Politicization of Bureaucracy in Pakistan
Introduction
Background of the study
Human societies have been gone through a drastic shift from a very simple life (stone age),to a very complex life, which is now termed as Post-Modern societies or states. Due to this transition, systems had evolved into formal and well organized manner. Now for smooth functioning of a society or state, institute of Government is needed. So Governments are key elements of our social lives and their actions routinely shape the lives of individuals. Governments, which ever political systems they belong to; are not a single entity rather are composed of many departments, institutions and agencies; which jointly work together to ensure smooth running of society. Today the concept of governance carries an important ground. It is the use of political authority and use of control over policy matters to achieve the goal of people’s welfare (K. Sumrin, 2008).
The main objective of good governance is to achieve harmony of society, rule of law, economic stability and improved life standards of people and this is done bf devising policies. Although, policy making is attributed to elected representatives in a democratic form of governance however, the task of implementation however remains attributed to the bureaucratic machinery which forms the lifeblood of administration. Bureaucracies form an integral part of the government and they do a lot more than just execution of policies. A bureaucrat can be the secretary of a ministry, the CEO of a state enterprise, Director General or a street level bureaucrat such as welfare departments, lower courts, legal services offices, and other agencies. To which ever cadre they belong, bureaucrats have a crucial role to play in delivering governance
In short, bureaucracy in the developing countries are seen as engine of growth, development and an agent of change. Characteristics of Bureaucracy:
The term bureaucracy was firstly coined by Max Weber for formal organizations concerned with
Background of the study
Human societies have been gone through a drastic shift from a very simple life (stone age),to a very complex life, which is now termed as Post-Modern societies or states. Due to this transition, systems had evolved into formal and well organized manner. Now for smooth functioning of a society or state, institute of Government is needed. So Governments are key elements of our social lives and their actions routinely shape the lives of individuals. Governments, which ever political systems they belong to; are not a single entity rather are composed of many departments, institutions and agencies; which jointly work together to ensure smooth running of society. Today the concept of governance carries an important ground. It is the use of political authority and use of control over policy matters to achieve the goal of people’s welfare (K. Sumrin, 2008).
The main objective of good governance is to achieve harmony of society, rule of law, economic stability and improved life standards of people and this is done bf devising policies. Although, policy making is attributed to elected representatives in a democratic form of governance however, the task of implementation however remains attributed to the bureaucratic machinery which forms the lifeblood of administration. Bureaucracies form an integral part of the government and they do a lot more than just execution of policies. A bureaucrat can be the secretary of a ministry, the CEO of a state enterprise, Director General or a street level bureaucrat such as welfare departments, lower courts, legal services offices, and other agencies. To which ever cadre they belong, bureaucrats have a crucial role to play in delivering governance
In short, bureaucracy in the developing countries are seen as engine of growth, development and an agent of change. Characteristics of Bureaucracy:
The term bureaucracy was firstly coined by Max Weber for formal organizations concerned with
References: Shafqat, S. (1999). Pakistani bureaucracy: Crisis of Governance and Prospects of Reforms. The Pakistan Development Review, 38, 995-1017. Kalia, S. (2009). Bureaucratic policy making in Pakistan. The Dialouge, 8, 2. Biber, H., & Leavy, P. (2010). The Practice of Quantitative Research: SAGE. Appendix: 1 Interview Guide In your opinion, what is the Importance of the role of bureaucracy? Do you think that Bureaucracy in Pakistan has been politicized? Give some examples. In your opinion, what are the main reasons for politicization of bureaucracy in Pakistan? What are the consequences of this politicization of bureaucracy? What possible measures can be taken to resolve this issue of politicization of bureaucracy?