The centre-periphery relations and governance issues: the role of decentralisation in post-conflict North-Western Pakistan

Abstract

This study explores the centre-periphery relations and the role of local governance (decentralisation) in filling the governance gap in post-conflict North-Western Pakistan. The study investigates whether the local government can contribute to establishing a state's writ and perform governance functions better. There is a strong correlation between conflict situations, decentralisation and governance. A state can have adequate governance and a strong state-society relation if local governance arrangements are ensured with a conducive environment for socio-economic development, guarantee national security and solve the common problems of all citizens irrespective of any discrimination based on ethnicity, religion or region. The study analysed that the central government has a low political and institutional infrastructure presence that promotes hurdles to strong state-society relations necessary for stable and equitable social relations and social contracts. In the more centralised administrative system, the provision of public goods by the state created pressures on the state compared to the decentralised system. The study shows that decentralisation provides opportunities for better governance, equity, and improved efficiency by handling diversity. Moreover, decentralisation moves the authority and responsibility from the centre to the local level, thus expanding the roles and functions of central government agencies to other state affairs.