May 07 , 2015
News
Govt gets 44% on scorecard for quality of governance
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has earned a score of 44% for quality of governance during its first year in office.
The score has been awarded in the first-ever exercise of its kind in Pakistan, which is based on data for assessment provided by the federal government. The assessment of the quality of governance is based on a framework consisting 25 indicators developed by PILDAT. The government has scored above 60% on only three out of the 25 governance parameters – i.e., Disaster Preparedness and Management, scoring 62%, Merit-based Recruitments and Promotions, in which it scored 61% and Foreign Policy Management scoring 60%.
On the other end of the spectrum are the poorest scores on Poverty Alleviation, at 22% and Transparency, 27% (federal government failed to bring a new effective right to information law replacing the out-dated existing freedom of information law). The Nawaz Sharif government’s anti-corruption efforts, public sector development programme, peace, stability and order, national defence and investment friendliness have scored at or slightly above the 50% mark. Interestingly, in the public approval ratings of the government, based on a PILDAT Public Opinion Poll conducted in July-August 2014, it is the government’s efforts at improving National Defence only which have received approval rating above 60 % (61% to be exact).
In contrast, the PILDAT Score Card, based on data provided by the federal government, assigned 48% to national defence, which is below the 50% mark. While the Public opinion rewarded the federal government above a 50% approval rating in immunization of children and water resource management at 56% in August last year, PILDAT score card has analysed these indicators at 44% and 42% respectively. PILDAT has undertaken Assessment of the Quality of Governance of the Federal and 4 Provincial Governments in 2013-2014 in comparison to 2012-2013.
A PILDAT Score Card comparing quality of governance across four provinces of Pakistan will be released shortly after. PILDAT has greatly benefited from the support and advice of a 27-member Government Assessment Group who oversaw the development of the PILDAT Framework on Assessment of the Quality of Governance. The objective behind PILDAT’s initiative on Assessment of the Quality of Governance is to highlight areas of strengths and potential areas requiring improvement in the quality of governance. As democracy progresses in Pakistan, PILDAT believes the focus should now be on the performance of democracy as distinct from the process of democracy.
With this Score Card, PILDAT seeks to understand the extent to which the democratic governments have delivered to their citizens in terms of providing good governance. The initiative is by no means an exercise to criticize the performance of the Government, but in fact is a collaborative effort to highlight areas of strengths and potential areas requiring improvement in the quality of governance.
The data for this scorecard was requested by PILDAT and was provided by the Federal Government.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk