Governance and public policy making in Pakistan: analysing colonial past and failures of political institutions

Abstract

Public policy is a course of action of the government to address the problems of the public by taking rational measures while framing the country's direction. Pakistan's history has remained highly ambiguous in formulating public policy and governance as it has seen parliamentary democracies, military dictatorships, presidential democracies, and quasi-parliamentary democracies since its inception. Interestingly, the role of the legislatures, particularly the parliaments, has been overshadowed by the institution of bureaucracy and the military in terms of framing public policy and governance of the state. This paper reflects upon a holistic overview of the power structure dynamics in Pakistan and analyses the impact of the colonial past on the current power structure. It shall also investigate how the failure of political institutions has allowed other institutions to step in and play a significant role in governance and public policymaking.