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The Politics of Service Delivery in Pakistan: Political Parties and the Incentives for Patronage, 1988-1999

Author

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  • Zahid Hasnain

    (The World Bank, Pakistan.)

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of the political party structure on the incentives for politicians to focus on patronage versus service delivery improvements in Pakistan. By analysing inter-provincial variations in the quality of service delivery in Pakistan, the paper argues that the more fragmented, factionalised, and polarised the party systems, the greater are the incentives for patronage, weakening service delivery improvements. Fragmentation and factionalism both exacerbate the information problems that voters have in assigning credit (blame) for service delivery improvements (deterioration), thereby creating the incentives for politicians to focus on targeted benefits. Polarisation, particularly ethnic polarisation, reduces the ability of groups to agree on the provision of public goods, again causing politicians to favour the delivery of targeted benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Zahid Hasnain, 2008. "The Politics of Service Delivery in Pakistan: Political Parties and the Incentives for Patronage, 1988-1999," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 47(2), pages 129-151.
    • Handle: RePEc:pid:journl:v:47:y:2008:i:2:p:129-151
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    File URL: http://www.pide.org.pk/pdf/PDR/2008/Volume2/129-151.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Ahmed, Manzoor & Baloch, Akhtar, 2017. "The Political Economy of Development: A Critical Assessment of Balochistan, Pakistan," MPRA Paper 80754, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 25 Jul 2017.
    2. Manzoor Ahmed & Khalid Khan, 2014. "An Essay on the Political Economy of Fiscal Policy Making in Pakistan," International Journal of Business, Economics and Management, Conscientia Beam, vol. 1(9), pages 229-241.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Public Goods; Models of Political Processes: Rent Seeking; Elections; Legislatures; and Voting Behaviour; Health; Education; and Welfare: General;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • I00 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General - - - General

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