Public Policy Analysis

MPA 404 Lecture 32

Previous Lecture Brief

A further example of analysis using a transport system

A discussion about cost-benefit analysis

Steps involved in cost-benefit analysis

Equity Impact Analysis

Some helpful readings and suggestions

http://www.pc.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Manual-for-development-projects.pdf. Planning Commission's Manual for Development project. Contains important information about such items like Annual Plans, Five-year plans, Public Sector Development Project (PSDP), federal and provincial plans, a statement of fixed and variable costs of a project, PC-I’s, etc.

On the Planning Commission's website, under the heading ‘Resource Centre’, go to ‘Publications’. Some of the publications are quiet interesting and a worthwhile read. For example, the report titled ‘Project Evaluation in Pakistan’ is a good read.

A study of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) would be helpful. Environmental issues are in demand nowadays, and its good to know a bit about them.

On P&D’s website, under the heading ‘Development’, there is a link to projects. Just go through the list of the projects which will give you a fair idea of the nature of projects that are being pursued.

Read newspapers. Sometimes you will find reports that may look ordinary but actually are very much applicable to government policy and lessons related to it. For example, a few months ago there was this report about the dollar trading at Rs. 100/- despite government announcements of it being traded at Rs. 98/-. Although it looked like an ordinary report, but it contained the important lesson that price control rarely works in the real world. In this case, government was trying to control the price of foreign currency.

Make observations of events in everyday life. this will give you a heads up on social and economic phenomenon that might prove useful later on.

If you have internet’s facility, try to follow websites that are related to government policies or where you can find good discussions. I gave you a few podcasts, downloaded from different websites like BBC. There are many, and you’d need a regular search to find out the best ones.

Try to get a good book on Pakistan’s economy and its social sector development. These tend to give a good account of various policies and their outcomes. For example, a very good book in this regard is S. Akbar Zaidi’s “Issues in Pakistan’s Economy”.

Farewell Remarks