driving priorities, autonomous and loose ends from his previous stint as head “Occupational Groups” and the semi-autonomous bodies would not of a civil service reform body – but this discontinuation of service labels as perhaps have been excluded from these new effort did not fare any better in terms partofasingleservice; reforms. But the scheme was not made ofimplementation. Ÿ The adjustment of 4 Classes and some applicable to employees of these bodies, 622 pay scales into 22 Uni.ed or which in 2004-05 almost equaled the A Working Group established under D.K. National Pay Scales (NPS) applicable to number of core civil servants. In 2008, Power in 1969 again arrived at similar both federal and provincial emplo- there were around 210 such bodies and proposals, recommending that the CSP yees; `⁵ each could technically set its own should become only one branch of a Ÿ Lateral entry of private sector salaries.`⁷ An attempt has been made to uni.ed central service, with its jurisdiction professionals into the public sector try and place the key 'pillars' of the reform limited to law and order and revenue andviceversa; in the foregoing political and economic collection. And again, these proposals Ÿ Any major addition, subtraction or context: werenotimplemented. alteration to the uni.ed scales was Ÿ Reduction in the number of pay scales – banned; This would essentially reduce the TheZulqarAliBhuttoEra Ÿ Selection grades, special pays and conventional .scal superiority of the With the ouster of Ayub Khan's technicalpayswerealsoabolished; higher services which they had Ÿ government, the Civil Services of Pakistan The formulae for determining pay enjoyed since the Company era. It (perceived as the “bulwark ” of his regime) scales for officers in BS-16-18 and BS- would also fall in line with the publicly came under increasing criticism and 19-20wereamended; espoused socialist principles of the Ÿ widespread public resentment.`_ The civil The 'move-over' facility was newgovernment. Ÿ war of 1971 and the secession of Bangla- introduced which allowed default National standardization of pay scales – desh was largely blamed on policies entry into the next grade when the The move toward centrism and enacted by senior civil servants, while the scalemaximumwasreached; national uniformity in administration Ÿ in0uence of the Civil Services of Pakistan Greater opportunity for vertical and was understandable given that 'half' (descendants of the elite Indian Civil horizontal mobility and equal opport- the country had just broken away and Service) cadre was reduced by the loss of unity for advancement across the declaredindependence. Ÿ 89 members who opted for the new service;and, Simpli.cation of the operation of pay Ÿ state.`` Zul.qar Ali Bhutto, who rode a Grading of each post to be determined scales – By scrapping the complicated wave of socialist populism to a disputed byjobanalysisandjobevaluation. web of rules and regulations guiding electoral victory, and eventual power in pay policy, the bureaucracy would be 1971 had made no secret of his antipathy In addition, the elite CSP was arbitrarily robbed of its monopoly over an toward the bureaucracy, calling them split into the Secretariat Group, DMG and esoteric 'science' that could be used to “Brahmins ”, “ Naukar-Shahi ”, and “ Bara TAG with .eld servants being posted to browbeatpoliticians. Sahibs”.`⁴ He went beyond the traditional the latter two groups, while the CSP purge (removing 1,300 civil servants) to Academy was abolished outright. Service The Secretariat Group supported lateral/ actually abolish constitutional guarantees Associationswerealsobanned. horizontal movement from other cadres against wrongful dismissal or other i.e. officers moving into the Secretariat arbitrary action against their terms of The last two reform proposals were not far Group if they felt that their original cadre service that had been a part of the implemented. Occupational groups had limited or no prospects of promotion constitutional framework since the continued more or less as watertight for them, which resulted in a certain Government of India Act, 1935. The 1973 compartments, while the All Pakistan degree of alleged misuse for promotion Constitution subjected the terms of Groups (Secretariat, District Management, and personal bene.ts.`⁸ The introduction service for civil servants to ordinary Police andTribal Areas) continued to enjoy of lateral entry arguably had a net adverse legislation passed by Parliament and the better advancement prospects than effect, with serious lapses in transparency others. The technically correct (though and meritocracy of recruitment being

32 http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/asia/south-asia/pakistan/185%20Reforming%20Pakistans%20Civil%20Service.pdf 33 http://www.saeedshafqat.com/articles/pakistan.pdf 34 Ibid 35 It must be noted that the Commission had recommended 26 NPSs but the government essentially 'decapitated' the top 4 scales to meet an arbitrarily determined low compression ratio. 36 http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zqhxvcw 37 Public Accountability Institutions and their Macroeconomic Impacts, Governance Institutes Network International (GINI), 2008 05 reported – 150 out of the 201 deputy that the DMG had a much higher ratio of only one of several other EDOs in secretaries were chosen from the CSS non-FPSC members than the original charge of health, education and other (section service cadre) and among them a cadre. The Secretariat Group was not line departments serving under the large number were those whose similarly merged, causing resentment coordinatingroleoftheDCO. performance was below-average in the among its members.⁴⁶ In addition, the Ÿ Sectoral line functions and responsib- FPSC examination.`⁹ There were even a Commission opened up entry to the ilities (most importantly health and few cases where Section Officers became Secretariat to all public personnel creating education) were devolved from Deputy Secretaries as a result of the a National Administrative Reserve central and provincial governments to reform.⁴⁰ In fact, numerous deputy constituted by Grade 20-22 Officers who thedistrictgovernments. secretaries were appointed without ever could serve in headquarters organizations Ÿ District administration was placed appearing in the examinations or the inthefederalgovernment.⁴⁷ under oversight by elected represen- interviews.⁴^ tatives, accountability by citizens and TheGeneralPervezMusharrafEra responsible for grievance redress The CSP was a cadre established by the The revolving door democracies of the 90s against complaints received by then Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan after saw increasing politicization creep into citizens through a host of institutional detailed discussions with the AGG in appointments, postings and transfers measures. Baluchistan and the Chief Ministers of within the service, especially at the Punjab, Singh, NWFP, and East Bengal, in policymaking levels in federal and Unfortunately, the reform suffered from a 1950.⁴_ The reforms under Bhutto left this provincial secretariats as well as district signi.cant implementation de.cit. cadre unrecognizable, while none of the administration. According to experts, Devolution of power was limited to changes were held up to the scrutiny of party loyalty generally trumped merit in administrative responsibility and .scal provincial governments, or even the thesedecisions. ⁴⁸ decentralization was successful only to federal cabinet.⁴` The FPSC was similarly the extent of allowing local governments left out of any consultation which to pay salaries. Provincial line depart- weakened its role and undermined its NationalReconstructionBureau ments continued to manage de facto authority. Yet another military coup in 1999 brought service delivery. The agenda for intro- General Pervez Musharraf to power. The ducing new accountability relationships TheGeneralZia-ul-HaqEra National Reconstruction Bureau also fell short as most of the new After coming to power in 1977, General established under the leadership of Lt.- structures (e.g. the District Ombudsman) Zia ul Haq established a Civil Service Gen. Tanvir Naqvi designed and set about contemplated by law remained absent on Reforms Commission appointing the implementing the most ambitious reform ground. Service delivery performance of Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Anwar ul agenda since the Bhutto era i.e. the elected local governments was also Haq as the Chairman. The Commission Devolution Plan. Through the Local mixed.⁵⁰ discontinued lateral entry, and examined Government Ordinance 2001/02 and the appointments made under this program. Police Order 2002/04, the Devolution Plan However, multiple independent studies Among these, 199 cases of appointment sought to implement the following concluded that the citizen's preference in the Secretariat Group were scrutinized measures (relevant from a civil service was not rollback but adjustment in the closely. Some officers were reverted to reformperspective):⁴⁹ reform.⁵^ According to a study published their former positions, some were Ÿ The Executive Magistracy and office of by the Urban Institute in 2010: “there is no dismissed and some were retained in the Deputy Commissioner were prima facie case for taking back control of service. The FPSC also reviewed how abolished and its powers transferred local affairs to the provinces on the justi.- .tting lateral entrants were to be retained to District and Sessions Judges, cation that they are more accountable, in the service. The induction of armed District Nazims (mayors elected by transparent or responsive…Whatever the forces personnel into the civil services was District Councils) and the District senior bureaucrats in the provinces might institutionalized through a 20 percent CoordinationOfficers(DCOs). think about it, these results suggest that quota.⁴⁴ Ÿ The Nazims were authorized to initiate there is no strong public support for the idea annual performance reports of the of increasing bureaucratic control over local The Anwar-ul-Haq Commission then DCOs and the District Police Officers affairs.”⁵_ moved to “rehabilitate and promote some (chiefofdistrictpolice). Despite this, the elected local government level of con.dence among the Civil Services, Ÿ For the .rst time, revenue collection system did not survive the return to particularly the CSP.”⁴⁵ The TAG was was relegated to one of several other national democracy in 2008. The lack of merged into the DMG with the latter being local public services provided by the legitimacy faced by the parenting regime positioned as the second-generation district administration i.e. Executive was a key factor in this failure, which was reboot of the CSP.This was despite the fact District Officer, Revenue (EDO-R) was compounded by the absence of any

38 Aminullah Chaudry, Political Administrators, Oxford University Press, Karachi, 2011, p. 117. 39 ibid 40 ibid 41 ibid 42 Aminullah Chaudry, Political Administrators, Oxford University Press, Karachi, 2011, p. 119. 43 ibid 44 Pakistani Bureaucracy and Political Neutrality: A Mutually Exclusive Phenomenon? Maryam Tanwir and Shailaja Fennell, 2010 45 Ibid 46 Aminullah Chaudry, Political Administrators, Oxford University Press, Karachi, 2011, p. 119. 47 Problems and Issues in Administrative Federalism by Shriram Maheshwari, 1992 48 See for instance, Crisis Group interview, Islamabad, 6 November 2009; and Shafqat and Wahla, op. cit., p. 208. 49 Voices of the Unheard: Legal Empowerment of the Poor in Pakistan, UNDP-UNOPS, 2012 50 Ibid 51 Ibid 52 Ibid 06 consultation at the design stage, beyond Ÿ Post-InductionTraining care-taker government to endorse the an inner circle of experts.⁵` However, the Ÿ CareerPathPlanningandProgression reform, Dr. Hussain was reported to have centerpiece reform of the devolution plan Ÿ PerformanceManagement publicly conceded failure and asked to be i.e. abolition of executive magistracy was Ÿ TrainingandDevelopment replaced.⁵⁶ not rolled back, in the light of a 2011 Ÿ CompensationandBene.ts decision of the Balochistan High Court Ÿ DisciplineandCodeofEthics But in two major ways, the reform has which declared the attempted revival of Ÿ Severance arguably come to de.ne the debate on thisofficeunconstitutional.⁵⁴ Ÿ RetirementandBene.ts civil services reform in Pakistan: a) The analytical work carried out by the reform These service-wide reforms were to technically backstop its myriad National Commission for Government themselves nested within a still broader proposals has become essential reading Reforms reform opus, capturing reorganization of for current governance practitioners and A National Commission of Government federal, provincial and local governments future reformers, while the proposals Reforms (NCGR) was set up in April, 2006 as well as inter-governmental relations, themselves are the 'go-to' benchmarks under Dr. Ishrat Hussain. The civil service size and composition of the public sector, against which all future reforms will be reform package developed by the internal structures of Ministries and measured; and b) The de.nition of a Commission represents a seminal business processes, as well as sectoral holistic, all-encompassing view of the civil departure from the way such efforts were reforms in land revenue administration, service has shaped the policy narrative conceived in the past. The reform took a police, health and education. The terms of and carved out the reform landscape whole-of-service view, covering the entire reference for this reform clearly outstri- within which ideas and proposals can be “valuechain ”of:⁵⁵ pped the terms of its implementation. By discussedanddebated. Ÿ RecruitmentandInduction December, 2007 after failing to convince a

The 'Better Governance Index' (BGI)

Measurement of institutional relevantmetricsthatwill: departments, and autonomous and semi- performance remains a critical weak link in Ÿ Serve as a tool for benchmarking autonomousorganizations. the value chain of Pakistan's public sector performance of public sector governance. There is a political consensus institutions; The reason for this ambitious coverage is on the signi.cance of holding institutions Ÿ Drive better performance, providing to be able to gauge the performance of accountable for results and successive public sector managers with a tool for each and every type of institution in the governments have stressed on its identifying areas for improvement in public sector, allowing the government signi.cance publicly. However, a chasm individual institutions as well as in a and legislators, as well as citizens and persists between the desired policy groupofinstitutions; other stakeholders, to hold them objective of being able to distinguish Ÿ Help create a competitive market for accountable for their actions and for better from poor performing institutions public sector institutions, leading to delivery of better quality of public policies and the realization of a credible, enhanced accountability, improved or public services.The three ways in which systematic and iterative mechanism for services and lowering of transaction this task is proposed to be made measuring, benchmarking and reporting costs;and, manageable are: implementation in institutional performance. Whatever Ÿ Likely evolve into an accreditation phases, segmented strategy for systems that do exist remain secretive, system for public sector, providing a developing BGIs (e.g. overall BGI, sector- obscure and opaque. Moreover, efforts to basis for budgetary allocations, linking speci.c BGI, tier-speci.c BGI) enabling an measure the ability of institutions to individual career progression with evolutionary and organic growth of the achieve what they set out to and to do it institutional results and .nancial and instrument; and focusing—in the initial with fewer resources are compromised by technical support from donors with stages of implementation—on basic weaknesses of instruments for this performance on donor-assisted institutional functions performed by all determination and the sporadic nature of projects. typesofpublicorganizations. their use. In short, political will for enhancing institutional performance is TargetAudienceandMethodology MeasurementAreasandCriteria poorly backed by systems and The BGI is intended to cover the entire The BGI will use .ve measurement areas instruments for benchmarking spectrum of public sector institutions in and .fteen criteria for calculating the performance. the country. Moreover, it will be cross- scores.Theseareoutlinedin.gure1. government, meaning that it will be used Objective for Federal and Provincial governments as The BGI will be an initiative for measuring well as for local administrations; both at and comparing public sector the Federal and Provincial levels, it will also performance and comprise a range of include the full range of SOEs, attached

53 Ibid 54 http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/capacity-building/global-centre-for-public-service-excellence/integrating-civil-service-reform-with- decentralisation.html 55 http://www.ncgr.gov.pk/forms/presentation%20on%20the%20ncgr%20to%20pm.ppt. 56 http://aaj.tv/2008/02/reforms-commission-fails-to-complete-task-ishrat/ 0703 Figure 1: Measurement Areas

QUALITY OF INCLUSION AND ACCOUNTABILITY EFFECTIVENESS RESPONSIVENESS GOVERNANCE OPENNESS

5 AREAS

Ÿ Clarity of Ÿ Political Ÿ Participatory and Ÿ Budget execution Ÿ Linkage with institutional vision accountability inclusive decision national/ and mission making and Ÿ Implementation provincial/ Ÿ Accountability of oversight of priority sectorial priorities Ÿ ATORS Budget accuracy citizens programs and programs Ÿ Proactive public Ÿ Gender equity in disclosure Ÿ Strengthening of Ÿ Mechanisms for human resource implementation facilitating access management capacity to information

Ÿ Investment in Ÿ Mechanisms for institutional public grievance capacity redress

15 CRITERIA, 26 INDIC Ÿ Use of ICT tools

Indicators for Measuring presented in Table 1, which also indicates Phase I, the BGI is to be developed for Performance possible data sources. A total of 26 Federal line ministries, the indicators are The indicators used for each indicators are proposed for the 15 criteria aimed at measuring performance at that measurement area and criteria are as under .ve measurement areas. Since in level.

Table 1: Indicators For The BGI

Measurement Area Criteria Indicators Source

Statements are clear, brief and re0ect the values, philosophy and culture of the institution

Clarity of institutional vision Vision statement expresses in sensory terms, Institution's website and mission the future position or image of the institution

Mission statement focuses on one or a few Quality of Governance strategic goals

Variance between revised budget and budget Annual Budget and Budget Accuracy estimates CGA

Proportion of female employees in total Gender Equity in HR Green Book working staff

Investment in Capacity Training budget as a proportion of total Annual Budget and Building Personnel budget CGA

08 Timely and complete responses to PAC review PAC reports queries Political Accountability Regular submission of brie.ngs to the Public Relations Officer Standing Committees of Parliament in the institution

Publication of Annual Budget on institution's Institution's website website Accountability Publication of Yearbook Institution's website Accountability to citizens Majority of tenders follow PPRA rules PPRA reports

Use of social accountability tools Institution's website

Citizens' Charter issued Institution's website

Participatory and inclusive Forums on which citizens, private sector, Institution's' website decision making and academia or civil society are represented and Public Relations oversight Officer of Institution Inclusion and Publication of updated policies, strategies on Openness Institution's website website Proactive public disclosure Availability of expenditure data Institution's website

Proportion of released annual budget actually Budget execution CGA utilized

Implementation of priority Completion level of priority programs Green Book Effectiveness programs

Strengthening Training expenditure as a proportion of total Annual Budget and institutional capacities for personnel expenditure CGA implementation

Explicit linkage of priority programs with the Green Book Linkage with Vision 2025 National/Provincial sectoral priorities and programmes Explicit linkage of priority programs with Green Book relevant sector policy

Designated Official nominated under Right to Institution's website Information Act 2010 Mechanisms for facilitating access to information Standards for access to information services Institution's website Responsiveness clearly mentioned

Designated Official for public grievance redress and addressing references from Institution's website Mechanisms for public Ombudsmen grievance redress Standards for grievance redress services Institution's website clearly mentioned

Availability of online services for complaints, Use of ICT tools Institution's website information, registration, social media

Note: This Summary has been extracted from a longer paper entitled, “The Better Governance Index: A Conceptual Framework for Measuring Institutional Performance”,yet to be released by UNDPPakistan.

09 PayandPensionCommission,2009 ent did provide the 50 percent increase in countries, for the high-end labour In 2009, the government again appointed salaries but not through a revision in pay market. It has not sufficiently cornered a Pay Commission, headed by Dr. Ishrat scales and not through phased increm- the market to be able to procure the Hussain. The Commission based its ents, but as a lump sum 50 percent best services without offering a viable recommendations on the following policy increase of the BPS 2008.⁵⁸ In 2011, .ve ad service structure in terms of pay, principles:⁵⁷ hoc allowances granted since 1999 to career-progression, capacity develop- Ÿ The need to “attract, retain and 2009 were in fact, merged into the BPS- ment, performance evaluation, and motivate talented young men and 2008 which were reintroduced as the BPS- tenuresecurity. women into its ranks” was paramount 2011.⁵⁹ for effective government, which Ÿ Civil servants are not immune to would lead to development and LessonsLearned established economic principles. A growth. This was a complete This paper offers no speci.c policy number of reforms have miscast civil repudiationoftheJusticeMunirthesis. solutions, but certain 'lessons' can be servants exclusively as 'homo Ÿ Disparity in public and private pay distilled from the foregoing narrative to patrioticus', assuming that the 'best levels is especially acute for higher help evolve a meaningful approach to the and brightest' will opt to join, stay and grades (because of erosion in real problemshighlightedthroughout. perform in the service driven solely by terms) and technical and professional non-economic values, chie0y services. Civil service pay should be Ÿ The objectives of civil service patriotism. Most available evidence linked to comparable private jobs.This reform must be aligned with the negates this assumption. Civil servants set aside the 'monopolist employer' broader goals of the incumbent are 'homo-economicus' – rational theory of the Islington Commission, government. While this may sound economic agents seeking to maximize just as the Srinivasa Commission had obvious, past pay policies have not utility. In fact, recent empirical donein1947. ful.lled this basic requirement. evidence (in sub-.elds such as public- Ÿ Ad hoc allowances could not offset the Governments have officially sought choice theory and new institutional motivational drawbacks of low pay for and/or accepted 'second-best' civil economics) suggests that this may be potential and current employees servants while expecting delivery of more true of civil servants than other given the risk of reversal. Similarly, the best governance/development economic agents.⁶⁵ In their roles as perks and privileges provided in-kind, outcomes. If the goal is socio- service-providers, regulators and cost the government far more than economic turnaround to mirror the policymakers, civil servants may be they motivated recruitment, retention achievements of countries such as afforded opportunities for promoting orperformance. China,⁶⁰ Malaysia, Singapore, ⁶^ South self-interest unavailable to private Ÿ Education, healthcare, law and order, Korea,⁶_ Taiwan, ⁶` (among others) then actors. and the administration of justice it may be remembered that these shouldbeprioritizedforpayreform. governments not only explicitly soug- Ÿ Political or ideological factors Ÿ Pay and promotion must be linked to ht the 'best and brightest' for public should not dominate reform bothperformanceandin0ation. service but also reformed their agendas. Reforms should ideally be Ÿ Fiscal constraints could not be igno- systemstoachievethisgoal. designed exclusively on an evidence- red. Pay reform should be phased to based consideration of human parcel out the .nancial burden over Ÿ The Government of Pakistan does resource requirements. In the past, time. not monopolize the 'best and structural changes have been widely brightest' human resource. It is perceived as being driven by Broadly, the Commission proposed the unclear if this assumption was ideological and/or political followingmeasures: supported by evidence even when it considerations. Political feasibility Ÿ All ad hoc relief allowances granted was .rst declared a policy principle by must of course remain a key criterion since 1999 to be regularized as part of the Islington Commission in 1919. But for assessing any policy option, but theNPS. now it has certainly been falsi.ed by should not completely outweigh the Ÿ The number of pay scales to be recent evidence which indicates both need for efficiency, effectiveness and reduced from 22 to 14 – .ve for officers a thinning of suitable recruits and a high performance. Unlike the andnineforothergrades. hemorrhaging of talent from among historical periods recounted in this Ÿ Pay scales to be raised by 50 percent in serving ranks. Over 57,000 posts in paper, democratic governments today phasedannualincrementstill2012. ministries, divisions, and semiautono- are the norm rather than the Ÿ In-kind perks to be monetized and mous bodies of the federal govern- exception. Gains and losses in political madepartofNPS. ment were reported vacant in 2014.⁶⁴ capital should therefore be seen Currently, the government competes across a longer-term horizon than was Implementation of these recommenda- as an employer with the corporate previously conceivable. In the long tions has been uneven and the results are sector, the international development run, expediency may turn out to be the as yet unclear. The NPS were clearly not industry within Pakistan as well as more politically expensive policy reduced in number. In 2010, the governm- public and private employers in other position.

57 2009 Pay and Pensions Commission Report. Based on a lecture delivered by Dr. Ishrat Hussain at '94th National Management Course held at the National Management College, Lahore on Feb 25, 2011. 58 http://www..nance.gov.pk/circulars/adhoc_allowance_medical.pdf 59 Office Memorandum, No.F.1 (5) Imp/2011-419, Finance Division, (Regulations Wing), 4th July, 2011 60 http://www.oecd.org/gov/budgeting/44526166.pdf 61 Public Administration Singapore-style, Jon S. T. Quah, 2010 62 http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/eropa/unpan033712.pdf 63 Curbing Corruption in Asian Countries: an Impossible Dream? Jon S. T. Quah, 2011 64 http://tribune.com.pk/story/781234/this-seats-not-taken-thousands-of-federal-govt-jobs-remain-un.lled/ 65 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11077-005-2309-2 10 Ÿ Costing for pay reform must be a signi.cant economic cost. As are Ÿ Nature of responsibility i.e. amount holistic and specic. Pay policy has social welfare losses resulting from of .duciary risk managed, inclu- been driven by a narrow accounting or sub-optimal policies and uneven dingboth.nancesandpersonnel; budgeting perspective, given ever- implementation where poorly paid Ÿ Security of tenure and the implicit present .scal scarcity concerns. civil servants perform below par. certainty of perks and privileges; Affordability models which take .xed Evidence suggests that neither the and, wage bill ceilings as their point of Company, the Crown nor the Ÿ Degree of informality associated departure take a narrow view of the Government of Pakistan looked withaccesstoperksandprivileges; problem, excluding multiple relevant beyond the most direct .nancial costs Ÿ Premium on skills and quali.cation factors from review. First, historical when determining pay levels for their given the expected rate of return trends matter for pay policy. employees.Third , a strictly 'dollars- oneducationandtraining; Calculating affordable increments and-cents' approach oversimpli.es Ÿ Pay levels prevailing above, below from static salary budget lines ignores the pricing of incentives because andatparwiththejobinquestion. real term erosion over decades. individual positions are hidden within Dozens of such scale revisions have standardized grades. Optimal pay Ÿ Under-implementation of reform is proved ineffectual. Second, the costs setting should be based on job counterproductive. Past govern- of pay policy are not limited to the evaluation and job analysis which ments have 'cherry-picked' measures wage bill. Any resulting attrition brings to light the following factors, from proposals submitted by reform entails sunk costs in training as well as interalia: bodies. They have also chosen to costs of recruiting and retraining Ÿ Moral hazard which is likely to be disregard proposals in their entirety or replacements. Disruption of activities very different for a Customs Officer implement them half-heartedly.These may cause cost overruns and delays. posted in Chaman versus a Section decisions not only distort civil service Turnover at senior levels may cause Officer posted to a Federal structure and function but also signi.cant losses in institutional ministry; discreditreformitself. memory. Un.lled vacancies create Ÿ Switching costs and opportunity costly gaps, which, in support costs (represented by comparable Ministries/Divisions such as Planning, private sector pay) which deter- Law, Establishment and Finance affect mineturnover; all spheres of government. Corruption Ÿ Quantum and predictability of driven by under-compensation is also workload;

11 Analysis Assessing Public Service Delivery through Citizen Surveys: Key ndings of Two Perception Surveys

Survey 1: Online Survey on Citizen's Feedback on Public Service Delivery An online survey, targeting 1500 respondents, was conducted to gather Dimensions of Public service delivery covered in the online survey: citizen's feedback on public service Efficiency: The respondents were asked about the quality, timeliness and accessibility delivery. The survey gave an opportunity of the range of services they have availed. This also included safety measures, staff to hear from the general public being the qualityetc. ultimate bene.ciaries of public services regarding their experience in dealing with Inclusivity: Respondents were asked about the ability of institutions and service and availing of services from public sector providers to foster inclusivity and managing the demand from an increasing diversity of institutions. The objective was to identify actors. interventions to strengthen capacities and build effective institutions for the Accountability: Respondents were asked if they were aware with the policy and legal provision of services for the post 2015 safeguardsavailablefortheaccountabilityofthepublicserviceproviders. developmentagenda. Transparency: Respondents were asked if they had sufficient access to information on Accessibility publicutilitiesandtheirservices. Accessibility of the social services contin- ues to be an issue despite increased .scal Grievance redress: Respondents were asked questions related to grievance redress transfers and administrative powers to the mechanisms, whether they know where to .le a complaint, if yes, had they .led a provinces. complaint,receivedaresponse,andweresatis.edwiththeresponse?

Among the problems identi.ed in availing public service, poor quality of service was Figure 1: Problems in Availing Public Service 20% ranked as the highest with 18 percent 18% urban and 13 percent rural respondents 18% deeming it as such (Figure 1). Poor quality Rural of service was found to be most prevalent 16% Urban across all sectors: 64 percent males and 49 14% percent females rated health facilities in 14% 13% their locality unsafe and inadequate; 62 percent respondents raised issues with 12% low quality of education being given to 10% their children; over 60 percent respon- 10% 9% dents reported to have faced a problem in 8% availing electricity and gas supply and 8% complained of the poor quality of the 6% 6% 6% 6% services and 79 percent respondents 4% 4% marked transport facilities as non- 4% 3% compliant to basic safety measures thereby hinting that the quality of service 2% inthissectorwasalsounsatisfactory. 0% While addressing the reasons for poor Expensive Inhospitable Poor Quality Unhygenic Long waiting Other quality of service, lack of technical skill was Service Staff of Service Environment time found to be the most common reason amongst respondents (Figure 2). Again, education sector. The electricity and Gas attributed to: a) women's low levels of there were several sector wise differences Supply Sector identi.ed long waiting interaction with police and legal services and commonalities in identifying what times, high price of services and in Pakistani society, and b) fear of reporting reason was most prevalent. In the health incompetence of staff as the main culprits to police or formal justice mechanisms. sector, unavailability of quali.ed staff, behind poor quality of service. Low Over half the sample reported: 'Police inadequate health emergency infrastr- incentives, lack of technical knowledge matters should only be dealt by male ucture, and no or expensive medications and lack of staff were the problem areas in members in household or communities'. were identi.ed as the major reasons for the transport sector. There was a low Therefore, factors of pre-de.ned gender poor quality of service. Likewise, lack of female response rate with reference to rolesalsoshonethrough. staff and missing facilities were found to be access to police services. This may be the most common reasons in the

12 Figure 2: Reasons for Poor Service Delivery Inclusivity The top three reasons why respondents 30% may have faced difficulty in accessing a 26% public service included: a) favoritism 24% 25% 21% resulting in discriminatory supply of such services (42 percent), b) deprived due to gender (26 percent) and deprived due to 20% 12% 9% some disability or being part of a 15% 7% marginalizedcohort(11percent).

10% A follow up question asked if such discrimination in supply of public services 5% was a regular phenomenon. For 27 percent the incidence of discrimination in 0% accessing public service is recurring. 61 percent had reported this discrimination Lack of Staff not Lack of Lack of Lack of Others or grievance however less than half were Staff available performance technical required providedrelief. incentives skill equipment Survey results also disclosed that majority respondents suffered a lack of awareness Figure 3: Percentage of Respondents Awatre of Institutions/ on government policies, legislative mech- Legislation/ Mechanism Available for Public Service Complaints anisms and anti-corruption institutions (Figure3).

17% It was also useful to discover that majority Not aware at all of respondents obtained information 12% regarding public services through the website (28 percent urban and 17 percent 13% rural). It is also interesting to note that a Lack of clarity very integral source of information, the 5% media, was seen by majority as 'slightly effective' in ensuring accountability of publicinstitutions(Figure4). 23% Somewhat aware 15% Survey 2: Assessing the feedback of a high performance 9% public institution-The National Fully aware Highways and Motorway Police 6% Urban Introduction A survey of 485 commuters both Rural 0%5% 10% 15% 20% 25% commercial and non-commercial was done in the months of September and Figure 4: Effectiveness of Madia in Ensuring Accountability October at four locations – Karachi, Sukkur, of Public Institutions Lahore and Peshawar. The main objective of this study was to focus on the bene.ciaries/feedback regarding the services of National Highway and 10% MotorwayPolice(NHMW)asaninstitution. 23% Several factors were kept in consideration whilst conducting this study, including age of respondents, educational backgr- ound,natureandfrequencyoftravel. 27% Summaryofndings i. Vehicle Breakdown and the ResponseoftheNHMWPolice On Grand Trunk (G.T) Road/Highways, 76 40% percent of all such respondents that witnessed a breakdown, owing to an accident or otherwise, reported calling the NHMW Police (Figure 1). This shows the high level of con.dence that people have in this institution. While only a few Very Effective Slightly Effective Not Effective Don’t Know reported not calling the police, when

13 asked for reasons, more than 50 percent Figure 1: No. of respondents who called the NHMW Police reported that there was no need to call the police for the incident as the matter was mutually resolved by the commuters who were involved and bystanders. Only 3.1 percent reported not calling the police because the police helpline did not respond or the police did not show up despitebeensentmessages.

On Motorways, 75 percent of all respond- ents reported calling the police. Not even a Motorway single respondent reported that the police was not around in case of an accident. Only G.T Road/ Highways one percent reported that the police showed up late at the site of the break- down. 74 75 76 77

Respondents were also asked to rate the % of respondntse performance of the police on a scale of 1 (Excellent) to 4 (Poor). Figures 2 and 3 depict their performance in two different categories.

These .gures are highly indicative of the Figure 2: Rating of Police Performance on Timeliness in excellent performance of the NHMW Reaching Out to Vehicle Breakdown Sites police as a force which is ever present to help and resolve situations arising from 150% breakdowns on the NHMW network. No reasonablecomplaintwasfound. 100% ii. Accident and the Response of theNHMWPolice There were a total of 124 accidents on the 50% G.T Road/Highway as opposed to only 34 on the Motorway. Overall, 76 percent respondents reported calling the police in case of an accident on the G.T Road/ 0% Highway, and 77 percent on the Motorway. SUKKUR KARACHI LAHORE PESHAWAR The respondents were asked to rate the police in terms of timeliness in responding EXCELLENT GOOD SATISFACTORY POOR to accidents. Figure 4 sums up the results. The overall rating for performance was positive. iii. Police Checking for Violation Figure 3: Rating of Police Performance on forRoadUseLaws Helping/ Providing Assistance Respondents were asked if they were ever apprehended by the police for violation of 150% road use laws like over-speeding, not wearing seatbelts etc. A total of 386 respondents on the G.T Road/Highway answered in the positive, out of which 82 100% percent reported that they were .ned on being apprehended. As opposed to this, 128 respondents on the Motorway answe- 50% red in positive, out of which 78 percent reported that they were .ned on being apprehended. This indicates a better 0% followingofthelawonpartofthelatter. SUKKUR KARACHI LAHORE PESHAWAR Respondents were also asked to rate these actions based on their fairness. The idea EXCELLENT GOOD SATISFACTORY POOR was to see how these apprehensions were viewed by those who were targeted. The

14 Figure 4: Rating of the Police on Responses to Accidents Police force must not look vindictive and must not be seen to be unfair.Table 1 sums in Terms of Timeliness up the overwhelmingly positive responses. The fact that the NHMW Police PESHAWAR are able to apprehend without being seen LAHORE as unfair is a great achievement on their part. KARACHI

Motorway SUKKUR iv. NHMW Police's Role in Increasing Road Laws PESHAWAR Awareness This indicator tried to assess how much LAHORE awareness was imparted by the NHMW KARACHI Police in order to educate commuters

G.T Road/

Highways regarding laws and the bene.ts of abiding SUKKUR by them. As per cumulative results, out of those who did receive traffic law 0 2 4 6 81012 14 16 awareness on the G.T Road/Highway, only EXCELLENT GOOD SATISFACTORY POOR seven rated the Police as unfair, whereas 133 rated it as fair. Likewise, out of those who did receive traffic law awareness on Table 1: Responses on NHMW Police Fairness in Apprehensions the Motorway, 18 rated the Police as unfair, whereas35rateditasfair.However,among APPREHENDED GT ROAD/HIGHWAY MOTORWAY those who did not receive such awareness, BY THE POLICE 38 percent believed that the Police was unfair in its apprehensive action. This FAIRUNFAIR FAIR UNFAIR underscores the need for the NHMW Police to remain communicative towards - - SUKKUR 91 percent 9 percent commuters and keep imparting knowledgeabouttrafficlaws. KARACHI 100 percent 0 percent - - LAHORE 86 percent 14 percent 90 percent 10 percent 80 percent respondents who received traffic law awareness from the NHMW PESHAWAR 94 percent 6 percent 92 percent 8 percent Police believed that the knowledge imparted helped them immensely. They CUMULATIVE 96 percent 4 percent 91 percent 9 percent opined that such awareness made their journey easier, free from accidents and vehicle failure, and reduced the risk of Figure 5: Feeling of Safety and Security whenTraveling travelsigni.cantly. on G.T Road/ Highways v. Safety and Security of PESHAWAR Travelling on the NHMW Network LAHORE Respondents were asked if they felt safe and secure when traveling on the NHMW KARACHI Network. Figures 5 and 6 sum up their responses. SUKKUR Out of all the reasons respondents said 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% they felt safe, two particularly went to the YES NO credit of the Police, including forbiddance of over-speeding and overloading (especially in case of the Motorway,) and presenceofroadre0ectors. Figure 6: Feeling of Safety and Security whenTraveling on Motorway vi. Public Rating of NHMW Police onHonestyandFairness Respondents overall gave a good rating of PESHAWAR the Police on honesty and fairness in its dealings. Commuters generally expressed satisfaction with the Police for honesty and fairness.Table2sumsuptheresults. LAHORE

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

YES NO

15 vii. Rating of NHMW Police on Table 2: NHMW Police Rating on Honesty and Fairness Helpfulness towards RATING GT ROAD/HIGHWAY MOTORWAY Commuters Respondents were asked to rate the EXCELLENT 40 percent 58 percent NHMW Police on how helpful it was towards various types of commuters on GOOD 35 percent 21 percent the intercity roads. Table 3 sums up the SATISFACTORY 16 percent 14 percent results. Major consensus tilted towards good behavior on both road networks. POOR 5 percent 2 percent Overall the performance was satisfactory INDIFFERENT 5 percent 5 percent but Motorway Police performed better in termsofhelpfulness. Table 3: NHMW Police Rating on Helpfulness towards Commuters

RATING GT ROAD/HIGHWAY MOTORWAY viii. Rating of NHMW Police on RespectforCommuters EXCELLENT 28 percent 30 percent Police are symbols of security and therefore should not be associated with GOOD 46 percent 50 percent feelings of hostility and negativity. SATISFACTORY 17 percent 14 percent Respondents were asked to rate how the NHMW Police treats them. 90 percent POOR 5 percent 2 percent reported that the Police was respectful INDIFFERENT 5 percent 4 percent towards them. Figure 7 sums up their responses. Figure 7: NHMW Police Rating on Respect towards Commuters ix. Rating of NHMW Police on EnforcementoftheLaw One of the reasons for the effectiveness of INDIFFERENT the NHMW Police is their commitment towards enforcing the law. Respondents POOR were asked to rate on the same. 86 percent gave positive responses thereby further SATISFACTORY strengthening the service delivery of the NHMW Police. On helpfulness, van GOOD transporters (50 percent) and bus drivers (35 percent) gave the most positive review EXCELLENT to the NHMW Police on its enforcement efforts of the law. Table 4 depicts the 0 20 40 60 80 cumulativeresults. SUKKUR KARACHI LAHORE PESHAWAR i. Rating of NHMW Police on AbolitionoftheVIPCulture Figure 8: Rating of the NHMW Police on Abolition of the VIP Culture Special treatment given to VIP's has long been a common complaint against the 40% police force in the country. Respondents 26% 35% 24% were therefore asked to rate as to whether 21% the NHMW Police was equal in terms of 30% treatment with VIP's and the general public. 75 percent respondents felt that 25% 9% the Police was doing enough to curtail the 7% 20% VIP culture on the intercity road network. Figure8sumsuptheresponses. 15% 10% xi. Rating of NHMW Police on Patrolling 5% Police patrolling ensures law abiding 0% behavior by commuters.When questioned on whether commuters were satis.ed with police patrol, 87 percent responded in the GOOD POOR positive thereby reinforcing that the EXCELLENT SATISFACTRY INDIFFERENT National Highway and Motorway network is well protected with effective police Table4: Rating of NHMW Police on Enforcement of the Law surveillance and patrol. Figure 9 illustrates theresults. RATING EXCELLENT GOOD SATISFACTORY POOR INDIFFERENT

CUMULATIVE 16 percent 45 percent 25 percent 7 percent 7 percent

16 Figure 9: Rating of NHMW Police on Patrolling xii. Rating of NHMW Police on Increasing Road Safety Awareness Knowledge on road safety and laws is INDIFFERENT integral to ensure safety on the road. The NHMW Police here play a critical role in POOR spreading awareness so that people are constantly reminded and are well versed SATISFACTORY with rules and regulations. When asked about the NHMW Police efforts to increase GOOD road awareness about traffic laws, 83 percent respondents gave the Police a EXCELLENT positive rating on its law awareness efforts. Satisfaction was the highest in Sukkur with 0% 50% 100% 150% 200% 93 percent positive rating and lowest in PESHAWAR KARACHI LAHORE SUKKUR Lahore with 71 percent. Figure 10 sums up theresults.

xiii. Rating of NHMW Police on Figure 10: NHMP Rating on Efforts to Increase Awareness Issuance of Fog and Weather about Traffic Laws Information Fog becomes a critical issue in the winter 70% season. This is especially true for Lahore and adjoining areas that experience the 60% most amount of fog. Many a times, Lahore Airport and the Motorway M2 have to be 50% closed down owing to poor visibility due to the fog. Therefore the NHMW Police 40% have a critical role to play by providing awareness and counsel to travelling 30% motoristssoastoincreasetheirsafety. 20% The results on this question regarding the 10% police's efforts on issuance of fog and weather information were received mostly 0% as satisfactory, however, 68 percent SUKKUR KARACHI LAHORE PESHAWAR satisfaction at Lahore is critical since it is the most affected area. Figure 11 depicts EXCELLENT GOOD SATISFACTORY POOR INDIFFERENT theoverallpicture.

xiv. Illegal Practices among NHMWPolice Figure 11: Rating of NHMW Police on Issuance of Fog and Respondents were asked whether the Weather Information Police had been seen taking bribes from the commuters (as is the norm with the INDIFFERENT local police) or forced bus drivers to carry their friends as free riders. The latter POOR appeared to be a minor issue with only 12 percent reporting such incidents. In terms SATISFACTORY of the former, seven percent reported that Police sought bribes from the commuters GOOD which is not very satisfactory (Table 5). It was expected that the incident of Police EXCELLENT bribery would be lower. Efforts need to be made to ensure that the NHMW Police 0% 10%20% 30% 40% 50% 60% does not turn into in-city police which in knownforitscorruptionandbribery. PESHAWAR KARACHI LAHORE SUKKUR Conclusion The performance of the National Highway Table 5: Does the NHMW Police Seek Bribes? and Motorway Police has been found to be satisfactory. Satisfaction being more SUKKUR KARACHI LAHORE PESHAWAR CUMULATIVE pronounced since most government organizations perform so poorly, the YES 0 percent 14 percent 11 percent 0 percent 7 percent performance of NHMW Police looks sharper by contrast. There is signi.cant NO 100 percent 86 percent 89 percent 100 percent 93 percent

17 room for improvement. Any effort in this structures. All organizations are capable of research wing so that change manage- direction should focus on areas from self-learning, adaptation, adjustment, ment clues emerge from within the improvedrecruitment,hiringandtraining, experimentation, and innovation. NHMW organization. to the selection of new leadership Police must develop an indigenous

Shaukat Hayat Khan Inspector General National Highways and Motorway Police

When the motorway police was established, it pulled most of It is said that achieving excellence is difficult but sustaining it is its staff from the police force. Latter was generally considered more difficult.We have seen in Pakistan that institutions take a to be corrupt and inefficient whereas motorway police is good start but don't maintain it in the long run. What has kept considered corruption free with high standards of services. higher standards in motorway police sustainable over such a Whatmadeitpossible?Whatwerethekeyenablers? longtime?

When an organization is conceived on the basis and intention of Ups and downs are a natural way for any process.What is important making it as a benchmark for others, then that is the real factor is that that the ups are substantial and downs are marginal. The behind it becoming a success story. The initial idea conceived was hard work and consistency of our senior past leadership in the core aimed at establishing a police force that would be different than values of the institution has a major factor to play in the long the existing one. One factor kept in mind was that all recruitment standing success of this institute. Another major factor in the long done was on the basis of education and fair competition, without term success of the Motorway Police has been the zero tolerance of any external influence. Second, the deportation formula was also external and internal influences. All positions and promotions are devised on qualifications and other very specific requirements that based purely and only on merit and this merit is evaluated on an made it a very tough screening process. The Motorway Institution extensive monitoring system, the reporting of which reaches till presented a very different environment for candidates who came the headquarters therefore enabling the system to be completely on deputation from their traditional background, for instance, the transparent. We are extremely conscious in upholding the core salary package at that time was almost a hundred percent more, values and maintaining a corruption free system. Recently, we have there were eight hour work shifts instead of the usual 24 hour shifts also devised a new set of National Highway and Motorway Police intheregularpoliceforce,theworkingconditionsweresimplerand efficiency rules that will be notified soon, based on careful service conditions were cleaner. There was always an emphasis planning, monitoring and evaluation. Lastly, accountability placed on the three core values including integrity, courtesy and mechanisms are vigilant and quick thereby maintaining the help towards general public. The major task here involved smoothworkingofthesystem. patrolling only. Third, immense focus has always been placed on proper training of the force inculcating in them the mindset of Motorway police is a success story as a public sector 'service' and not of 'officer'. When the public witnessed such institution. Keeping in view the motorway police experience, instances of humble behavior, a positive image of the Motorway what are the 4-5 recommendations that you would like to Police began to bloom. Finally, the process and procedures such as provide that could make public sector institutions service that of ticketing, violations etc were based on different dynamics oriented, corruption free, client friendly and attractive to when compared to traditional police. Budgetary allocations competentprofessionals? provided to the institution were also very substantial. A reward system was also put in place whereby 25 percent of the force was The major factor in the success of any institution is reflected in the evaluated on the basis of performance, education and quantum of inputs i.e. the human resource employed. Therefore, ensuring that help provided to public and then subsequently awarded with three the selection of this human resource is based completely on basic bonus salaries.The welfare package was also higher than that honesty and integrity is a major factor in making public institutions ofthetraditionalpolice. serviceoriented,corruptionfreeandclientfriendly.

Higher salary was considered one of the motivations for Also as the famous saying goes, 'as you sow so shall you reap,' joining the motorway police. However, as of present, there is therefore proper structured training is also an integral factor in the not much difference between salary and other remuneration eventual success of the institution. The training imparted will packages of the traditional and motorway police, as well as reflect in the later functioning of all the personnel and if they have a other such institutions. Still, motorway police is considered clear vision and understanding on the core values and procedures, efficient and corruption free. In your view, what other non- then that will ensure a smooth functioning of the institute on financial factors keep the motorway police committed and ground. A transparent and legal equitable reward system is also motivated? important to establish in any public service institute. It promotes motivation within the team and pushes them to perform Non-financial factors would include the shift system and effectively. recreational facilitation. Traditional police personnel work round the clock but the Motorway Police has eight hour shifts. Then Finally, the style of administration also matters. Communication sufficient recreational facilities including better accommodation, withintheorganizationanddifferentcounterpartsiskey. entertainmentandsufficientwelfarearealsoprovided. 18 Opinion New Public Passion: Motivation in Public Service – A New Zealand Perspective 1

often we fool ourselves into believing that sustainable reform. The piece will extrinsic motivation – the promise of conclude by setting out key lessons from rewards and the threat of punishment – the reform experience to identify what else through compliance and accountability is required for successful and sustainable are enough and that intrinsic motivation is reform. This section emphasiz es the not reliable so cannot be systematised. importance of the Reform Moment and Intrinsic motivation is important for civil theneedforreformtobesharplyfocused. service performance and is essential to The challenge: change is accelerating, dynamism. Dynamism – the ability to complexity abounds, money is short adapt at pace to respond to rapid change – andmoraleislow is essential for the civil service required in a The challenge is that the goalposts keep complex and fast changing world. If you shifting – for the public, private and non- are working on reform and not thinking pro.t sector. The rate of change is explicitly about harnessing the intrinsic accelerating in an increasingly complex Ryan Orange motivation of civil servants you are not globalisedandinterconnectedworld. heading for the right destination and Ex-D eputy State Services Commissioner undermining the likelihood of sustainable In complex networks, decision-making is New Zealand change. fragmented but interdependent, leading Figure1: Change is accelerating, complexity abounds... Introduction In a complex and rapidly changing world delivering and sustaining signi.cant improvements in public services is critical to quality of life and sustainable develop- ment. Public service reform is being Micro Computer Internet pursuedwithmixedresultsinagreatrange of jurisdictions to respond to this changing From to environment. Drawing on the experience of reform in New Zealand and engage- Spread sheets Google ment with other jurisdiction's reform endeavours this, article seeks to identify what is universal and what is contextually A more interconnected, diverse and unpredictable world demands an unique about public service reform and increased ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment identify approaches to strengthen the chancesofsuccessfulreform. Fragmentation - diverse The article will focus on the concept of sources of authority New Public Passion (NPP) and the and points of Unpredictability and importance of intrinsic motivation to Increasingly complex decision-making rapid change - patterns sustainable reform. The idea that intrinsic and interconnected - arise out of a vast array information technology, motivation matters – that we will try of interactions and globalisation, rise of the harder if we feel we are doing the right Interdependence - seemingly out of third sector thing, be more engaged if we .nd our work decisions are in0uenced nowhere interesting and more passionate about the by the decisions of pursuit of our values – does not appear to others and expectations be a controversial statement.The very idea of what others might do of public service is a call to intrinsic values of service to our community._ However the importance of intrinsic motivation is being to unpredictability and rapid change as underestimated or ignored in civil service While intrinsic motivation is critically “patterns arise out of a vast array of reform all over the world – right now. Too important, it is only one aspect of interactions and seemingly out of

1 ThisopinionpieceissummarisedfromalongerpaperwrittenforandsoontobepublishedbytheUNDPGlobalCentreforPublicServiceExcellence 2 This paper does not make a distinction between Public Service Motivation (PSM) and intrinsic motivation. The core dimensions of PSM – compassion, civic duty, self-sacri.ce and attraction to public policy- making–aretreatedhereasintegralratherthanseparatetointrinsicmotivation.Forclarity'recognition'isconsideredinthispapertobeanextrinsicmotivatorthatisgivenasarewardorwithheldasapunishment. 19 nowhere”.` The idea: intrinsic motivation really is a critical tool for improving performance matters but will work best in partnership with the So if a signi.cant increase in adaptability is New Public Passion is about harnessing alignment of values to harness intrinsic required, it would be ideal to be operating the intrinsic motivation of public servants motivation. High levels of intrinsic in an environment of resource 0exibility to improve performance. The central motivation are the public services natural and enthusiastic appetite for change. message is that intrinsic motivation really advantage but that advantage needs to be However, even as demands increase, many matters. encouragedandstewardedoritislost. civil services are confronting tighter .nancial constraints and low levels of Through a primary focus on accountability We need to harness intrinsic motivation to morale.⁴- The Sustai enable dynamic and nable Development Leversforimprovingmotivation adaptive civil servants Goals cannot be achi- to respond to increa- The UNDP Global Centre for Public Service Excellence identi.es the following strategies eved without overco- sing change and for strengthening New Public Passion in developing countries in the paper: TheSDGsand mingthischallenge. complexity. In enviro- NewPublicPassion:Whatreallymotivatesthecivilservice?^_ nments with constr- New Public ained resources and Developing Pride and Recognition in Public Service – which stems from a low morale, more effe- Passion sense of purpose – of public or moral duty, or nationalism. It is not just about seeking The toolkit: neces- ctively harnessing reward from .nancial gain or obvious power, but reward from stimulating intellectual intrinsic motivation is sarybutinsufficient application, involvement in matters of the state, a secure .nancial life and respected a critical lever for mai- The obvious solution social standing.^` The sense of pride among civil servants and the public image of public ntaining performance to this challenge is to institutions represent intrinsic sources of motivation or commitment that eventually during periods of cha- employ super-heroes affectcivilservants'performance. ^⁴ nge. Too often,- refor in every seat. If every ms are implemented civil servant could Establishing a Merit-based, Professional Civil Service – evidence suggests that without any real effort only be trustworthy, building a merit-based civil service has been the most effective way of incentivising staff, to engage civil serva- collaborative, citizen- while pay reform and performance monitoring have been less effective.^⁵ Even in an nts in the drivers or centred, creative, environment where the civil service is politicised, it is possible for the merit principle to bene.ts of reform in a driven and brilliant be implemented. In China, despite corruption, nepotism and cronyism, there exists a language they can then surely this challe- largely meritocratic and competent civil service, geared to advancing the common understand or nge would be surmo- good,whichhasmadetheworld'ssecondlargesteconomywhatitistoday.^⁶ through the lens of unted. However, in values they can relate the absence of a ste- to. ady supply of super- Promoting a Values-based Public Service – values such as transparency, heroes we have to rely responsibility, accountability and impartiality underpin public service.To be credible, all New Public Passion is on very ordinary civil human capital management practices need to be consistent with the message that not a brand new idea service heroes and the 'public service matters',^⁷ and these practices, from recruitment to performance but it is a timely draw- quality of the public management, should be reviewed to emphasise public service values in an integrated ing together of impor- management systems way.^⁸ tant thinking about they work in really the link between matters. Empowerment and Autonomy – civil servants need to feel that the organisation provides them with a degree of discretion and autonomy to undertake tasks they .nd motivation and perf- ormance in a public Most of the public meaningful. Very bureaucratic organisations, with high levels of red tape, are de- service context. In management toolkit motivating for public managers. However, active reform efforts to increase managerial addition to practical that we rely on, how- authority and focus on results can reinvigorate Public Service Motivation.^⁹ Explicitly experience, the idea is ever, was not desig- linking the role of public officials to the Sustainable Development Goals acknowledges based on well-establi- ned for managing thepivotalroletheyplayinachievingimportantnationalandglobaloutcomes. shed theory and the complexity and rapid direction of private change. The historical Employee Engagement – there is a growing trend in public sector organisations to sector thinking about toolkit of Public track 'employee engagement', in order to take action on issues raised and enhance how to respond to the Administration and engagement._⁰ Given that high Public Service Motivation has been positively correlated changing nature of New Public Manage- with job satisfaction and organisational commitment, it should be incorporated into the global market- ment is necessary but employeeengagementpractices._^ place. not sufficient and New Public Gover- and managerialism, our public The idea draws on nance is attempting to bridge that gap. It management systems have come to over- Public Service Motivation and seeks to will only do so successfully if it harnesses rely on extrinsic motivation.The alignment build the lessons from this body of intrinsic motivation and builds New Public of incentives to drive extrinsic motivation research into the heart of our public Passion.

3 Bourgon, Jocelyne. 2009.New Governance and Public Administration: Towards a Dynamic Synthesis . Public lecture hosted by the Australian Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Canberra, Australia, 24 February. 4 Bourgon, Jocelyne. 2009. New Governance and Public Administration:Towards a Dynamic Synthesis. Public lecture hosted by the Australian Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Canberra, Australia, 24 February. 12UNDPGCPSE2015. 13Chapman,RichardA.2013.LeadershipintheBritishCivilService(RoutledgeRevivals):AstudyofSirPercivalWater.eldandthecreationoftheCivilServiceSelectionBoard.Routledge,p.195. 14Haque,M.Shamsul.2001.Prideandperformanceinthepublicservice:threeAsiancases.InternationalReviewofAdministrativeSciences67(1):99-116. 15Rao,Sumedh.2013.Civilservicereform:Topicguide.Birmingham:GSDRC,UniversityofBirmingham. 16Berggruen,Nicolas,andNathanGardels.2013.Re-Politicisationvs.De-Politicisation.NewPerspectivesQuarterly30(2):45-50. 17O'Riordan,Joanna.2013.PublicServiceMotivation.InstituteofPublicAdministration,p.9. 18Paarlberg,LaurieE.,andBobLavigna.2010.Transformationalleadershipandpublicservicemotivation:Drivingindividualandorganisationalperformance.PublicAdministrationReview70(5):710-718. 19Yousaf,Momna,etal.2014.'Dopublicservicemotivation,redtapeandresignedworksatisfactiontriangulatetogether?'InternationalJournalofProductivityandPerformanceManagement63(7):923-945. 20Manning,Nick.2012.ImprovingtheContributionofSeniorStafftoProgramPerformancepresentationdeliveredtotheBCOPofthePEMPALnetworkmeetingMarch2012.PEMPAL. 21 Crosby, Durand. 2014. Improving Employee Retention in the Public Sector by Increasing Employee Engagement in Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Engaged Management Scholarship, Tulsa,OK,September10-14,2014. 20 management models. James Perry de.nes Management is about re-inventing Responsiveness is vital and accountability Public Service Motivation (PSM) as “an management to deliver innovation and is the chief engine of responsiveness. individual's predisposition to respond to requires shifting from hierarchies to Wherever it can be, accountability should motives grounded primarily or uniquely in communities of purpose.^⁰ His recipe for be clearly de.ned and rigorously public institutions”.⁵ Perry's own 2010 success is a workforce motivated to be accounted for. However, intrinsic review of 20 years of PSM research argues creative rather than obedient and he motivation particularly matters in times of that the studies condu- cted have built up argues that engagement of this workforce .nancial constraint and low morale as the evidence to indicate that high PSM will be driven by passion (35percent ), tapping into it more effectively may be the improves the attraction, selection and creativity (25percent ), initiative (20 only way to deliver more for less for a retention of individuals as civil servants; percent) and intellect (15 percent ) while period of time and create the momentum that PSM matters for performance (but diligence (5percent ) and obedience (0 togetoverachange'hump'. that there is more evidence of this at the percent)ceasetobestrongdrivers.^^ institutional rather than the individual Dynamism is critical for responding to level); and that high PSM has an inverse For the public and private sectors, the complex and rapidly changing relationship with preference for monetary world is becoming a more complex and environments and effectively harnessing rewards.⁶ rapidly changing environment.To adapt to intrinsic motivation is essential for this environment we cannot afford to look enablingdynamism. PSM research has shown a link between only to extrinsic motivation but must having a mission of public good, reform harness intrinsic motivation to drive Sustainable Reform and effective transformational leadership. performance. The approach in Wright found that“the practice: sustainable Figure 2: New Zealand’s Public Passion and Reforms importance of an reform organization's miss- It is through the ion increases emplo- Diagnosis Reform Moment Focus Destination practice of reform that yee work motivation one learns the hard in the public sector by What is the Why is now the Ÿ Professionalism Ÿ Trust way that you underes- making the job more speci.c time to try for timate the transfor- important, even after Ÿ Accountability Ÿ Responsiveness problem? change? mative potential of controlling for the Ÿ Networks Ÿ Dynamism intrinsic motivation at effect of performance Ÿ your peril. The key -related extrinsic Motivation lessons learnt from rewards”.⁷ Moynihan the practice of reform and Pandey's research are summarised in indicates that red tape Figure2. and length of organi- zational membership 12345 are negatively related Pick a few That are Get the right Announce Move at pace Diagnosis to public service things Important and mandate your intent and adapt as Most jurisdictions motivation, whereas on the path you go already know what is hierarchical authority wrong with their and reform efforts system. They may not have a positive relati- be having an honest conversation about it. They frequently are onship.⁸ Together, Wright, Moynihan and The bene.ts: generating trust, Pandey concluded that “given both the confounded by the entanglement of supporting responsiveness and political dynamics (that civil service reform public service orientation of public organi- enablingdynamism zation missions and the attractiveness of cannot directly address) with bureaucratic Harnessing intrinsic motivation can help such goals to many public employees, dysfunction and feel that change is too to generate trust, support responsiveness public sector transformational leaders hard. But in a Reform Moment, if an honest and is critical to building and sustaining may be in a better position to activate the conversation can be had that is focussed dynamism. higher-order needs of their employees directly on the role of the civil service, the and encourage them to transcend their problems identi.ed are usually both clear Trust is foundational. It is very difficult to own self-interest for the sake of the andlongstanding. have a civil service that is responsive and organizationanditsclientele”.⁹ dynamic if there is a de.cit of trust. In ReformMoment environments with low levels of trust a The importance of intrinsic motivation is Timing is everything in civil service reform. vicious circle of helplessness, apathy and absolutely not unique to the civil service. In a perfectly dynamic system, continuous self-interest can eventuate. Harnessing Gary Hamel, as an in0uential thinker on improvement would avoid the need for intrinsic motivation is one of the few ways improving the performance of private reform as civil service change would keep tobreakoutofthisviciouscycle. sector businesses, argues that TheFutureof pace with the environment in which it

5Everest-Phillips,Max.2015.Thepowerof'newpublicpassion'.TheStraitTimes.November5.http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/the-power-of-new-public-passion 6Perry,JamesL.andWise,R.S.1990.TheMotivationalBasesofPublicService.PublicAdministrationReview.50:367-73 7 Perry, James L., Hondeghem, Annie and Wise, Lois R. 2010. Revisiting the Motivational Bases of Public Service Motivation: Twenty Years of Research and an Agenda for the Future. Public Administration Review. 70(5):681–90. 8 Interviews with managers engaged in information management activities at US state-level primary health and human service agencies: Moyhihan, D. P., Sanjay, K. P.2007.The Role of Organizations in Fostering PublicServiceMotivation.PublicAdministrationReview.67:1:40-53.DOI:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00695.x 9 A nationwide sample of senior managers in U.S. local government jurisdictions with populations of more than 50,000:Wright, B., Moynihan, D. P.and Pandey, S. K. Pulling the Levers:Transformational Leadership, PublicServiceMotivation,andMissionValence. 10Hamel,G.2012.WhatMattersNow:HowtoWininaWorldofRelentlessChange,FerociousCompetition,andUnstoppableInnovation.Jossey-Bass. 11Hamel,G.WhatMattersNow:HowtoWininaWorldofRelentlessChange,FerociousCompetition,andUnstoppableInnovation. 21 operates. However, we do not work in differently. makers and actors are openly commi- perfectly or even particularly dynamic tted to change to help sustain resolve systems and step-changes in technology, If you do not have and cannot generate a throughthedifficulttimesahead. expectations and complexity demand Reform Moment, do not attempt reform. Ÿ Move at pace and adapt as you go –In a periodic reforms that break parts of the Reform is hard, expensive and disruptive complex environment it is simply not system in order to remake them in a .t-for- withahighriskoffailure. possible to predict the full impact of purposefashion. change so be prepared to adapt as you Focus gotosustainmomentum. There are four primary features that are The need to focus is the single most conducive to a Reform Moment in which important lesson that can be derived Destination there is real stimulus for signi.cant change based on the practice of reform. There will In a complex and rapidly changing andachanceofsuccess. always be more things that would bene.t environment,- reform is a tool for impr Ÿ Change gap – Where it is obvious that from change than there will be the oving the ability of a system to respond to what a system is capable of doing falls capacitytochangethem. changeonanongoingbasis. short of what is required or expected, there is a change gap. Change gaps are M,ost importantly do not waste time and The question: what does this mean for necessary for a Reform Moment but are energy on things that you cannot change you? not enough without the following in this Reform Moment. While the ultimate Nothing is more certain than that every threeaspectsbeingaligned. destination may be to change cultural Reform Moment is unique and will require Ÿ Change readiness – Any system has a norms in your system, if you start by trying

Figure 3: New Zealand’s Better Public Service Reforms

Diagnosis Reforms Moment Focus Detination

Poor Outcomes on Ÿ Changegap Ÿ Results Ÿ Trust complex cross- Ÿ Globalisation, IT, Ÿ Capability Ÿ Responsiveness agency issues riseofthirdsector Ÿ Resources Ÿ Dynamism Ÿ Changereadiness Ÿ Decision-rights Ÿ Highly empowered Ÿ 25 years since Ÿ Data integrated frontline majorreform Ÿ Stewardship decisionmaking Ÿ Triggercrises Ÿ ChiefExecutiveroleandincentices Ÿ 2008GFC Ÿ FourYearPlans Ÿ Reformsleadership Ÿ ReformanceImprovementFramework Ÿ Deputy PM and Ÿ Systemleadership Finance Minister Ÿ HeadofStateServices BillEnglish Ÿ FunctionalLeadership Ÿ State Sector Reform Leadership Group and CE away days

threshold for how much change it can to change all of these at once, reform will a different response to enable change. handle. Repeated change, whether fail. There are no silver bullets for successful successful or not, leads to change reform and if someone is offering to sell fatigue and can have a catastrophic Focus is the driver of the .ve key reform youone,thinkagain. impact on the harnessing of intrinsic steps: motivation. Picking a Reform Moment Ÿ Pick a few things –Donottrytobe However, the challenges of reform and requires an understanding of the comprehensive as there will always be enhancing civil service performance are a appetite for change and the capacity more things to change then there is universal experience. Every community in for the system to take on change at that capacitytochangethem. the world has and will struggle with that time. Ÿ Thatareimportantandonthepath–You challenge in their own context. The Ÿ Trigger crisis or opportunity –Evenifa are better off moving with urgency and problems are common (e.g. politicisation, civil service has a clear change gap and commitment to address selected fragmentation, poor implementation, has a degree of change readiness, a issuesthatareclearlyimportantandon corruption, information de.cits, cultural speci.c trigger crisis or opportunity the path to the destination you are barriers, performance measurement) but creates a catalyst for change and the trying to reach,a th n running an the experience is unique to that particular potential for focus to build reform expensive and time-consuming environment. momentum. processtobesureaboutwhattodo. Ÿ Reform leadership – Leadership is vital Ÿ Get the right mandate – Know who the So in this universal and unique change for successful reform and if there is no critical decision-makers are and ensure environment, the claim of New Public reform leadership then there is no they are signed up to the reform Passion is that it is important to think Reform Moment. Reform leadership is endeavour. about the intrinsic motivation of civil required to break with past practice Ÿ Announce your intent – Announce your servants in the design of your public and take the risk of doing things intent to ensure that critical decision- management system and in planning and 22 driving reform efforts to change the Ÿ Change readiness – Radical change effort. He was also highly skilled at design of your public management comes at a high cost and after a reform using the language of results-led system. as large as New Zealand's New Public reform to harness the intrinsic Management changes, the system can motivation of civil servants to want to A practical example: New Zealand's take a while – 25 years in this case – make a difference to the lives of New BetterPublicServicesreform before it is ready to take on large-scale Zealanders in the greatest need, while New Zealand's Better Public Services changeagain. not resiling from providing extrinsic Ÿ reforms (2010-2015) successfully rewrote Trigger crisis – The 2008 Global motivation through clear articulation the rules of the New Zealand public Financial Crisis shifted New Zealand of his expectations of senior officials to management system to enable focussed from surplus to de.cit and fundame- sustainreformmomentum. work across agency boundaries to deliver ntally constrained the .nancial results, longer term planning to support 0exibility available in the civil service. The ten Prime Minister's Better Public stewardship and changed leadership roles While New Zealand did not enter a ServicesResultsforNewZealanders_` have and incentives to strengthen system period of signi.cant austerity, agency been the central focus of successful reform leadership._2 The features of the reform are budgets and staff numbers were implementation. These Results were summarisedinFigure3. capped after a decade of year-on-year selected because they were important and growth. Delivering better services long-standing problems that had proven There were four key factors that made this while absorbing annual in0ationary resistant to previous attempts at change the strongest Reform Moment in New pressures requires new ways of where making meaningful progress would Figure 4: The Better Public Services Results and targets as at March 2016

Reducing long-term welfare dependence Reduce working age client numbers by 25% to 220,000 from 295,000 as 1 at June 2014, and an accumulated actuarial release of $13 billion by June 2018

Increase participation in Early Childhood In 2016, 98% of children starting school will have participated in quality 2 Education early childhood education

Increase infant immunisation Increase immunisation coverage for children at 8 months to 95% by 3a December 2014

Reduce rheumatic fever Reduce .rst episode rheumatic fever hospitalisations annual rate to 1.4 3b per 100,000 by June 2016

Reduce Assaults on children Reduce children experiencing substantiated abuse to 2,954 annually by 4 June 2017

Increase proportion of 18 year olds with 85% of 18-year-olds will have achieved NCEA Level 2 or an equivalent 5 National Certi.cate of Educational quali.cation in 2017 Achievement Level 2

Increase proportion of 25 to 34 year olds with 60% of 25-34-year-olds having a quali.cation at Level 4 or above in 2018 6 New Zealand Quali.cations framework Level 4 or above

Reduce the rates of total crime, violent crime Reduce the June 2011 violent crime rate by 20% and the youth crime rate 7 and youth crime by 25% by June 2017 and the total crime rate by 20% by June 2018

8 Reduce re-offending Reduce June 2011 reoffending rate by 25% to 22.5 by June 2017

New Zealand business have a one-stop online Reduce December 2012 business costs from dealing with government by shop for all Government advice and support 25%by2017. 9 Government services to business will have similar key performance ratings as leading private sector .rms by July 2017.

New Zealanders can complete their An average of 70 per cent of New Zealanders' most common transactions 10 transactions with Government easily in a with government will be completed in a digital environment by 2017 digital environment

Zealandsincethe1980sreforms: working. require collaboration between multiple Ÿ Change gap – The increasing Ÿ Reform leadership – Bill English, the organisations(Figure4) complexity and rate of change of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of world in the 2010s was impacting on Finance from November 2008, was a The Better Public Services Results have New Zealand through globalisation, critical champion of change and was worked as a reform tool because of their information technology and the rise of able to secure the support of the Prime degreeoffocus. thethirdsector. Minister and Cabinet for the reform Ÿ Pick a few things – There are only 10

22 See the range of Cabinet minutes on Better Public Services at: http://www.ssc.govt.nz/bps-cab-papers-minutes

23 Results: they are not everything Ministers and Chief Executives as a key important government is doing in New barrier to effective cross-agency Zealand and they are not even collaboration. Changing the role of necessarily the 10 most important Ministers was not up for debate and thingsthatgovernmentisdoing. concentrating on it reduced rather Ÿ That are important and on the path – than increased the potential for The Ministerial decision to not engage signi.cant change. As a consequence in a lengthy analytical and consultation of focussing on change to the process for determining the 10 Results behaviour of civil servants, the reforms was key to capturing the Reform have ultimately had some impact on Momentinearly2012. Ministerial arrangements and behavi- Ÿ Get the right mandate – Labelling the ours. Results as thePrime Minister's Results Ÿ Do not ignore intrinsic motivation.The sent a clear message to Ministers and policy and design work for the reforms civil servants that the Results mattered sought to harness accountabilities, and that they needed to be prioritised incentives and performance againstotherwork. measurement to drive change. How- Ÿ Announce your intent –The radical step ever, coming from a New Public of publicly declaring the Result, the Management mind-set led to underp- target and accountable Ministers and laying the importance of capturing officials before having an agreed hearts and minds in reform implemen- approach was a catalyst to cross- tation. The ten Results successfully agency engagement in a system where aligned intrinsic and extrinsic most incentives ran in the other motivation, but this was more by direction. Six monthly reports have accident than design. The Results been publicly released on the progress spoke to the key drivers of why many of on Results including the Cabinet paper, the people working on the Results had dashboardandunderlyingdata._⁴ become public servants in the .rst Ÿ Move at pace and adapt as you go – place. The passion of the leaders and There was a clear imperative for teams for improving the lives of new agencies to develop an approach with Zealanders was essential in sustaining urgency to deliver on Ministerial their efforts to overcome resistance to expectations and meet public workingdifferently.. reporting requirements. Having a target in place provided a catalyst for action and the targets and measures in turn can be strengthened on the basis ofexperience.

While the Results have created a successful central focus for reform, the challenging reform environment and difficulties implementing broader change high- lighted a number of key lessons about whatnottodo: Ÿ Do not try and .x everything at once. Through the early phases of the reform process, signi.cant amounts of time were spent trying to generate grand structural solutions and compreh- ensive frameworks. With the power of hindsight, these efforts carried the seeds of their own failure. The reforms progressively gained momentum by shifting the focus from comprehensive restructuring to improving the rules to enable change and then focussing on speci.careasforimplementation. Ÿ Do not focus your energy on the things you cannot change directly in this Reform Moment.Whenever civil service leaders were brought together to discuss reform, Chief Executives and Senior Officials would focus on the role of Ministers and the interface between

23 Available at: http://www.ssc.govt.nz/sites/all/.les/Snapshot-March2016.pdf 24 See: http://www.ssc.govt.nz/better-public-service 24 Opinion Technology, Innovation and e-Governnace – The Case of Pakistan

Table 1: Coutry Rankings Online Service Telecommunicaon Human Capital Country Rank Infrastructure Component Component Component Pakistan 158 0.3228 0.1174 0.3337 India 118 0.5433 0.1372 0.4698 Bangladesh 148 0.3465 0.0941 0.3866 Indonesia 106 0.3622 0.3054 0.6786 Malaysia 52 0.6772 0.4455 0.7119 China 70 0.6063 0.3554 0.6734 Myanmar 175 0.0236 0.0084 0.5288 Hasaan Khawar Afghanistan 173 0.1811 0.1472 0.2418 Source: UN E-government Survey 2014 Former civil servant belonging to Pakistan Administrative Service The advent of technology during the last various departments, use of online (formerly District Management Group) two decades has especially changed the services in selected areas and digitization face of governance globally, bringing in a of massive government archives such as host of innovations in various aspects of landrecords,etc. public service delivery. However, these IntroductionandContext improvements have also increased However, it is not all good news as citizens' expectations, who in the 21st according to the UN Global E-government The quest for innovation in public sector century have become increasingly Survey (2014)` , Pakistan ranked 158th with governance and service delivery is not demanding and quality conscious. The an e-government development index new and political governments all over the changing role of the private sector in this merely at 0.2580, putting it amongst the world have been seeking better ways to arena cannot be ignored, where it has bottom 30 countries⁴ globally, 0anked by serve their citizens. Innovation is often ventured into various domains creating others like Afghanistan, Myanmar and considered a 'magic concept'^ that can be new solutions and exerting additional Timor. The situation has only worsened used to improve not only the effectiveness pressure on the governments to perform with time, as Pakistan was ranked 156th in and efficiency of the public sector but also better. 2012, with an e-government development sometimes its legitimacy through index of 0.28. Other countries in the region improved capability to handle societal including India, China and Bangladesh challenges_ . Governments all over the SituationinPakistan outperformed Pakistan and were ranked at world thus continuously look for These global changes, coupled with 118th, 70th and 148th positions innovations in public service delivery with increasingly aware 21st century citizens, respectively, improving from 125th, 78th varying objectives such as improving have also compelled public sector in and150thin2012(Table1). efficiency, reducing costs, enhancing Pakistan to evolve and make way for citizen satisfaction, introducing fresh technology. The country experimented This table also reveals that while India management paradigms or creating new with various institutional models during exceeds Pakistan on all counts, when capabilities to improve overall capacity. the past few years, both at federal and compared with Bangladesh, Pakistan fares These innovations can be motivated by provincial level, to promote e-governance well in terms of infrastructure but lags political point scoring, .scal constraints, and stimulate innovation, through use of behind in online services provision and inability to tackle particular challenges or technology. Although these institutions humancapital. even purely altruistic reasons, but have witnessed mixed success, the face of irrespective of the driving force behind the government has evolved signi.cantly Despite this fall in international rankings, them, these often result in better in recent years, with rampant use of social the last few years have witnessed a outcomesforthepublic. media, video conferencing facilities for communication, websites and portals for number of new technological innovations

^Pollitt,C.&G.Bouckaert(2011,3ded.),PublicManagementReform:Acomparativeanalysis.Oxford:OUP _Bekkers, V., J. Edelenbos & B. Steijn (2011) An Innovative Public Sector? Embarking on the Innovation Journey, in: Bekkers, V., J. Edelenbos & B. Steijn (eds.), Innovation in the public sector: linking capacity and leadership.Houndsmills:PalgraveMcMillan;197-222 `UnitedNationsE-GovernmentSurvey2014,Annexp.202.Availableathttps://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/portals/egovkb/documents/un/2014-survey/e-gov_complete_survey-2014.pdf ⁴Thesurveycovers193countriesworldwideandisconductedeverytwoyears.

25 emerging on the public sector governance The former trend, popularly known as The ecosystem, amongst other integral canvass in Pakistan. These innovations 'smart monitoring', makes use of geo- components, should have a well- varied greatly in their nature and ranged tagged data to improve teachers' structured mechanism to encourage and from themes like m-governance, data attendance, enhance functioning of public strengthen innovations and providing mining and big data, to automation of health facilities, augment solid waste them with an enabling environment processes and digitization of records; and management system and boost where they can be nurtured. Despite the use of satellite imagery and Geographic vaccination coverage. The latter model, recent proliferation of technology in Information System (GIS) to open data, originally pioneered in Jhang, a rural governance, the government does not citizen engagement and social account- district in Punjab, has resulted in its have a consistent approach to motivate ability. The sector spread of these widespread replication whereby citizens various untapped sources of innovations, technological innovations also appears to are proactively contacted for their such as citizens, employees and external be quite vast, covering rural and urban feedback regarding public services. andinternalpartners. development and planning; agriculture Furthermore, projects like Safe City are and livestock; justice, law and order; water generating loads of data for providing real- From the e-governance perspective, there and sanitation; health; education; time information and intelligence and is a need to develop a comprehensive transport and communications; irrigation; creating a superior quality emergency digital government strategy on how e- excise and taxation; relief and rehabili- response system, whereas massive governance would be embedded in the tation;andtravelandtourism. digitization of land records in Sindh, institutional architecture of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have government. Such a strategy would play a While it may be difficult to mention all of facilitated citizens' access to these records. critical role in complementing various these brilliant innovations, there are Online interfaces for various services innovations in the public sector and certain enabling initiatives and dominant including job applications and admissions, facilitating a digital transformation. This trends that have changed the landscape of FIR registration and passport tracking have should be supplemented through e-governance in the country. National also greatly bene.tted citizens. permanent institutional anchor for Database and Registration Authority Consequently, these technology-backed innovation-related measures to drive the (NADRA) for instance is one of such innovations have greatly enhanced innovation agenda across various examples.The organization has reportedly government's capability to improve functional areas and sectors. The vision created one of the largest biometric governance. should be to promote widespread use of e- databases in the world, registering governance within government through millions of citizens in the country. The Way Forward creating functioning models for innovation that may seem simple in nature With the limited overall use of technology replication across the country, ultimately involved multiple technological and in the government and a fairly small leadingtoestablishmentofsmartercities. political challenges. Based on this massive technological base, public sector provides database, the government now has plenty of room for application of Last but not the least, knowledge creation, signi.cantly enhanced capability for a host technology with signi.cant expected transfer and commercialization are also of ancillary services such as mobile users impact. However, promoting innovation in critical for a well-functioning innovation veri.cation, voters validation, tax payers government relies on multiple factors that eco system. While this role is played by identi.cation, etc. Similarly, World Bank need to be present in parallel to ensure academia in the developed world, there is funded Project for Improvement to desired results. Many of these factors are a need to stimulate such knowledge Financial Reporting and Auditing (PIFRA) often beyond the control of individual creation in the country and the provides another example of a landmark organizations and are rather dependent government can catalyze this process initiative, strengthening the .nancial on the macro environment outside, through targeted interventions and management backbone of the country. meaning thereby that complexity of the facilitating research. This could be done The project spanning over many years institutional surroundings and political through making research grants on brought basic .nancial discipline at all context can make a signi.cant difference priority areas, in line with national levels of government including federal, (Bhatta, 2003⁵⁶ ; Pollitt 2003 ; Hartley 2005 ⁷ ). innovation policy and private sector provincial, and local governments, Therefore, in order to stimulate innovation, growth needs. Such grants can also be through implementation of SAP-based there is a need for a coherent framework or made for establishment of technology system.The project also helped in creating a well-synergized innovation ecosystem, transfer offices within universities, so that a repository of all government expend- formalized through a national innovation the research produced can be linked to the iture and receipt transactions with policy. Such an ecosystem can provide private sector. Additionally, the improved transparency and account- favourable infrastructure and an enabling government can play an effective ability. environment for innovations to take roots. regulatory role in intellectual property Countries in which governments have rights enforcement to encourage At the provincial level, two leading trends created such ecosystems, such as investmentinknowledgecreation. that have been adopted across a number Singapore, Sweden and Finland, with of sectors in recent years include the use of emphasis on building networks, Conclusion satellite imagery and GIS technology improving coordination and regulations The increasing mobile density has played a coupledwithandroid-basedsmartphones and promoting awareness have witnessed key role in deepening the use of and introduction of extensive citizen greater success with promoting technology and spreading innovations. feedback and communication systems. innovation⁸ . With more than 130 million mobile phone

⁵Bhatta,G.(2003)Don'tjustdosomething,standthere!–Revisitingtheissueofrisksininnovationinthepublicsector,TheInnovationJournal,Vol.8.No.2 ⁶Pollitt,C.(2003),TheEssentialPublicManager,Buckingham,OpenUniversityPress ⁷7Hartley,(2005)Innovationingovernanceandpublicservices:pastandpresent,PublicMoney&Management,pp27-34. ⁸ Vertova.G(2014).TheStateandNationalSystemsofInnovation:ASympatheticCritique.Retrievedfromhttp://www.levyinstitute.org/pubs/wp_823.pdf ⁹ ThePublicInnovator'sPlaybook:NurturingBoldIdeasinGovernment

26 subscribers, 39 million Internet users and for the government to better serve this thought out policy leading to creation of a nine million smart phone owners, Pakistan expanding pool of digitally connected vibrantinnovationecosystem. is at the threshold of technological takeoff, citizens. The only way to make it happen is offering an unprecedented opportunity strong political commitment with a well-

© UNDP Pakistan

A Technology and Strengthening Democracy Workshop underway

27 Opinion Public Sector Training: Equipping Civil Servants for the Challenges of Modern Day Governance

above), the two categories of services were management level civil servants. The main (a) All Pakistan Service (comprising courses conducted by these institutions Pakistan Administrative service and Police focused on policy development, manage- Service of Pakistan), and (b) The Central ment and economic and social develop- Services.The latter consisted of 13 services ment. 6 in all, including Pakistan Foreign Service, Accounts Services, Pakistan Customs and The major problem in the implementation Excise Service, Pakistan Taxation Service, of the above training policy was the federal etc. 2 “The inherited administrative system agencies' reluctance to nominate officers was based on the generalist tradition which for training.Thus, some key decisions were emphasized learning through experience taken in 1961. For the .rst time, training rather than through conscious formal was linked with promotion; various levels training”. 3 of officers to be trained in different institutions were de.ned, and quotas for Arifa Saboohi Post independence, four distinct phases federal and provincial services in each can be traced with regard to policy training institution were .xed. The policy Director General initiatives in public sector training. Till the also required preparation of evaluation Civil Services Academy early 1960s, the training offered to public reports by the training institutions and Lahore sector managers was, by and large, of pre- their consideration at the time of service nature. The .rst major training promotion, and a post training impact Introduction institution to be established in 1948 was assessment.7 These policy initiatives, at Since the turn of the century, Pakistan has the Pakistan Administrative Service best,hadpartialsuccessonly. witnessed a rising demand from the Academy (later renamed as Civil Services citizens for better service delivery by the Academy), which imparted pre-service The third phase of public sector training state machinery. This, along with vocal training to officers of Pakistan Adminis- came about after the Administrative electronic and print media, technological trative Service (PAS). Subseq-uently, pre- Reforms of 1973, which replaced the advancement making access to service training institutions were federal civil services with occupational information faster and easier, has created established for other services also for groups and re-classi.ed bureaucracy 4 enormous performance pressures on specialized,jobrelatedtraining. under 22 salary grades. Accepting the public officials, who are responsible for key need for esprit de corps and harmony inputs in policy formulation and its The requirement for in-service training among members of the federal civil implementation. This consequently, was .rst highlighted in the .rst .ve year services, a pre-service Common Training underscorestheneedforcapacitybuilding plan (launched in 1955). The Plan Programme (CTP) for all occupational of public sector managers in new skills, recognized government's need for an groups immediately after recruitment, was tools and methods with regard to public administrative machinery, capable of instituted at the Civil Services Academy 8 service delivery mechanisms. There is also effectively implementing its economic (CSA), in 1973. On completion of the CTP, 5 a need for public sector training and social programmes. This resulted in each occupational group proceeded to its institutions to constantly review and revise the Public Administration Training Policy respective specialized training institution, their training programmes in the light of of 1960, focusing on preparing civil for job speci.c training. This pre-service emergingchallenges.^ servants for national development trainingstructurecontinuestodate. through training in development Evolution of public sector training administration. A number of institutions The last major change in public sector On independence, Pakistan adopted, with like the Pakistan Administrative College training regime occurred after a few modi.cations, the structure of (PASC), Lahore, and National Institutes of implementation of the devolution plan in services existing in pre-independence Public Administration (NIPA), Karachi and 2000, when the government re-organized India. At the federal level (BS-17 and Lahore, were setup to provide in-service the training structure of the civil services training to high ranking and mid- through establishment of National School

1Public Sector Training in Pakistan Conference Report 2012, http:// www.asp.org.pk/knowledge_base/pdfs/Public_ sector_training-institutiious.pdf 2 Dr. Agha Iftikhar Hussain“The Civil Services”in Government & Administration in Pakistan; Editor Jameelur Rehman Khan; Pakistan Public Administration Research Center 1987; p127-131 3 Dr. M. Fazil Khan,“Administrative and Management Training and Education in Pakistan”in Government & Administration in Pakistan; Editor Jameelur Rehman Khan; Pakistan Public Administration Research Center 1987; p 368 4 Ibid, p 374 -378 5 Ibid, p 369 - 386 6 Ibid, p 370 7 Ibid, p 371-373 8 Dr. Agha Iftikhar Hussain“The Civil Services”in Government & Administration in Pakistan; Editor Jameelur Rehman Khan; Pakistan Public Administration Research Center 1987; p139 28 of Public Policy (NSPP), under the NSPP ized. dependent on the quality of its faculty. Ordinance, 2002. An autonomous Attracting and retaining the best faculty organization with a Board of Governors While the nature of courses conducted at positions, from the academia, and (BOG) headed by the President of Pakistan, these institutions stays rooted in especially from within the services, NSPP has been given the mandate to management and leadership, the remains the greatest challenge for public provide pre and in-service training, complexity of modern day governance sector training institutions. Unlike the instructions and research in public policy, challenges is increasingly compelling armed forces, where being selected for an public administration, law, economics, training institutions to focus on new skills instructional assignment is a matter of .nance and management sciences. Its in partnership with other institutions. One prestige, a civil servant opting for the Board has the power to declare any such partnership is with the Centre for training institute is generally, looked upon government training institution as its Economic Research Pakistan (CERP). This as having failed in the mainstream. Posting constituent unit (so far, these powers have has enabled NSPP to use training modules at a training institution thus, needs to be been exercised in case of CSA and NIPAs on evidence based decision making incentivized, not only monetarily (which only). It is also required to serve as a developed by CERP in association with has been done in the shape of an research institute for federal government John F. Kennedy School of Government, additional salary to instructors), but also in onmattersofpublicpolicy. Harvard University. The ICT module has terms of giving preference to faculty that been revamped and reinforced keeping in has proved its worth in training institu- The structural changes resulted in the view the emerging need for e-governance. tions, in selection to key positions in the merger of PASC and NIPA, Lahore, in the The current ICT and Apps development government and promotion to higher NSPP. PASC was converted into the module, designed and conducted with the rank. Training institutions also need to National Management College (NMC), and help of Punjab Information Technology develop a recruitment structure and salary NIPA Lahore into Senior Management Board, sensitizes participants about use of package that will attract the best from the Wing (SMW) of NMC. NIPA's at Peshawar, technology tools for enabled monitoring, academia, so as to have the right mix of Quetta and Karachi were renamed as intervention and decision making based academics and practitioners on their National Institutes of Management (NIMs) on data, for better governance and service faculty. and, along with CSA, Lahore, were made delivery. By and large, the training the School's constituent units. A Mid- methodology is now more focused on Another reason for the less than optimal career Management Course was intro- workshops, seminars, simulation exercises performance of the training institutions is duced for BS-18 officers at NIMs. Two new andsyndicatemodelearning. the lack of coordination between the institutes, National Institute of Public former and the government departments, Policy (NIPP), and Executive Development Despite the above gains, most civil to determine the desired outcomes of the Institute (EDI) were established as NSPP's servants perceive public sector training training programme. Training needs integral units to conduct quality research programmes as a means for termination of assessments (TNAs) have, at best, been on public policy issues, and provide probationary period (in case of pre-service conducted infrequently, by the employers collaborative learning opportunities to training), and promotion (in case of or the training institutions. The training leaders in public and private sectors mandatory in-service courses). There institutions thus depend on the faculty's respectively. appears little motivation to undergo experience, and feedback received from training for skill development and the participants of each course, to Situational analysis of Current professional growth. In a perception determine the training needs and TrainingRegime survey of civil servants conducted in 2007, formulate and revise its curricula Public sector training institutions have 80 percent respondents cited foreign accordingly. Conducting periodical TNAs, come a long way since their inception. In training superior to domestic training, based on stakeholders needs in terms of terms of training infrastructure, they are identifying the quality of faculty and better required competencies to achieve training content and methodology, as the organizationalgoals,arethusessential. well established. Training provided at 9 these institutes, at various levels (from BS majorreasons(Figure1). 17-21), has developed and matured over a There is no formal mechanism to evaluate period of time. Since the establishment of whether training positively affects the NSPP,training is more rigorous and there is Figure 1: Training: Foreign v/s trainees performance at his/her work a renewed focus on developing core Domestic (%) place. Human resource issues prevent training institutions to follow up on competencies required at various Better Instructors management levels. Competencies like trainees' performance pursuant to the evidence based decision making and training course. Third party impact problem solving, leadership, team evaluations would assist training institutes re-examine their training curricula and building and resource management, 20 remain common to all management teachingmethodology. courses conducted by the NSPP and its constituent units. The Senior and National 44 On completion of a training course, a Management Courses also focus on detailed evaluation report on the trainee's inculcating skills like policy formulation 25 performance is sent to the employer, and strategizing policy implementation. which includes an assessment on his/her The curriculum, training methodology and future posting and promotion potential. evaluation of training programmes This assessment is based on the conducted for the same level of officers at demonstrated performance of the trainee NIMs located in all provincial headquarters Richer Content Better Methodology during the period of the course. The and Islamabad, has also been standard- The efficacy of any training institution is evaluation criterion is well identi.ed and

9 Nadeem Ul Haque &Idrees Khawaja“Public Service through the eyes of Civil Servants”in PIDE Series on Governance & Institutions, 2007 29 has evolved over a period of time. Conclusion Unfortunately, the Human Resource Vision 2025 developed by the government Managers of various government of Pakistan, recognizes institutional departments rarely use these reports for development and modernization of public determining future postings of the trainee sector as one of the pillars of development or their capacity building in weak areas and growth framework. It also stresses the identi.ed in the reports. These reports are importance of having a skilled, motivated, considered only at the time of promotion. result focused, high performance civil The weightage assigned to training within service which is responsive to citizens' the promotion policy (15 percent), is not needs. Public sector training institutes can signi.cant. Consequently, more often than play an important role in improving the not, the recommendations of the training knowledge and skill set of civil servants. institution with regard to promotion and But for this to happen, the gaps identi.ed future posting potential, are ignored by above have to be bridged. It also needs to the selection/promotion board, unless it is be noted that training alone cannot bring a borderline case. There is a strong case for about a signi.cant change. Rather, the enhancing the training reports weightage entire human resource management value as these can effectively offset the assess- chain, i.e., recruitment, training, promo- ment of the annual Performance Evalu- tion, performance appraisal, compensa- ation Reports, which are generally exagg- tion, welfare and post retirement bene.ts erated. needs to be targeted in a holistic (but phased)manner. Except for the Specialized training institutions whose courses are more aligned with the speci.c job requirements of their trainees, the main training courses offered by NSPP and institutions under it, aim to enhance management and leadership skills. Domain related training above BS-17 has yet to receive the attentions it deserves. This is also an area identi.ed by participants of the mandatory courses held by the NSPP and its constituent units for BS 18 and above. Short duration but intensive courses which build upon the domain knowledge of the officer and improve his/her technical skills, can signi.cantly enhance the officer's ability for better service delivery. Such courses can be conducted bestattheSpecializedTrainingInstitutions ofdifferentservices.Thereisthus,aneedto strengthen the Specialized Training Institutions (STIs) as well as more institutionalized collaboration among the various STIs to leverage each other's strengths.

Lastly, the technical and professional cadres at the federal and the provincial governments, do not receive systematic training during their careers to acquire new techniques and knowledge, relevant to their professions. This is also true for BS 16 and below officials who comprise the bulk of government employees and in most cases, have a direct interface with public-'patwari' in the revenue depart- ment, an inspector in the police depart- ment, an appraiser in the customs department being a few examples. Public service delivery cannot improve without equipping them with the required skills. There has to be a bottoms up approach to trainingaswell.

30 Opinion Using Social Media to Push for Good Governance

being out numbered. State forums, where media, make it to 'breaking news bars' and citizens have won seats for themselves, getthroughtotalkshows? may witness the leaders, being either coopted or pushing their personal agenda. Again, experience suggests that whatever Thus it is not difficult to see that all such goes viral on social media is picked up by means of pushing for good governance electronic media.The question then is how are open to elite capture and have often to make governance de.cit of one or the stoodcaptured. otherkind,viralonsocialmedia.

Periodic elections offer citizens an Social media has several feathers in its cap opportunity to hold governments with regards to good governance, accountable-voting out non-performers including Egypt's Tharir square and more penalizes the incumbents and imparts a recently, the failed coup in Turkey. More lesson to the incomers. However, electoral generally, social media has been used by Dr. Idrees Khawaja accountability is difficult in countries citizens to report news, expose where politics is dynastic or personality- wrongdoings, express opinions, mobilize Senior Research Economist, based, and is driven by patron-client protests, monitor elections, scrutinize Pakistan Institute of Development relationship-a job offered here, an FIR governmentanddeepenparticipation` . Economics (PIDE). registered there and a land right hounou- red elsewhere in return for votes_ . Add to it It is not uncommon to hear of a trending the possibility of electoral malpractices in issue on social media making waves on ood governance has eight favour of one or the other candidate and electronic media. Hashtags on Twitter and components-it is: participatory, thedieiscast. Facebook are a good option to raise accountable, transparent, G governance issues and make these viral. A responsive, effective, efficient, equitable and follows the rule of law^ . Much, if not all, The example of Nigerians comes to light here, who have successfully used elements good governance would accrue 4 on their own if the government is hashtags on Twitter to raise various governance concerns. Examples include , receptive, transparent and open to accountability. The question is how to OccupyNigeria makethishappen ? a social-political protest after the government put an end to fuel subsidy;

Citizens have typically used a variety of BringBackOurGirls means to convey preferences, voice a movement meant to secure the release of abducted school girls, concerns, demand transparency and hold the governments accountable. The NigeriaDecides traditional means, of pushing for good to ask questions and demand answers from the electoral body during governance, though useful in speci.c elections and situations have their downsides. Informal means like advocacy, protests, strikes, NigeriansMarchAgainstCorruption to announce protests march against petitioning the government, de.ance corruption. campaigns and civil disobedience etc. are difficult to organize and sustain. Moreover, What may the citizens use then to push for citizen concerned about a particular issue organizing these is subject to preferences good governance? Experience suggests can post a comment or a clip, and add to it of the leaders. No wonder these are used that the executive fears bad-publicity a hashtag. If the hashtag starts trending, sparingly and only for issues of concern to tickers on electronic media.Therefore, one chances are it will be picked up by the a larger segment of the society. Formal way to make the executive lend ears to the electronic media. Almost any instance, for means, for example, participation of citizens and to follow the law, is to use example corruption, injustice, maltreat- citizens in decision making forums of the electronic media. However the media does ment in jails, cheating in exams, state of state, like nomination on governing not pick every other issue of interest to the schools, state of health services, irregular- bodies of public entities, are prone to citizens. The questions then are, how can ities in recruitment, promotions and selection bias of the state, and the citizens citizens seek attention from electronic procurement in public entities and civic

^Gramberger, Marc. "Citizens as partners: OECD handbook on information, consultation and public participation in policy making." (2001). _Rajan, Raghuram, 2008,“Is there a Threat of Oligarchy in India”Speech to Bombay Chamber of Commerce. ` Diamond, L. Liberation Technology, Journal Democracy, volume 21, No. 3, July 2010, pp.69-83. ⁴ Inuwa, A. Social Media: A Catalyst for Good Governance, Opinion, Peoples Daily http://weekend.peoplesdailyng.com/index.php/opinion/opinion/6957-social-media-a-catalyst-for-good-governance 31 issues etc have the opportunity to be traffictoallowareligiousprocession⁷ . Instances of pedestrians capturing raisedinthismanner. parking violations on their cell phone and The lesson then is that in order to make sharing it with the traffic police are ‘A picture speaks a thousand words' and good governance possible, all public common occurrences in some countries; this is the beauty of social media which officials need to have electronic but can this apply in Pakistan or in less allows a message to be communicated mechanisms for a two way communi- developedcountries? effectively-for those short on time, this cation with citizens as well as their feature provides them the opportunity to subordinates and the citizens need to ask Citizens may lack the exuberance to voice complain, advocate or read. Moreover, for such mechanisms. Governments would their concerns on local and national issues. further facilitations in the form of be well served if they were to make the They may carry their own historical automatic services are also gaining socialmedia,theireyesandears. baggage of 'kuch nahein hoga' (nothing momentum whereby simply signing up for will happen). To counter this sort of a campaign enables the user to receive To mobilize citizens for a cause, access to attitude, which is but natural given past regular updates without even having to public data on the subject, in a form experience, people need to be convinced individuallyfollowacampaign. understandable by a non-technical person through proper advocacy and motivating is crucial. Experts can voluntarily share historical examples of resilience and The chief advantage of using social media such data on social media. Citizens can sustained struggle. The public are also is its uncoordinated nature, unlike print then glance over the easy to understand, hesitant in speaking up on sensitive issues and electronic media. Being uncoordi- for example, data on national budget, to in order to avoid the possible wrath of the nated, it is neither opinionated nor driven re0ectuponwhethernationalexpenditure authorities. Numerous countries have laws by an ideology or vested commercial priorities match preferences of the citizens that protect the whistle blowers. Countries interests. Therefore, also have non-pro.t no issue that a person Right to information Act – why is it barely utilized? organizations that yearns to raise gets provide legal help to excluded. This makes Right to information Act stands promulgated in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa.The the whistle blowers. social media less acts, if used extensively, carry enormous potential to improve governance at the Such non-pro.ts mig- susceptible to elite provincial level. With the perception that Pakistan enjoys regarding the extent of ht be needed in Pakis- capture. corruption, favouritism, nepotism and inefficiency etc, one would have expected a tanaswell. 0ood of questions regarding costs of projects, reasons for delay in completion, basic Governments too, are education and health costs, queries regarding number of doctors posted in Basic Health The key to citizens' employing social Units, budgets of police stations, allocation of development funds in districts and so on push for good gover- media to further and so forth. Questions like these, answers to these and the publicity that the answers nance lies in citizens governance ends. It is may receive in the media have the potential to improve governance.The questions that feeling the urge to now inconceivable for remain are plenty: Why is the Right to Information Act not being utilized extensively by push. How may this a municipal body in citizens to seek information?Why journalists, in search of juicy stories, not using the act? urge be developed? It developed countries The answer to these questions can help evolve strategies for greater use of the act which starts from the mind: not to have an electr- in turn is likely to in0uence governance for the better. Possible reasons for little use the virtues of citizens' onic mechanism of include fear of facing the wrath of the state and the lethargy of the citizens-they do not push for good gover- registering civic com- want to spend time involved in preparing the petition, posting the application and nance and the bene- plaints with most makinggooduseoftheinformationprovided. .ts of collective action bodies having Twitter for oneself and the or Facebook accounts. at large. In case of ambiguities and society, are ideas that When hurricane Sandy struck the United mismatches, the concern would go viral on need to be inculcated in the minds of the States, the Governor's office in New York social media thereby prompting electronic citizens. How can this be achieved? Short tweeted over 800 times in just three days. media to highlight the issue as well and term would include advocacy, preferably Similarly, the city of Boston uses a mobile question the government on reassessing through the electronic media owing to its app to alert citizens about civic issues like priorities. At times social media creates huge impact, whereas long term would potholes⁵ . further hype on an issue raised on include revising curriculums and teaching electronic media. A limitation is that the methodologiesatschools. Examples at home and around are not few. unregulated nature of social media can Raids conducted on several eateries by the make it difficult to sift fact from .ction. Despite social media's lesser susceptibility Punjab Food Authority caught attention of Therefore what appears on the media to elite capture, the low level of internet electronic media after the Authority's should only be used to initiate serious penetration beyond large cities and the Director posted raid-images on her inquiryratherthanjumptoconclusions. low literacy rate makes it difficult for the Facebook page. In 2012/13, then Chief marginalized to use social media, though Secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan addressed The problem still remains! What would 25 million Facebook users as of March 2016 complaints ranging from a delay in prompt citizens to take out time from isnotasmallnumber⁸ . completion of a bridge, to irregular sharing jokes, clips and photos of family appointments in education department, events on WhatsApp and instead, To institutionalize the use of social media through Facebook⁶ . In neighbouring India, comment on a serious issue such as the for governance, a framework needs to be the traffic police in Bangalore successfully skewed distribution of national funds developed. This would not be easy as used Facebook to announce rerouting of among different regions of a country? would-be losers would pose resistance. To

⁵ Sreeram Ananthasayanam,“Social Media for Good Governance,”(2013). Available at http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/social-media-for-good-governance/article4480396.ece ⁶ Hussain, Y. Social Media as a Tool of Good Governance in the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Cross Roads, Asia, Working Series 22. ⁷ Ibid ⁸ Umair Qureshi,“Pakistan Facebook Users crosses the landmark of 25 Million users,”(2016). Available at http://umairqureshi.com/pakistan-deepens-facebook-user-base-with-over-11-million-users/ 32 begin with, speci.c individuals in pointment among citizens at large and Egypt's Tharir Square-the former rooted in government offices should be appointed straintheirenergytocarryon.Therefore,as centuriesofindigenousadvocacyfueledin to duly track and report (to their senior aforementioned, advocacy is an extremely part from enlightenment literature management) of any department related integral component in order to harness produced by French philosophers like concern trending on social media. Many and fully utilize the potential of social Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu-was a public offices already follow this system for media for good governance. Change is a success while the latter still seems to be a whatappearsinprintmedia. slow process which calls for struggle with strugglingcause. pen and voice. The power of advocacy can Initial failures of social media in helping be measured by citing the contrast improve governance may cause disap- between the French Revolution and

33 Opinion

function of the state to have internal information on performance measures of mechanisms for accountability at all layers, basic services like health and education spanning across various measures of can enable citizens to make the best performance and delivery, more often choices to avail such facilities, identify than not, such functions have not been shortcomings and have a voice in able to ful.l the purpose of improving demanding actions to improve service performance in developing countries. delivery. Continuous availability of the Open Data can help pivot improvements data allows monitoring and evaluation of in governance across a range of domains new projects, corrective actions taken, and is hence important for both the efficacy of actions and resulting impact. In government and the public. A brief a nutshell, data helps maintain a pulse on synopsis of key impact areas is presented deviations. below. ProblemSolving Accountability Another increasingly popular use of open Motivation to showcase high performance data is problem solving for the E-Governance Consultant when data is made public adds a healthy government. Active collaboration of pressure on the government to achieve citizens with policymakers, backed by targets, improve outcomes and be able to data, is helping improve the approach to highlight the impact achieved. solving long-standing issues facing the n emerging concept that has Institutionalization of transparency public. Support from citizens in terms of gained immense popularity in through open access to data, statistics, contribution to ground level data, analysis Aimproving governance and documents, reports, analysis and comm- and bringing together expertise from accountability of governments is Open unication helps keep matters in check. The various quarters can help improve the Data. Open Data refers to a government public eye for review brings to light resolution cycle for addressing inefficie- opening up data for the public to access, malpractices and hence increases ncies. use and reproduce freely. This requires accountability. Collection of data from proactive disclosure of public sector data various corners and consolidating it in a RTI laws have been enacted as early as without restrictions (barring information usable manner creates a meaningful pool 1951 (Finland). However, traction gained classi.ed as sensitive for the state). In order of resources that helps increase know- over the last few decades has primarily to promote and ensure Open Data, many ledge and information sharing. Insights been fuelled by developments in governments have legislated access to into government operations and analysis technology on the supply side, and the public sector data through laws covering of trends, achievements, progress and awareness by the public of being Right to Information (RTI) or Freedom of performance can help identify bottlenecks answerable to them on the demand side. Information (FOI). These legislations andtakecorrectivemeasures. Citizens electing governments should be establish protocols, measures and bounds able to understand how responsibilities of information to be granted to public at Planning have been discharged. In South Asia, large especially focusing on mechanisms Similarly, public having access to granular Pakistan was the pioneer in enacting a for requests and retrieval of information data will help improve planning of the Freedom of Information Act in 2002 pertaining to affairs of the government. non-government sector with regards to followed by India in 2005 and Bangladesh Information disclosure and/or provision is various programs, initiatives, develop- in 2008. Enacting legislation, however, is restricted to disallow information of ment efforts and opportunities. Efforts to only a .rst step. Quality of the legislation in personal nature, pertaining to national introduce and mainstream participatory terms of how open it makes the govern- security etc. RTI / FOI laws can also forms of governance can be implemented ment is critical. Global rankings comparing mandate proactive disclosure of data as a better using open data. Credible data and country legislations put India at 3 (1 being meanstograntaccesstoinformation. improved knowledge about working of the highest quality legisla-- tion), Bangla the public sector supported by platforms deshat20andPakistanat84. An integral part of improving public sector around this data can help improve performance and service delivery is decision-makingoftheprivatesector. Once a law has been enacted, implemen- accountability. Efforts at enhancing tation of the law is the next big challenge. capacity, improving resource allocations, Proactive disclosure to make data avail- developing institutions and creating Empowerment Open data also paves the way for citizen able publicly in a usable manner and being incentive structures will eventually fail to able to implement the mechanics to cater achieve the desired impact without having empowerment through informed decisions about public services and to information requests through the robust controls and measures that required institutional structures is of strengthen systems. While it is an implicit resource allocations. Having detailed

34 paramount importance. In addition to a any signi.cant platforms that offer the between CSOs to collect and make Federal FOI Act, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan scale and reach to allow meaningful availablepublicdatasets. and KP have also enacted their own exchange of information that leads to Ÿ Open Data Initiative – a limited scale provincial laws. KP and Punjab had clear positive impact. Our political economy portal that puts key datasets of the provisions on the implementation and social context, however, offer government of Punjab in the public mechanisms to cater to information immense potential to create an open data domain along with offering visualiza- requests and have already set up struct- regime to improve transparency, account- tions to analyze and present infor- ures to comply. The legislation in Sindh ability, data availability and resultantly mation. and Balochistan however does not contain public services. The richness of open data Ÿ A number of department/entities any such mechanisms and no formal is bound to help government and citizens make data available through their own structureshavebeenimplementedasyet. alike. Some nascent and basic efforts websites which includes federal Pakistan, in its nascent stages of moving however have been undertaken. They agencies and provincial departments along the open government curve, has include: including Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, unfortunately not been able to establish Ÿ Pakistan Data Portal – collaboration Education,Health,etc.

Case-studies of open government/open data initiatives from across the globe

07

Brazil – Open Budget Transparency Portal: a tool to increase .nancial transparency of thef ederal government and is now used as one of Brazil's main anti- corruptiontool.

The portal contains .ve key types of information1 : 1) Direct spending by federal government agencies through contracts and tender processes; 2) All .nancial transfers to states, municipalities and the federal district; 3) Financial transfers to social program benefactors; 4) Administrative spending, including staff salaries, staff travel expenses and per diems and office expenditures; and 5) Information on all government official credit card spending. Another important component is a National Debarment List, which provides a background check for all companies and individuals who have committed fraudulentpracticesbeforeissuingnewpubliccontracts.

35 Making government open is a paradigm instruments, their timely reporting and shift in the governance philosophy. It eventually making it public will require the requires moving away from a walled highest levels of political and bureaucratic garden approach to restrict information support. With federal and provincial laws 0ow and control insights to making it in place, and fragmented precedents that public to collectively improve outcomes. have opened public sector data within Embracing the move to being 'open' specialized domains, open data can help requires strong implementation support create a nexus of public-private collabor- in addition to policy guidelines. While ation to improve performance of the limited scale efforts in silos are underway public services. Active engagement in Pakistan at the federal and provincial between provincial and federal govern- levels to proactive disclose data, there is ment will be required to ensure a sustain- need for a concerted strategy and able data collection process that helps implementation plan to support open present a holistic view of service delivery data. For example, a lot of data available domains. Similarly, a structured results does not cover the entire disclosure cycle based management framework will have and hence is of limited utility in achieving to be conceived, designed and imple- the desired impact. The Ministry of mented to create open data as a by- Planning, Development and Reform under product. The boom in information and its joint project with UNDP has already communication technologies in Pakistan envisaged development of a Data Portal already provides a ready landscape to that builds on the individual efforts in allow utilization of data even at grass roots. place now and serves as a .rst step in As a .rst step, a single national data portal ensuring public access to current and should be created that is populated with usable data for Pakistan. At very initial all public sector information that exists in stages yet, this data portal will start with digital form and a roadmap for progression existing available data sets. It is imperative madepublic. that, at a later stage, this portal moves to more granular data on government performance and service delivery where applicable.

Keeping in view the challenges of transparency, accountability, planning, resource allocations and service delivery standards that Pakistan faces across administrative units and sectors, an Open Government approach may catalyse the reforms underway to further boost outcomes. Key areas that should be the focus of proactive disclosure by the governmentare: Ÿ Financial Transparency/Procurement – budget,spending,process Ÿ Processesand Compliance Ÿ Performance Management Frame- worksandTargetBenchmarking Ÿ Service Delivery KPIs and Achievement – Service Standards on provision of Health, Education, Law Enforcement, Judiciary,InfrastructureDevelopment

To ensure adequacy of data made public and its relevance to improving outcomes, it is essential that robust systems and capacity are in place that connect all relevant provincial and federal layers to record/collect and report such data. Development of technology tools/ platforms to enable collection and utilization of data is a simpler task. Data metrics that provide a 360 degree of the various functional domains of the government is a complex change manage- ment exercise. Development of such data

36 Interview

say that again

“...Civil Service Reforms can only be brought when there are more agents of change, increased collaborations and team work”

Dr. Tahir Hijazi Member (Governance and Reform) Planning Commission of Pakistan

What are the governance and civil service reforms being Q3. What factors are negatively impacting or resisting pursued by you and the Planning Commission, and how much governanceandcivilservicereforminitiativesinPakistanand progresshasbeenmadesofar? howareyouaddressingthose? Economic factors of financial constraints offer resistance in terms The Planning Commission has initiated civil service reforms in of advancing the cause. Politically, no resistance has been around 43 focus areas. These focus areas include but are not experienced. A major issue is that of inertia-there is not much will limited to recruitment, selection, training, performance or motivation for change to take place. Although there have been evaluation, promotion, compensation etc. Recommendations multiple complaints regarding the system over the years, yet from our end have been completed and have been shared with people are comfortable in their current situations and are resistant relevant stakeholders for further action and approval. In some to change. This resistance to change might be due to a number of cases, the reforms have already been approved and are being factors including a hidden fear of being adversely affected by the implemented, for example, raising the age limit from 28 years to change and the unwillingness to adapt, considering change is 30yearsforentryintocivilservice. psychologicallyverydifficulttoabsorb.

Progress entails two broad phases. The first phase relates to the Any lessons learnt so far from your efforts related to civil preparation of documents outlining the process for service reforms? What will you continue to do and what will implementation, and extensive discussion with stakeholders, a youdodifferentlynexttime? step which has been in progress since the last two years, with the resultant consensus having been reached and ripe for Our approach to reform is based on a strategic framework based implementation. The second phase includes approval by on institutionalization done in collaborative, inclusive and citizen concerned authorities. Phase one has been achieved and focused programs (ICIC). This model has been conceived by completedalmostentirelywhilstphasetwoisstillinprogress. different public sector representatives in collaboration with the Federal Minster of Planning, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal. Every reform action What are the key changes that the Planning Commission intends to be sourced from this framework. The Minister's plan of endeavours to bring through civil service reform? In other action to involve as many stakeholders as possible in the dialogue words, what improvement does it intend to bring in the has proved to be a very positive and effective approach. So servicesofpublicsectorinstitutions? discussion on forums etc is a mechanism that we would continue to practice in the future as well. Having said that, discussion, of The aim of the Planning Commission is to improve the overall course, is just the first step, and it should be followed by a strong efficiency of civil servants through better government structures, implementationstrategy. better incentive systems and better accountability mechanisms. The Planning Commission continues to propose recommen- The role of technology and social media cannot be ignored and dations to enhance and improve the services of public sector this is one facet that we intend to work upon in the future. Apart institutions. A few example recommendations include, but not from this, more frequent trainings and workshops, talks by limited to, strengthening of the Federal Public Service Commi- international consultants and experts, increased involvement of ssion (FPSC) in terms of technical expertise, two-stage entry universities as well as inclusion of related courses as part of examinations for CSS that would enable thorough screening, academic programs, are all novel ways to take the cause of the specialized cluster for entry exam, strengthening of the effectiveimplementationofcivilservicereformsforward. establishment division to look after all the civil servants in their promotions, transfers, trainings, performance evaluations, Based on my experience, the biggest lessons learnt are that firstly, pensions, rewards, punishments etc. and as part of this, we have change cannot occur unless one is determined to work for it, and recommended hiring professional human resource management, second, Civil Service Reforms can only be brought when there are legalexpertsetc. moreagentsofchange,increasedcollaborationsandteamwork.

37 Interview

Ahsan Iqbal Federal Minster Planning Development and Reform Tellusaboutthecivilservicereformsyouarepursuing. some key reforms have been finalized and are in the process of implementation. For example, performance contracts for eleven It is quintessential to contextualize the historical background of economic ministries; cluster based entry exam for civil service in Pakistan. As an independent country, Pakistan professionalization and induction of civil servants; reform of inherited civil service from British colonial India. In the colonial training programs by introducing new subjects based on modern service, the purpose was essentially to collect taxes and maintain management and technology through Training Needs law and order. After Pakistan got its independence, it was Assessment (TNA); and, relaxation in the upper age limit to burdened by the refugee crisis and did not have sufficient provide an opportunity to applicants with higher qualification resources to invest in development of institutions. Moreover, it andexperienceforentryintocivilservice. lost its founding leaders in quick succession. This resulted in consolidation of power by civil-military bureaucracy which WhatisthemotivationbehindCivilServiceReform? carried strong imprints of colonial legacy. As a result, the orientation of civil service was not to serve but to rule. Civil service is the primary instrument of service delivery. Undemocratic regimes being non-representative and Unfortunately, due to its poor performance and dated structure, unaccountable to the people of Pakistan did not have the will to the gulf between citizens' expectations and state's response has reform the civil institutions. On the other hand, political instability widened. This has led to a growing trust deficit in society on state did not allow democratic governments to focus on reform agenda institutions. In order to restore trust of citizens on state as they were mostly operating in survival mode. The year 2013 institutions, civil service must be restructured on a high marked the watershed moment in Pakistan's history as for the first performance organization model. Thus, the basic motivation time, one civilian elected government transferred power to behind civil service reform is to improve service delivery for another. So, in 2013, the government of Prime Minister Sharif after citizens and effective implementation of the government's assuming power took up a reform agenda to reorient civil development agenda. The context in which the colonial institutions to provide quality service delivery to citizens. The bureaucratic structure was developed is redundant in today's objective of the reform agenda is to enhance capacity, efficiency complex and changing environment. With the increasing and effectiveness of civil institutions. Being a representative and empowerment of citizens, it has become necessary to reform the democratic government, the current regime has to deliver public sector to match citizens' expectations. Moreover, the services to the people of Pakistan.Therefore, it is deemed essential service revolution in the private sector has also raised the bench by Prime Minister Sharif's government to modernize the public mark many folds for public sector service delivery. Citizens are no sector and it is in this backdrop that civil service reforms are longer passive actors in governance. New power centers have pursued. To take a holistic approach towards reforms, the emerged in society. Therefore, the motivation behind the civil government devised Vision 2025 that provides a roadmap for service reform initiative is to develop a new paradigm of public institutional reforms in the context of the broader development sector management based on institutional, collaborative, agenda. As part of the implementation ofVision 2025, the Ministry inclusiveandcitizen-centeredgovernance. of Planning, Development and Reform is pursuing civil service reform in the areas of recruitment, selection, training, promotion In the past there have been a number of attempts to reform and career progression, performance evaluation, incentive public sector and civil service. They have not been very structure,postingandotherHRrelatedissues. successful.What do you think is different this time that makes youconfidentthatyourreformswillbearfruits? Intermsofprogress,whathasbeendonesofar? As mentioned above, previous attempts of civil service reforms A Number of attempts were made in the past to reform civil failed due to a lack of ownership by key stakeholders. Being service. Dozens of commissions were formed to pursue civil cognizant of this historical fact, this time we have taken all service reforms but their recommendations could not be stakeholders on board for civil service reforms. We have implemented due to a lack of ownership by the civil service. undertaken extensive consultations with key stakeholders which Therefore, an extensive consultative process was initiated by the included two annual governance forums and twenty five current government to create ownership among the civil service stakeholders' workshops on civil service reforms. We have of the reform process. Moreover, it was prioritized by the consulted all relevant departments and groups of the Ministries government to sensitize civil servants about the urgency of while developing reform proposals. We have also engaged media reforms. More than two thousand civil servants were engaged in in this process to disseminate information. Due to detailed the consultation processes in all the provinces. Consequently, deliberation among multiple stakeholders, we can see that this

38 Interview

say that again

“...It is important to create a network of pro-reform agents to provide an enabling environment for reforms.”

time there is a wider ownership of civil service reforms. Moreover, we have prioritized the implementation side of these reforms. Predicated on all these factors, we strongly believe these reforms aregoingtoyieldpositiveoutcomes.

Have you faced any obstacles to the civil service reform in Pakistan?

There was an inertia of a status-quo which gradually melted through engagement and consultation processes. However, there were some skeptics who argued that this attempt would fail like previous attempts. Furthermore, there is a strong inter-service rivalry which touched fault lines of internal conflict within civil service. However, I am confident that the inclusive and consultative approach accompanied by political ownership of the whole process is going to yield positive outcomes and set goals willbeaccomplishedsoon.

Any lessons you learnt based on your previous efforts so far that you would like to share with those engaged in similar initiatives?

First of all, a broad coalition must be created to support a reform initiative. Without creating a strong and compelling sense of urgency for reform, it is difficult to push people out of their comfort zone.The political ownership of the chief executive is very critical to send a signal of seriousness and commitment at all levels. Institutional reform process is not mechanical in nature, it has to be an organic process that requires careful nurturing and perseverance to bear fruits. At times, setbacks and resistance will come in the way and it is important to remain positive and committed to the reforms agenda. It is important to create a network of pro-reform agents to provide an enabling environment for reforms. Unless the reform process is linked to incentive and evaluation system, it is difficult to expect any behavioralchange.

39 YouthVoices

WhydidyoujointheCivilService?

In my opinion, Civil Service is the only platform which allows you to facilitate the public in their affairs, in your own capacity and competence, because the only objective here is to meet Pakistan's goals, as opposed to the private sector where meeting organizational goals are the mainstay. This check is my motivational impetus to serve Pakistan as much as possible.

In your opinion, are the youth of Pakistan motivated enough to join the Civil Services?Why?

With the number of applicants and aspirants for Competitive Examination rising each year, the youth is more motivated to join the Civil Service because it complies with every person's Fahad Mahmud Mirza self-esteem and self-actualization to be a part of the most respected group in the country, which is a very positive idea. On the 0ip side, one very valid reason is job security and availability since the major private sectors are saturated and many professional degree Section Officer holders take their chance by competing here, keeping in view the physiological, safety and (large Enterprises Development) social needs of every human, naturally. The competition is increasing with every passing Ministry Of Industries And Production year through the in0ux of more quali.ed individuals coming from all parts of the country, but there is still a major portion of our society that completely neglects joining the civil service.

What key reforms should be initiated to encourage youth participation in civilservices?

Ÿ Exposure needs to come from an early age. Curriculums at school and college levels need to incorporate an introduction to civil services, its structure and stature both, so that civil services is encouraged to not only be taken up as a mere job but as part of a higher purpose to serve the country. Often, small children aspire to become doctors or engineers from an early age, but none of them aspire to become civil servants. This mentality needs to be changed: the elements of social responsibility and duty towards our country, rather than merely attaining professional degrees needs to be indoctrinatedfromaveryearlyage.

Ÿ Research Attachments' need to be established whereby government ministries in affiliation with universities create programs for the youth to conduct researches on pressing issues in the major sectors of Pakistan. Such avenues will open up the realities of the public sector to the youth, in contrast to what is read or heard on social media.The conclusions and recommendations on these research activities will help formulize a better way forward, and encourage youth participation as well. The key for encouragementisactiveparticipation,andgettinga0avouroftheservice.

Ÿ The time frame for the selection process, from the date of examination till entry into service, needs to be cut down by half. The long one year waiting time period before the .nal selections are announced is extremely demotivating for all candidates. In order to address this issue, the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) should conduct eight exam papers only (four compulsory and four optional), instead of 12.This will marginally decrease the work load and time for announcing the results and encourage more participantstotaketheexam.

Ÿ Finally, a good pay structure needs to be introduced to elevate levels of motivation and push youngsters in choosing the civil service over the private sector. The Singaporean Civil Service Model is a good example in this respect, as its focus is on giving higher salariesinordertopromoteparticipationandcombatcorruption.

40 YouthVoices

Whydidyoujointhecivilservice?

The legal regime in Pakistan is rickety. Employees are not provided adequate rights in the private sector. Most jobs are predatory and exploitative in nature. However, MNCs do offer an alternative. Sadly, their presence is limited and prized roles are scarce. Meanwhile, local corporates are run by the whims of nonprofessional owners. Even where there is some semblance of joint liability company, ownership and management lines are diffused. Therefore, civil services with its autonomy, prestige, de.ned career path, latitude in decision making and society wide impact offers itself as an attractive option. It is a merit based transparent system that discriminates on ability only. Moreover, one can bring relief to masses and in this process achieve higher satisfaction.This nonmonetary bene.t cannot be monetizedintheformofhighersalary.

Daniyal Ahmed Javed In your opinion are the youth of Pakistan motivated enough to join the civil service?Why?

Officer This translates into a pass percentage of one percent only. The thriving academy industry Police Service of Pakistan witnessed in urban areas is a testament that youth looks up to civil service as a desirable career choice. A slow job market, diminishing foreign direct investment and retarded growthinanoverseaseconomymakesCSSacredibleopportunityforurbanyouth.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, a predominant chunk of our demographic base resides in rural areas. The private sector and entrepreneurship is restricted to urban areas. Hence with limited avenues, a swarming number of rural youth takes CSS as a viable option forsocialmobility.

What key reforms should be initiated to encourage youth participation in civilservices?

Without sounding condescending, I would state that civil services is an elite club. It has a different philosophy, evolution and history.Whereas, the democratic model is inclusive and participative, the bureaucratic approach is selective but competent. Therefore, it is not about the quantity of youth participation but the quality. In this regard, human resource management needs to be streamlined. Modern HR tools in selection, training and compensationshouldbeappliedtoattractable,youngpeopletothissector.

Whydidyoujointhecivilservice?

Civil Service of Pakistan provides an opportunity to an individual that is both unique and worthwhile. It pushes a civil servant in to situations where he can both lead and serve at the same time. This opportunity instills in an officer a spirit that other professions lack and thereforemakesitworthit.

In your opinion are the youth of Pakistan motivated enough to join the civil services?Why?

Unfortunately this is not the case right now. Urban cities where private sector opportunities are ample do not leave much incentive for youngsters to opt for the civil service. As opposed to this, individuals from rural backgrounds tend to be more aware of the civil services as a Hayat Omer Malik profession. It also pertains to society's belief that the civil services are only a tool for gaining powerandin0uenceratherthanaproperprofession.

Assistant Commissioner (UT) Inland Revenue Service What key reforms should be initiated to encourage youth participation in civilservices?

Instead of mere advertisement, the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) needs to createawarenessasits.rststepinoutlininghow anindividualcanpursuehis/her'personal' and 'professional' development as a civil servant. This is severely lacking as a policy goal for the FPSC, thus individuals with dubious intentions and those hailing from well entrenched politicalandbureaucraticfamiliesaretheonlyoneswhoendupjoiningthecivilservice.

41 YouthVoices

Whydidyoujointhecivilservice?

Upon receiving my graduate degree from abroad, I returned to Pakistan and joined the Economics Department at a prestigious university in Lahore as a Teaching Fellow. At that moment, I had not decided on a career for myself although I was quite interested in economicresearch.Thepositionprovidedmewithanopportunitytocontributetoresearch involving IFIs as well as government departments. Though this experience was intellectually satisfying, I was not completely happy as I realized that most of the policy suggestions and research .ndings were not followed up at the implementation stage, which left them completely in the hands of government departments that may or may not have the technical capacity to see things through to the end.With my training in Economics, I believed I could bridge this gap by being on the implementation side of things and make a substantialcontributiontosociety. Sarah Hayat In your opinion are the youth of Pakistan motivated enough to join the civil services?Why? Assistant Commissioner Lahore Cantt In short, yes.The volume of candidates that register for the exam every year is a testament to this fact. At the expense of sounding pedantic, whether the motivation of aspirants is fueled by the“right”reasons is a separate issue. I should take a moment to explain what I mean by “right”here: In my experience, many candidates sit this exam because a) they do not have any other option; b) they think this career will be .nancially rewarding; or c) they have seen the perquisites and the authority that officers of very senior ranks have access to. These, I believe are all the wrong reasons for wanting to join the civil services as this is a career that is exceptionally challenging and not proportionately rewarding .nancially. If we take the example of PAS, erstwhile DMG, young officers who have been urban city dwellers all their lives get posted to remote locations in Gilgit Baltistan (GB) or Balochistan with meagre .nancial compensation. Unless a candidate joins the civil services with the right expectations he/she is bound to be dissatis.ed. Save for a few service streams, all civil servants have to experience an arduous journey that puts their fortitude to the test.Without a genuine interest in the workings of the State and public service delivery, I .nd it hard to believethatacivilservantcansucceedattheirjob.

What key reforms should be initiated to encourage youth participation in civilservices?

Fourkeyreformscometomymind: Ÿ The starting point should be the implementation of measures that boost information dissemination to all parts of Pakistan. For remote areas belonging to Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, GB and Kashmir, this is important as their inhabitants might not even be aware of the opportunities that exist. In the case of Punjab, it is important to attract candidates from some of the best private and public universities.To illustrate, a step that could be taken in the immediate run could focus on increasing the outreach of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) over social media. In the longer run, civil services could also be advertised through institutions of secondary and highereducation. Ÿ Reformation is needed to reduce the timeframe of the whole recruitment cycle. At present, it is nearly 16 to 17 months long. If we add to this the time it requires to prepare for the exam, we are looking at nearly two full years. This, in my opinion, is a major deterrent for most university graduates and de.nitely contributes to repelling some of thebrightestyouth. Ÿ Presently, promotions to higher grades are time bound and individual performance is a secondary criterion, which I think discourages many ambitious members of the youth from pursuing civil services as a career. The order needs to be reversed, whereby merit and performance take the centre stage, instilling some of the qualities of the private sectorinthepublicsector. Ÿ Finally, I think .nancial compensation will need to be increased for civil servants if the best talent is to be attracted. I understand that there are a number of challenges in implementing such a reform but it is one that is needed nonetheless and there is no alternativetothis.

42 YouthVoices

Why did you join the civil service?

Prior to joining the civil service I was engaged as a marketing officer with a Dutch multinational company from the oil and gas sector on a handsome salary. Over the course of time, I realized that though high salaries are a de.nite incentive offered by the private sector, the prestige that comes with joining the civil service has an air of its own. Although serving the country can be done in whatever capacity, however the armed forces and civil services are in my eyes, the two best opportunities to serve the country. In this regard, Foreign Service was a natural choice that would enable me to present a positive image of Pakistanabroad.

In your opinion are the youth of Pakistan motivated enough to join the civil services? Why? Mariah Atiq Recent statistics indicate an upward trend with regards to the youth joining the civil service. Ten years ago, the number used to stand at four to .ve thousand. Now, however, it is Assistant Director (UT) increasing with each passing year. The increase in the age limit has also encouraged more Ministry of Foreign Affairs participation. However, in a country of 20 million where more than half of the population comprises of youth, it would be encouraging to see more and more candidates appearing intheexam.

What key reforms that should be initiated to encourage youth participation in civil services?

One key reform should be the hiring of professionals, especially in service groups like Inland Revenue Service and Audit and Accounts, where individuals with relevant quali.cations be inducted. In this regard, such service groups should be placed in one cluster and relevant degreerequirementbemandatoryforit.

E-government should be introduced at the federal and provincial level so that the governmentscanright-sizethehugenumberofunskilledpeoplepostedonGroupsto1-16. These employees get 85 percent of the wage bill of the ministries while the CSP officers only get15percent.

The system of promotions should be based on accomplishments rather than on levels of seniority. Some measures have been introduced in this regard; however, the process should betransparent.

Finally, the salary package of civil servants is quite negligible when compared with the privatesectorandneedstoberevised.

43 DEVELOPMENT ADVOCATE PAKISTAN