Crisis of Good Governance in Pakistan

Essay: Crisis of Good Governance in Pakistan: Need for Reform and Institution Building

Essay Pages: 1 | 2 | 3

1. Introduction

Pakistan is not a failed state but a badly governed one. Good governance is the inevitable element of a state the absence of which deteriorates the public welfare. With measured reforms and institutionalization, governance can be made better in the country.

2. Attributes of Good Governance
– General Public Welfare and State’s Health
– Health, Education, Standard of Living
– Provision of fundamental rights
– Provision of Basic Necessities

3. Crisis of Good Governance in Pakistan
– Sectors badly governed in Pakistan
– Institutions badly governed in Pakistan

4. Causes of Good-Governance Crisis
– Personalization rather than institutionalization
– Corruption and nepotism
– Ineffective short-term policies
– Wrongly set priorities
– Weak accountability
– Weak state governing institutions
– Political instability

5. Reforms and Institution Building
– Strengthening the state institutions
– Making the state institutions independent of undue influence
– Effective implementation of laws
– Empowering accountability and law-enforcing agencies
– Ensuring political stability and nurturing the healthy growth of democratic system

6. Contemporary Governance in Pakistan
7. Conclusion

Pakistan is a state rich in resources and talent but badly governed. A brief history of country since 1947 reveals how different modes of governance have been brought into experiment under various civil and military regimes in Pakistan.

Good governance, in general, refers to the measures of a government which bring welfare to the public lives and state as a whole. Contrary to that, crisis of good governance is the continuous failure of a government to govern the state and its subjects effectively. Scales to measure good governance varies just as vary its levels in different government sectors.

If Pakistan is considered under the said definition, it gets obvious that the governments of the country failed most of the time in governing it well. The reasons behind this failure are mostly found in the factors of corruption, immoral politics, authoritarianism and dearth of leadership.