RESEARCH
GINI’s research portfolio includes:
|
 |
A
study focusing on 34 public accountability
organizations at the federal and provincial levels.
These included the National Accountability Bureau
(NAB), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and
the Office of the Auditor General (AG) to name a
few. For each organization, quantitative and
qualitative data was gathered dating back to the
establishment of the organization, wherever
possible. The quantitative component of the data was
organized into 4 thematic areas: financial,
administrative, legal and performance aspects. The
qualitative component of the research methodology
was designed to answer more intangible questions
relating to organizational culture and informal
rules, incentives, political and service
environments. These were approached by conducting
in-depth focus group sessions with relevant
officials using the quantitative data and
information to explore the history of the
institution. Research findings included a pattern of
persistent ineffectiveness after the initial novelty
of newly established organizations wore off,
regardless of changes made to their financial
authority, legal mandate, administrative capacity,
or independence. Research concluded that perverse
institutional incentives embedded in both formal and
informal rules, led to the re-emergence of erstwhile
behaviors as soon as initial reform momentum abated.
These incentives affect not only the research
partners but the entire bureaucracy, and were poorly
understood and left unchanged by reform efforts.
|
|
|
Another study involves a general historical analysis
of civil servants’ salary structures and their
evolution since the late 18th century to identify
the turning points in compensation policy which led
to desirable institutional behavior. The post-Pitts
Administration epoch emerged as an era of both
radical salary increases and exceptionally low
levels of corruption, followed by a century of wage
compression and real reduction in salaries, numerous
rigidities and imbalances in the compensation
structure which create a moral hazard for civil
servants and other government employees inviting
venality. The research concluded that the argument
for a weak or non-existent relationship between
monetary incentives and corruption must be
reassessed.
|
|
|
A
survey was conducted of 6000 public servants in 30
randomly chosen districts across all 4 provinces of
Pakistan in an attempt to model moral hazard
profiles of local government officials which created
a commensurate space for and incentivized corrupt
behavior. Disparity of income versus the rising cost
of living expenditures emerged as the most
significant incentive for corruption. Low
probability of apprehension/punishment
accountability institutions was also a major
incentive for corrupt behavior. To specify policy
responses, the survey went on to calibrate
compensation expectations of public servants which
would be comparable to market rates for private
sector salaries payable for their experience and
qualifications, and which would allow them to
maintain a respectable standard of living.
Back |
|
CAPACITY BUILDING
|
|
We at GINI
recognize that no state has an installed capacity
for institutional change of the magnitude
successful governance reform demands. This capacity
must created as part of the reform itself. The
majority of elected officials, civil servants, and
civil society leaders have little preparation and
few life experiences in institutional reform. They
are educated and experienced in leading and
administering the status quo, not in transforming
it.
GINI is
currently serving as Secretariat to a Governance
Education Network (GEN), comprising voluntary
membership of 21 educational institutes, research
centers and think-tanks from both public and private
spheres across Pakistan. GEN operates in partnership
with the Norwegian Institute of Urban and Regional
Research (NIBR) based in Oslo, Norway. The aim is to
advance governance knowledge and increase governance
capacity by developing a curriculum for college and
university students, and prepare a national pool of
qualified faculty for teaching it. The project also
features an Executive Training component to target
senior governance practitioners, as well as a
research fund for conducting research on
contemporary governance models and themes such as
alternative delivery mechanisms, and
country-specific governance indicators. Annual
conferences facilitate communication and
coordination among network members and allow project
activities and outputs to receive the necessary
attention of national and international
stakeholders.
Our network
members include: |
-
Higher Education
Commission (HEC), Islamabad
-
Beaconhouse
National University (BNU), Lahore
-
Centre for Public
Policy & Governance (CPPG) FC College
University, Lahore
-
International
Islamic University (IIU), Islamabad
-
Institute of
Administrative Sciences, Punjab University,
Lahore
-
Institute of
Public Policy, BNU, Lahore
-
Government
College University (GCU), Lahore
-
Hamdard
University, Karachi
-
Kinnaird College
for Women, Lahore
-
Lahore University
of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore
-
National School
of Public Policy (NSPP), Lahore
-
National Defense
University (NDU), Islamabad
-
National
University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad
-
Pakistan
Institute of Development Economics University (PIDE),
Islamabad
-
Quaid-I-Azam
University (QAU), Islamabad
-
University of
Karachi
-
Devolution Trust
for Community Empowerment (DTCE), Islamabad
-
Pakistan
Institute of Legislative Development and
Training (PILDAT), Islamabad
-
PATTAN, Islamabad
-
Social Policy and
Development Centre (SPDC), Karachi
-
The Researchers,
Islamabad
-
Institute of
Educational Development, Aga Khan University,
Karachi
-
Philanthropy
Centre of Pakistan (PCP), Islamabad.
A number of
additional institutes have voiced interest in
network membership and their details are under
consideration.
Back |
|
ADVOCACY
|
|
At GINI we
understand that advocacy is not an adjunct to policy
analysis but an integral part of the process.
Without it research and analysis will remain inert,
insular and impotent, unable to affect and
unaffected by the reality of policymaking.
Successful advocacy needs a support platform of
broad representation amongst policy stakeholders
which is why GINI adopts a networking approach in
all advocacy interventions. GINI’s own research has
been presented at the international level in
Austria, Ukraine, USA, France, and Singapore as well
as through national and local events in Pakistan to
provide maximum policy exposure.
Most recently, GINI organized a Pakistan-Norway Forum 13-15 December,
2009 in Islamabad which brought together governance
scholars and experts from Norway, USA, Canada, and
Pakistan, as well as politicians, bureaucrats,
diplomats, civil society leaders, journalists,
representatives of the corporate sector, and members
of the international donor community. Policymakers
were presented with cutting edge research on key
governance areas. Mr. Humayun Saifullah, Member,
Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms
attended the session on ‘Federalism: Theory,
Practice and Challenges’ which featured debate
and discussion centering on key aspects of his work
with the Committee. Mr. Owais Ghani Governor of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the frontline province in the
war against insurgency and terror attended the
session on ‘Sustainable Governance Strategies to
Counter Terrorism’ learning of the best
practices in international counter-terrorism
efforts. Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director,
Higher Education Commission, Islamabad was presented
with research conducted by the GEN focusing on
governance education in Pakistan at the college,
university and executive levels.
GINI
also completed two projects of Citizens Voice
Project by USAID through small grants on "Improving
Water Rights of Poor and Disadvantaged Farmers" and
"Citizens Voice & Public Accountability in Tax
Collection Sector (Sales Tax Reforms)" in three
districts and relevant tehsils/unions
councils/villages of Central Punjab - Sargodha,
Faisalabad and Gujranwala - initiatives under
Research-based advocacy for community development
for participatory and responsive governance reforms.
We have
also started a new project related to
research-advocacy for policy reforms - with DAI-ilm ideas in financial support of
UKAID-DFID for "Citizens' Voice and Public Accountability
in Mainstreaming Children Living with Physical & Learning Disabilities through
Access to Quality Education" in the four districts of Central
Punjab – Khushab, Sargodha, Faisalabad and Gujranwala-15 months
project - Dec, 2013 - Feb, 2015. |
|
