Faculty / School

Faculty of Business Administration (FBA)

Was this content written or created while at IBA?

Yes

Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

7-13-2011

Author Affiliation

Dr. Ishrat Husain is a former Dean and Director at Institute of Business Administration, Karachi.

Conference Name

Interbational conference on Economic Growth in Pakistan

Conference Location

Islamabad

Conference Dates

July 13, 2011

First Page

1

Last Page

6

Keywords

Reforms, Civil reform, Civil service

Abstract / Description

A competent, effective and neutral Civil Service is the backbone of a country’s governance structure. Countries that do not have an Organized Civil Service system are at a relative disadvantage in executing their programs and policies. Pakistan was fortunate in having inherited a steel frame for its bureaucracy from the British. The purpose and motivation of the British in developing and supporting this steel frame were quite different from the requirements of an independent and sovereign country. This steel frame can, however, be modified to suit and adapt to changed circumstances but there is not much point in dismantling the structure itself.

2.         There is a general consensus that the performance of the Civil Service in terms of output, efficiency, neutrality, objectivity and attitude towards common citizens does no longer meet either the standards set by the British or the exigencies of the new state. The same set of complaints is also reverberated in India that has preserved the same structure of the Civil Service as inherited at the time of their independence. Pakistan, on the other hand, has brought about major structural changes the most prominent among them were introduced in 1973 and later in 2001.  It is important to evaluate the impact and efficacy of the major changes in Civil Service structure introduced in 1973 and 2001 before developing the approach to civil service reforms. The time elapsed since 1973 has been more than three decades and therefore the evidence and analysis can be relied upon with some degree of confidence. The period since 2001 is still a period of transition and all the stipulated changes have not yet been put in place. Therefore, the analysis has to be more tentative and the conclusions more cautious.

Comments

Paper prepared for discussion with the 87th National Management Course participants at National Management College, Lahore, September 13, 2007 and Address at the International Conference on Economic Growth in Pakistan Organized by the Planning Commission at Islamabad on July 13, 2011.

Note

Paper prepared for discussion with the 87th National Management Course participants at National Management College, Lahore, September 13, 2007, and Address at the International Conference on Economic Growth in Pakistan Organized by the Planning Commission at Islamabad on July 13, 2011.

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