Daily Times

“Why Nations Fail” is a world-renowned book written by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. Published in 2012, the book amassed acclaim of critics due to writers’ understanding and in-depth analysis of the issues.

The gist of “Why Nations Fail” is that no country can develop unless its institutions are strong. The United States, UK and Germany are developed because they strengthened their institutions over time.

In Pakistan’s 74-year history, we made progress only in times when our institutions were allowed to function independently. During the periods where we politicized them or used their resources for personal gain, the progress of the country took a hit.

The strengths or weaknesses of any institution can be gauged from a few characteristics.

The appointment of the head is the most important one in this regard. If the head is appointed keeping in mind his political affiliation or connections, he will be used for personal gains by chief executive. He will be afraid of the consequences in case he does not obey the illegal orders of his appointing authority. In our country, the Judiciary and the Army are considered to be stronger institutions because personal preference or dislike does not matter much when it comes to the appointment of their chiefs. The senior most judge of the judiciary will always be the Chief Justice and COAS will be chosen every time from among most senior generals in the army.

The second criterion for assessing the strength of an institution depends on the guarantee of tenure of head or employees.

A person who knows that he cannot be removed before a certain period of time will care more about the interests of the state than the one who is unsure of his stay in the institution. One of the reasons for the strength of the Federal Public Service Commission, Office of the Auditor General of Pakistan and NAB is the guaranteed tenure of their heads, which cannot be changed without amending the law. Because of tenure protection, such people think many times before giving importance to a political recommendation.

The workforce of the institution also affects its strengths or weaknesses. The Prime Minister’s Office, Establishment Division, etc. are strong because there is no shortage of staff deployed as compared to other departments. There are some institutions of the government where the number of employees is less than 20% of their sanctioned strength. Institutions where there is shortage of staff will emburden the scarce workforce with the workload which actually required more staff. As a result, performance will decline and the organization will not be able to achieve the targets.

Staff training and familiarity with related issues also help to make the instructions weak or strong. Police officers who do not write the reports correctly or do not investigate properly face wrath of the judges on every hearing. With their incompetence, they not only spoil the case but also tarnish the image of the institution.

Recruitment of employees is also a factor associated with the growth or retrogression of an organization. If the hiring is on merit, then competent people will come forward and system will keep running smoothly. Recruitments in the Ministry of Defense, Intelligence Bureau, etc. were done through the commission and not by keeping in mind someone’s constituency. So these institutions are stable. On the other hand PIA, APP and Pakistan Steel Mills were ruined because they recruited too many people whose only criterion was affiliation with a political party.

The appropriateness of salaries and their proportion to inflation is also important for the employees of an organization. Compare Motorway Police with Punjab Police. One of the reasons why the former is better is because of the higher salaries and benefits their employees get. Difference in privileges from one institution to another lowers the morale of the workforce and justify corruption.

Similarly, the lack of innovation in the method of promotion of employees also leads to poor performance and stagnation. When an officer knows he will move on to the next grade after five years whether he does justice to his job or not, why would he care to work hard?

Accountability and seriousness regarding the application of existing laws also determine the quality of the institution. If a department does not respect its own rules, it will soon fall apart. Most of the private institutions in our country are successful because the violators of their rules are not usually given a second chance. On the other hand, corruption cases in most government institutions run from year to year and are later closed due to non-following. Thus, the corrupt person is honorably acquitted and is working in the same place again after some rest.

There is a notion that the institution that has more power to harass the people is stronger. This is not so. The police station where the SHO has been posted using his political connections will never be able to control crime. He will have to appease those who facilitated hin getting the posting. As a result, he will listen to the criticism of the superiors and curses of the people. Take the exaple of Rescue 1122. The people working there only serve and have no authority to harass a common man. But 1122 is still considered one of the strongest institutions in Punjab.

Despite the prsence of all the features mentioned above, the country cannot develop if there is lack of balance of power among institutions. Whether they are of state or government, institutions need to be allowed to operate without undue pressure. The state must ensure that one institution does not interfere unnecessarily in the affairs of another.

Few days ago, the Prime Minister tweeted that he was postponing the High Power Board meeting for some time as he wanted to review the real performance of the officers instead of believing in the usual analysis. This can be the first step towards elevation of right persons for state departments. But Imran Khan will also have to take measures to address institutional reforms issue as early as possible. These reforms are the key to development of Pakistan. We can reap the benefits of independence only if we improve the system and make every institution work.

(The writer is an M. Phil Scholar and currently serving as Deputy Director at Federal Ministry of Information)