Extant literature informs that the modern state requires a
civil service whose performance is accurately measured, evaluated and
subsequently rewarded (or punished). In this paper we use Pakistan as a
case study of a country in which the performance evaluation system is
obsolete and resistant to change. After analysing literature on the
importance of performance management systems in bureaucracies, we
evaluate the present structure of the Pakistani performance evaluation
system of civil servants and identify its major weaknesses. We then
present the results of a unique survey of senior civil servants which
informs on how they viewed potential reforms of the current system.
Based on this, we present a revised instrument to more accurately
measure the performance of Pakistani civil servants, which both adapts
the existing instrument while being cognizant of the international best
practices. Finally we look at some of the significant political economy
factors that could hinder the introduction of a new performance
management system. Keywords: Performance Evaluation, Political
Manipulation, SMART, Political Alignment Performance Management, Civil
Service
This paper examines the reasons for the early dominance of the
bureaucratic élite in Pakistan and the downsizing that was brought about
by the administrative reforms of 1973. The perceptions of bureaucrats
and ministers indicate that loyalty to political establishment is now
regarded a crucial requirement in a bureaucrat. This shift from the
principle of political neutrality to the practice of political
allegiance has affected both the development agenda as well as the
institutions of the country.
While achieving economic growth anddevelopment are dependent on the performance of the bureaucracy, there is a growing inability in Pakistan to objectivelyevaluate this performance. In this article, we examine performance evaluations systems that can be applied to developingcountry bureaucracies and find that the best system in the Pakistani context is the SMART performance evaluation system. We then analyze the present Pakistani system and compare it to an example of a SMART system and find that the disconnect between the actual performance of the civil service and the measurement of this performance by the performance evaluation report (PER) in Pakistan, has discouraged optimal performance. The article also looks at the perceptions of senior civil servants themselves on what they perceive as the shortcomings of the performance evaluation management system in Pakistan as well as their opinions on a potential SMART performance evaluations system. The article recommends an immediate re-evaluation of the present performance management where the re-evaluation initiatives must be tempered with the realization that the present system has been established not to optimize bureaucratic performance but rather to sustain the present system of patronage and power.
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