Enacted discretion: policy implementation, local government reform and education services in Pakistan

ABSTRACT

This article examines policy implementation in the Pakistan education sector introduced by the Musharraf local government reforms between 2001 and 2009. By devolving administrative and financial powers from the provincial to local government, the reforms sought to address weaknesses in existing local government provision. Our analysis developed a process model of policy implementation that suggests that while extensive structural decentralisation did occur, in practice this was more limited leading to what we term enacted management discretion, where local managers overcame weak organisational capacity, resource constraints and increased bureaucratic control from higher tiers of provincial government to manage and deliver educational services.

KEYWORDS:

• Policy implementation
• managerial discretion
• local government reform
• Pakistan

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Seemab Farooqi

Seemab Farooqi is a teaching assistant in the School of Management at the University of Stirling. Her research interests include contemporary public policy and management reforms, networked governance and its impact on institutional performance of the public sector with a focus on developing countries.

Tom Forbes

Tom Forbes is Senior Lecturer in Business and Management in the School of Management, University of Stirling. His research interests lie in the areas of public sector management, the integration of health and social care and change and continuity in complex organisational settings.