Urbanization and Local Governance Challenges in Pakistan

Abstract

The state of municipal services and infrastructure has deteriorated in Pakistan over the years. With the rapid increase in urbanization in Pakistan the need for effective and efficient local governments is felt more now than ever. The checkered history of local government initiatives in the country has contributed to the poor state of municipal service delivery. The military regimes, in the past, used local governments to create a loyal cadre of politicians who the military later pitted against the democratic forces. With the return of civilian democratic rule in Pakistan, the local governments were often abolished because these institutions were viewed as part and parcel of the military dictatorships. The tug-of-war between the democratic governments and military regimes has left Pakistan with an inadequate local government framework. The challenge for the democratic forces in Pakistan is to realize the importance of local governments and there-fore to take steps to offer them constitutional cover. Failing to do so may lead to further deterioration of urban and rural environments.

Decentralisation, HRD and production efficiency of water utilities: evidence from India

“…Often military dictatorships and other autocrats have devolved powers to local govemment thereby weakening regional (provincial or state) govemments, incapacitating them from posing any challenge to the central leadership. For example, every time a military dictator takes over neighbouring Pakistan, decentralisation of powers and responsibilities, including those relating to water management, to local govemment takes place; when a democratic govemment retums, there is a reversal (Haidar & Badami, 2010). Mishandling of the situation caused by the fioods which devastated vast areas of the country in 2010 is partly attributable to the fact that at the time of the floods, administrative transition was in progress, causing confusion all round.…”

Does Rural–Urban Migration Improve Employment Quality and Household Welfare? Evidence from Pakistan

“…However, the rapid increase in urban population does not match with an adequate increase in municipal infrastructure and services. At the same time, gainful employment, even for the educated youth, remains elusive [14]. The severity of challenges may only increase due to the current unemployment rate and large influx of rural migrants into urban areas.…”

Major Factors Leading Rapid Urbanization in China and Pakistan: A Comparative Study

“…To scale the influencing factors i.e. Basic Facilities and Employment (Barnett & Adger, 2007;Martine & Alex Marshall, 2007;Murtaza Haider, 2010;Nasira Jabeen, Umm-e-Farwa, 2015;Wenze Yue, Yong Liu, 2013), have been recorded in the previous studies to weight 'socio-economic factors. The factors like regional industrial growth (Barnett & Adger, 2007;Evans, 2015;Long, Li, Liu, Woods, & Zou, 2012;Wenze Yue, Yong Liu, 2013) and government policies (Evans, 2015;S.…”