“Public policy is a study in imperfection. It involves imperfect people, with imperfect information, facing deeply imperfect choices - so it's not surprising that they're getting imperfect results”—Jake Sullivan
If planet Earth is squeezed to a micro level, it would resemble an enclosure that houses human beings, animals, plants and all those nitty gritty luxuries that we love to indulge in ourselves and want our loved ones to enjoy, and which we proudly claim, as our home. Now what do we aspire to do? Provide security to residents, to see that they are well taken care of, to see that they have plentiful of everything for their physical needs, ensure that they are happy and healthy, that they are loved and protected, make adjustments to accord with their changing requirements etc. Yes, we take pains to help one another both materially and emotionally. We do not usually modify people to fit in a specific environment, but we develop the environment that befits them. In other words, it is the living beings that are the focus of our attention and not the inanimate surroundings we hold so precious.
On the same premise, we could magnify our view to perceive a country with the nation as a family under the watchful eyes of its administrative body, popularly understood as the government. The nation allows those in power to manage its affairs, care for its development, help it to grow and prosper, protect it from external and internal aggression, improve living standards in return for submitting to the laws of the country. This two-way contract with the state is enshrined in the constitution, where each has certain obligations to perform for the sake of peace and prosperity. Those desiring power must convince the people why they are better than their rivals to deliver for which they need to come up with a set of workable public policies on different matters.
Initiation of any project requires a logical thought process wherein pros and cons are weighed on the scale of propriety, proper planning and eventually, practicality of the entire exercise. In the same way, conducting the affairs of government involves all these processes but with the added obligation of keeping people’s aspirations above any other objective. According to Britannica: “Public policy generally consists of the set of actions—plans, laws, and behaviors—adopted by a government. Concern with the new governance draws attention to the extent to which these actions are often performed now by agents of the state rather than directly by the state.”
This implies that along with sound governance programs, it is essential to have institutions that can implement these programs with the best possible perfection, and that is where public policy plays a crucial role.
Academics have produced sufficient literature, media anchors have unearthed myriads of instances of poor governance and the apathy of government officials, documentaries on sensitive issues of the public are on record, the public itself is a living example of destitution and impoverishment, the country is badly entangled in internal and external debt—what more does one need as guides to formulate positive public policies?
These days, a lot of discussion is going on as to how civil society in Pakistan can interact with the government to seek solutions to the never-ending problems being faced by the people of this country. Whether it is about revenue, education, medical facilities, social security, retiring debts, development, progress etc., civil society is being urged to step forward and help turn things around.
Undoubtedly, the magnanimous among members of the civil society are involved in commendable activities for the betterment of the downtrodden, but these remain insufficient to address the overall difficulties faced by the public at large; which can only be solved by a not-so-self-serving legislature, an energetic executive, a non-egotistical judiciary that together do not refuse any attempt to account for their deficiencies. Efforts of a few handfuls to resolve critical matters related to the public are like a needle in the haystack. Their outreach is limited, therefore despite their consistent work over decades, not all Pakistani children between the ages of six to sixteen are in schools, for example. Another instance are the many charitable hospitals and clinics that have mushroomed over time, thanks to benevolence of the well-to-do and thoughtful citizens, yet pressure on government run hospitals has not decreased. Rather it has increased manifold.
The key attributes of public policy cannot be ignored, especially the fact that policy is made on behalf of the public. Policy is ultimately what the government has to execute, even though it can consider suggestions from outside, it gets to choose what to do in reality, or what not do. Policy can take the shape of laws or regulations that are formulated to put in action. No policy can succeed unless there is information, statistics and complete understanding of the matter in hand.
In our blessed country in the first place, there are no long-term public policies, even though the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, lays down clear guidelines with respect to the citizens’ contract with the state. To make the situation even worse, data emerging from official quarters are hardly reliable. A case in point is the population census, that till today is disputed by the provinces. Another example are hundreds of primary schools, particularly in the rural areas that are either exist only on paper, or in highly deplorable condition where they do exist but still, the exchequer annually debits substantial amounts for the maintenance and salaries of ghost teachers. The same morbid stories of corruption and incompetence related to all walks of governance are in circulation, forcing the public to question, the response to which is nothing but a shut-up call on the part of those who matter in the land.
Academics have produced sufficient literature, media anchors have unearthed myriads of instances of poor governance and the apathy of government officials, documentaries on sensitive issues of the public are on record, the public itself is a living example of destitution and impoverishment, the country is badly entangled in internal and external debt—what more does one need as guides to formulate positive public policies? Alarms are ringing everywhere, but the only people who remain deaf to their sound are the ones who are vested with power. This is a wake-up call to them as their own existence is dependent on policies they are obliged to conceive and execute for the benefit of the public.