Citizen Engagement in Pakistan Final Report OCTOBER 2019 Author: Sarah Maguire (Technical Lead) Contributors: Dr Noreen Khalid, Uzma Latif, Azeema Cheema, Oyin Ola This study has been funded by South Asia Research Hub, Department for International Development, Government of UK. However, the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the UK Government. CONTENTS List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................. iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................... 1 Key findings.................................................................................................................. 1 Drivers of Citizen Engagement ................................................................................... 1 Barriers to Citizen Engagement .................................................................................. 2 Entry Points .................................................................................................................. 3 Making Citizen Engagement Transformative – lessons from programming .......... 3 Measuring Success in Citizen Engagement .............................................................. 4 Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 4 Research Needs ........................................................................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 6 Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 6 Why Citizen Engagement Matters to DFID ................................................................. 6 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................... 7 Limitations .................................................................................................................... 8 DEFINITION OF TERMS .................................................................... 8 Citizen Engagement ..................................................................................................... 8 Mandated Engagement ................................................................................................ 9 Non-Mandated Engagement ........................................................................................ 9 SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................. 9 Safeguarding .............................................................................................................. 10 CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IN PAKISTAN ............................................ 10 Pakistan Context ........................................................................................................ 10 Structural Factors Influencing Citizen Engagement in Pakistan ........................... 11 Political Factors Influencing Citizen Engagement in Pakistan .............................. 13 Local Government Reform ........................................................................................ 13 Emerging Factors ....................................................................................................... 14 How Citizen Engagement is Perceived and Understood ........................................ 15 Drivers of Citizen Engagement ................................................................................. 17 Barriers ....................................................................................................................... 20 ENTRY POINTS ................................................................................ 25 i CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IN PAKISTAN Mandated Citizen Engagement Mechanisms ........................................................... 26 Non-mandated Citizen Engagement Mechanisms .................................................. 29 MAKING CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT TRANSFORMATIVE – LESSONS FROM PROGRAMMES ..................................................................... 31 MEASURING SUCCESS IN CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT ........................ 33 RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................... 35 Overriding Recommendations .................................................................................. 35 Programming Principles ............................................................................................ 35 Safeguarding .............................................................................................................. 38 Research Needs ......................................................................................................... 38 ANNEX 1: KEY INFORMANT LIST - REDACTED ANNEX 2: LITERATURE REVIEW1 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Summary of Field Research Interviews 7 Table 2 - Civil Society Groupings 30 ii CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IN PAKISTAN List of Abbreviations CE citizen engagement CFPM Citizen Feedback Monitoring Program CSO civil society organisations CNIC Computerized National Identity Card DC District Commissioner DFID Department for International Development DFID P DFID’s Pakistan country office DIK Dera Islameel Khan DRC Dispute Resolution Committees FATA Federal Administered Tribal Area FIA Federal Investigation Agency KP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa LGO Local Government Ordinance LSO local support organizations NC neighbourhood council NMD newly-merged district PAC Public Accounts Committee PCMC Primary Care Management Committees PCSW Provincial Commissions on the Status of Women PHC Punjab Health Councils PML-N Pakistani Muslim League PPMRP Punjab Public Management Reform Program PTI Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf PSPA Punjab Social Protection Authority PWD people with disabilities RtS Right to Services RtI Right to Information SEAH sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment UNDP United Nations Development Programme iii CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IN PAKISTAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Department for International Development (DFID) Research and Evidence Division commissioned a research report on citizen engagement (CE) in Pakistan, to inform the programming of DFID’s Pakistan country office (DFID P). DFID is committed to enhancing CE in line with the ‘leave no-one behind’ agenda and the imperative to tackle inequalities. The report is to make recommendations that will improve both the efficiency of the citizen engagement components of programmes and the programmes overall. The research consisted of a rigorous literature review (conducted by Verso Consulting) of citizen engagement in Pakistan and globally; qualitative enquiry through key informant interviews in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces; an assessment of recent project-based interventions for improved citizen engagement and a political economy analysis of CE in Pakistan. The report covers both mandated mechanisms (formal, where the state engages directly with citizens) and non- mandated mechanisms (informal, non-state means by which citizens seek to influence the state directly or through intermediaries) for CE. Key findings: » Mandated mechanisms for CE in Pakistan are mostly for citizens to make complaints about service-delivery. There is little by way of mandated avenues for consultation, co-design or accountability for policy, budgeting or planning. » Those most marginalised - who stand to gain most from CE – are least likely to have access and face the greatest barriers to engagement with the state, through mandated or non-mandated mechanisms. » The most significant barrier to CE across both provinces is a ‘trust deficit’ whereby citizens (particularly marginalised groups) have little faith that the state is interested in their views or experiences and does not consider itself accountable to citizens. » Digital mechanisms for CE, while demonstrating government commitment to hearing from citizens about service delivery, risk amplifying inequalities, gaps in service delivery and the trust deficit. Women, the very poor, rural populations and people with disabilities (PWD) are particularly excluded from digital CE mechanisms. » In a time of political change, economic constraint, shrinking space for civil society and urbanisation, CE is all the more important yet less likely to be prioritised by government institutions struggling under a series of burdens. » CE in the newly-merged districts (NMDs) in KP pose a particular challenge as most citizens more used to relying on traditional structures. » Non-mandated mechanisms face a challenge of sustainability. Tending to be ‘projectised’ and lacking self- sustaining means, civil society organisations (CSOs) face constraints in identifying entry points for CE that result in sustained change. » There is a dearth of provision or even attention to the safeguarding issues that can prevent effective (or any) citizen engagement. The literature, also, is largely silent on this issue, while both civil society and government are yet to address these concerns. Drivers of Citizen Engagement » Right to Services (RtS) and Right to Information (RtI) legislation: Civil society has used this body of legislation in conjunction with other mechanisms to hold government to account at both provincial and Federal level, with concrete results. The legislation positions both services and information as rights, breaking with the tradition of benevolent state. Mechanisms established under the legislation have recently become more accessible, although most