Government effectiveness

Quality of public services and policy-making

Indicators

Government effectiveness measures the quality of public services, the quality of the civil service and its independence from political pressure, the quality of policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of the government's commitment to its policies.

What it measures

Quality of public services such as education, health, infrastructure and utilities.
Quality and political independence of the civil service.
Quality of policy formulation and implementation.
Credibility and consistency of government policies.

Application in Pakistan

Weaknesses: over 25 million children out of school; low public spending on health and education; losses of state-owned enterprises; circular debt in the power sector; politicization and frequent transfers of civil servants; policy inconsistency.
Strengths: NADRA's identity system, the Benazir Income Support Programme's targeting through a national socio-economic registry, Rescue 1122, digital services such as e-filing, and the Pakistan Citizen's Portal.

Way forward

Civil service reform: merit, training, tenure protection and performance management.
Digital government and simplified procedures.
Policy continuity through cross-party agreement.
Evidence-based planning and monitoring.

Note

Pakistan's figures here are approximate recent ranges; check the latest annual release of the Worldwide Governance Indicators for exact values.