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Governing the Ungovernable: Institutional Reforms for Democratic Governance

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Pakistan, since its independence in 1947, had to face tumultuous years for the first four decades. Despite the many challenges, both internal and external, the country was able to register a 6 per cent average annual growth rate during the first forty years of its existence. The country was
ahead of India and Bangladesh in all economic and social indicators. Since 1990, the country has fallen behind its neighbouring countries and has had a decline in the growth rate.

This book attempts to examine the reasons behind this slowdown, the volatile and inequitable growth of the last twenty-five years, and through a process of theoretical and empirical evidence argues that the most powerful explanatory hypothesis lies in the decay of institutions of governance. It also
suggests a selective and incremental approach of restructuring some key public institutions that pertain to accountability, transparency, security, economic growth, and equity.

550 pages, Hardcover

Published May 29, 2018

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Ishrat Husain

25 books39 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Rehmat.
122 reviews
April 20, 2020
In their collaborative book, Why Nations Fail, development researchers Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, explain the gap between prosperous and deprived nations. They gave details with empirical evidence from ancient to modern time that how institutions of governance, originating power, polity and economics, lead nations to either collapse or prosper. When these state institutions of governance turn extractive make nations fail and when they become inclusive prosper their inhabitants.

Having said this, development economist and former governor State Bank of Pakistan, Dr. Ishrat Hussain, in his latest book, Governing the Ungovernable, has given empirical evidences about the evolutionary development of state institutions, society and polity in Pakistan from 1947 and institutional decay beginning from 1990s in the country. With diagnosing causes of failing of key state institutions and factors turning them extractive, institutional theorist Hussain has also presented remedies to them (I deliberately avoid to offer comment on some issues here). Though, these remedies are always discussed in research papers of civil servants when they undergo mandatory training for their promotions in management institutes, but the questions are how those suggested remedies are materialized. In short, anyone interested in Pakistan, particularly, civil servants, must read this book.
Profile Image for Zainab.
151 reviews45 followers
August 11, 2018
Highly recommend this book to understand the issues that Pakistan is currently facing. The book manages to explain how one leader or fixing one simple problem (corruption should be ended, bus) is not enough to change Pakistan's trajectory. There are several issues that need our attention and a holistic approach that starts from individuals within society to major state institutions has to be formed in order to make Pakistan a developed country.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. It's been an enlightening read and if you have an interest in Pakistan, this is a must book for you.
Profile Image for Ali Yasir.
99 reviews21 followers
August 9, 2019
Numbers don't lie. Specially, if we are talking about those related to economy. Ishrat Hussain, with the help of convincing and authentic data, brings forward his thesis that institutional reforms are key to economic and social deveoplment of Pakistan. In the process of proving his thesis, he tears down some very popular myths about Pakistan's economy. For example, wrongly quoted share of defense budget in governmental expenditure, the myth of businesses run by army, exaggerated role of foreign aid during the prosperious years of Ayub, Zia and Musharaf, exaggerated myth that Pakistan's economy is heavily dependant on US aid and many others.

He discusses in detail the social, political, judicial and economic elements embedded in the national febric of Pakistan. Supported by undeniable data, his arguments are convincing. A must read for anyone who wants to understand Pakistan's flawed institutions, and seeks for their reforms.
Profile Image for Fou Cault.
5 reviews1 follower
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February 19, 2023
"Governing the ungovernable" by Dr Ishrat hussain, currently, adviser to the PM on institutional reforms and austerity, a former governor of state bank of Pakistan and has held many other impotant posts.
The book is about the institutional reforms for democratic governance, and in all encompassing every aspect of governance in Pakistan since its independence, highlights the booms and busts in the economy with respect to transition of regimes, failure of democracy and institutional decay in the light of endogenous and exogenous factors and provides sounds solutions to the problems.
Here,below,are some topics that brought about this book interesting.
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1- Historical background
The auther gives a succinct overview of institutional reforms carried out by each leader -both civil-miltary leadership- came in power with respect to change in regime and its long as well as short term impacts on the economy, institution and society.
2- Economy
"Governing the ungovernable" significantly takes an account of reasons of decline in the economic growth in the era of political leadership and its surge in time of military(Marshal law) leadership.
Pakistan's growth rate performance was enumerated among top tens developing countries in 1950-90, outstripped India and Bangladesh in most of economic and social indicator. Since then, the economy has seen downward slope and lagging behind not only East Asian countries- which have made a great strides- but even in relation to its two neighbors in south Asia.
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3- Polity
Pakistan's political institutions has not yet achieved the level of maturity that can contribute to the process of improved Democratic governance. The fragile foundation of Muslim league - a party which spearheaded the movement of creation of independent homeland for the Muslim if India- coupled with demise of Jinah, sowed the seeds of inter-party brawl.
Military rule in 1958,1977 and 1999 exacerbated the forces of political opportunitism and instability. Even amidst civilian rule, they pulled the strings of governments, backing a particular party through back doors.
Political parties have,so far, been done nothing sound to democratic evolution, relying on dynastic politics and have been utterly negating intra-party democratic principles.
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4- Society
Pakistani society have been enduring enormous crisis. Societal norms and values of kinship, biradaris and tribal and feudal loyalties have been a source of support in time of conflict and crises but have had deteriorated the evolution of formal,structural and state-centric institutions of governance. Society -inter alia- suffering from trust deficit. Lack of self confidence is driving force, social capital have eroded and sectarian differences have brought the country ao the brink of collapse.
Lack of heed and resources for social developments brought about the country lag behind all neighboring countries.
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5- Local government
The future of LG doesn't look at all promising . The ignominous association of LG revival and underpinning the military dictators have created a popular narrative that has undermined the potential usefulness of devolution and decentralization. BD under Ayub government got bad name, Zia paid no attention to local governments reforms and Musharraf radical mutation by transferring the provincial departments to district government, abolition of the office of deputy commissioner and making of Nazims superior. In a nutshell, the tussel is still in play and have not reached the point of equilibrium.
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6- judiciary
The ascendancy and the system of check and balance enshrined in our constitution assign a critical rule to the judiciary for upholding the rule of law. However,like other institutions, preservation of interests of the elites has not escaped the judicial history of Pakistan. It is not using as an instrument of justice, rather it is a tool for powerful to settle scores. The system of check and blance is neither potent nor functional.
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7- The military
The nature of civil-military relations is the most debated and controversial issue in pakistan. The military has directly ruled for 32 years out of 70 years and indirectly through the troika that include the army chief in the 1990s. The post 2008 period of restoration of democracy and the succession of three elected governments has not eased the uneasy relationship, created uncertainty for investors and denting business confidence.
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😎 The religious edifice
Lastly,Pakistan continues to struggle with rationale for its formation: whether it was conceive as state where Muslims could lead a peaceful independent lives in sovereign nation or an ideological state where Islam would be the guiding principle. Our relgious parties have not yet won even 10 seats in general elections for the past 72 years,however, they have succeeded in altering the narrative in their favour. They received huge boost in zia's era due to his radical reforms. The use of religion for politics and strategic goals has been one of the prime cause of extremism. The two Afghan wars have also made a massive contribution to the formation of terrorist groups that have paved the path for violence across the country.
24 reviews1 follower
September 19, 2021
Was on my shelve for long time so had to finish it before end of month . This narrative applies to my our political setup of country. The issues we face have been highlighted Nicely, how we avoid police & get the work done by the Wadera or influencer of the area . The system is working to facilitate the cronies either political or capitalists.
Efforts were made in various tenures but same were undone by the coming regimes. Economic good done by Ayoub were undone by ZAB. Political good done by ZAB were undone by ZIA UL HAQ. BB and Nawaz had a see saw in 90s and the changes brought by President PERVAIZ musharaf were reversed by Zardari government. .
All the major elements that run the state have been covered by the author . Starting from military upto the prosecution department.
The economical share of army enterprises are only 4.5 and all pay there taxes and since 1990 india and Bangladesh have improved a lot through open economy where as Pakistan has a push and pull economic output .
Must read for those interested in understanding administrative and political landscape of Pakistan
Profile Image for Hammad Bajwa.
52 reviews3 followers
April 29, 2020
Difficult to read. Not many new ideas, if you are an average news reader of the political economy. Writer is also nostalgic about 60's and fails to explore new avenues relevant for today.
Profile Image for Asif Shan.
3 reviews3 followers
December 1, 2019
Highly recommended incase one wants to get an idea of prevailing conundrums of governance in Pakistan.
Profile Image for Zarish Fatima.
154 reviews
August 5, 2019
Dr Ishrat Hussain has been member of a committee of institutional reforms since 2005, and this book definitely feels like the an academic compilation of observations and solutions he and his team have found and compiled over the years.
There are 15 items that are discussed which can also be said the major motors, that make up and run a state.
My favorite chapters were "The Society", "The Civil Services" and "The Religious edifice". I would say he played quiet safe when it came to the "The Military". He did add alot of tables and charts, which are to my personal liking, as numbers are always much more clearer than the Opinions.
Chapters of polity and society really struck a chord, the problems and issues highlighted are so real and we all think about them but still there is nothing done about those things.
I dont think I have read a book that points out this clearly how our civil bureaucracy, an institute which was reverted for its performance went to hell.
This book does play important role in pointing out few popular myths as "foreign aid" increases when ever there is a military government and the perception that development is better under the authoritarian.
He drew comparison with India and Bangladesh, which really shows how far behind we have fallen.
The most important thing one can learn from this read is that even if one of the many bodies which make up the state is working perfectly the progress can happen, India and Bangladesh are living examples of that, neither of these countries are any close to doing away with corruption or achieving literacy but they are faring much better than Pakistan, reason being, that there Private Sector has matured due to continuation of economic policies and complete independence of certain executive institutes.

The problem that I had with this book is that there are certain paragraphs that lines which literally have been copy pasted on other places. Repeation by teacher in a lecture is understood, but by a writer in a book, is just really bad editing. Also there are quiet a few typo mistakes I hope the revise the edition and fix them soon.

Overall a very Informative read.
13 reviews
February 12, 2022
For anyone trying to understand the lacunas in the governance structure of Pakistan, this book is a must-read.
4 reviews
June 22, 2020
Overall a good book if you want data and facts about Pakistan. The author doesnt give any out of the box insights, so if you are looking for that, it isnt the book for you. The good thing is that a person can form his own conclusions and ideas independently with the help of facts and figures given in this book. Mr. Ishrat Hussain has also busted some widespread myths regarding Pakistan with the help of reliable data (eg Pak runs on US aid, Military eats up half the budget etc). I highly recommend this book to anyone who is preparing for the CSS examination and I say this as one who has qualified this exam himself.
Profile Image for Ali Akbar Zaidi.
112 reviews4 followers
November 11, 2023

Governing the ungovernable is a milestone when it comes to sketching the past and present of Pakistan. The author gives a detailed account of history of Pakistan, how it came about, what kind of problems it inherited as a nation and how it was able to rise above the initial challenges with remarkable efficiency and resilience. One of the most remarkable features is the amount of academic research and articles that I came across in this book. This book is not just from Dr Ishrat Hussain but it is an amalgamation of decades of research on Pakistan and it barely leaves out any facet when it comes to Governance.
It is an exceptionally long book. With over 500 pages and enormous amounts of data, the traces the history of Pakistan till around 2018 with the rise of PTI and Imran Khan. The following areas are discussed in immaculate detail

1- History
2- Economy
3- Politics
4- Society
5- Local Government
6- Bureaucracy
7- Military
8- Religious element
9- Business Community
10- International context and Foreign Affairs
11- Proposals and recommendations


The central idea remains the disruption in policy making at the top. The frequent military rule and the damage to democratic powers over time. The divisiveness in society. The biradari culture and the hold of feudal legacy in all provinces of Pakistan and how it has disenfranchised the citizens for decades. The military is an efficient organization but has now become an empire made up of businesses in the form of Corporate entities which was initially just the Army welfare trust. It has now ballooned to over 10 Billion Dollar industry spread across manufacturing to airlines to real estate giants like DHA.

Another factor he points out is the downfall after the faulty policies of ZA Bhutto and the disaster of East Pakistan. According to him Pakistan never recovered from it. The nationalization of Bhutto and limiting the powers of the efficient bureaucracy ultimately stopped the progress of the 50s and 60s that brought Pakistan among the massive powers of the world. The industrial produce of Pakistan in the 60s was more than industrial produce of Malaysia, Turkey and Indonesia combined. The innovation and efficiency of the private sector was demolished with the nationalization and anti private sector and private property discouragement lead to the demise of GDP and economic prosperity later on.

The military rule of Zia and the foreign interventions such as Pakistan joining the taliban movement and the War on Terror movement lead to huge losses for Pakistan.
Dr ishrat disagrees with the fact that Pakistan economic survival has been because of foreign aid from the Americans and International organizations. Instead, he is of the view that this aid has done more damage than good. The real growth has been because of private sector growth, jobs and remittances.

The Mushraaff and Junejo reforms were a breath of fresh air but could not continue for long. The centralization of power in provincial governments and not allowing the Local Government system to flourish has lead to complete dismantling of services such as education, health, water and basic services to the masses at the citizen and community level.

The decreasing trend of talent, integrity and intelligence of the civil services and the shifting of key areas to provincial government has lead to even more inefficiency and corruption. Pakistan is now lagging in all indicators when compared to India, Bangladesh and other developing economies.

Pakistan has huge potential but the issues of governance and regressive strategies are leading to multiple crises on all fronts.

Reforms are very difficult to implement in such divided society and layered power structures. With the NFC award and the 18th amendment, the federal government is marred with trade deficit as well as a financial deficit. Without the development of instructions and grass root reforms and empowerment of citizens through local governments, there is not much hope for a better future for Pakistan.

24 reviews6 followers
September 8, 2019
Totally disappointed with this book. It ignores so many vital points about why Pakistan of1990's and then post Musharaf era, was performing poor compare to other countries in the region. The major reason was Political instability caused by Establishment, which author ignores greatly. In a country like Pakistan you can't ignore the role played by Military Establishment.This book could have achieved great things, and some of the points are very valid too, but Dr Ishrat missed 800 pound gorilla in a room. He is a a good Economist, but in case of Pakistan you can't be a good Economist unless you know how things work in the corridors of Power, (though he worked as Governor of central bank for 7 year's during Military dictatorship).
4 reviews1 follower
June 11, 2022
If you are interested about anything related to Pakistan, this book is recommended. It gives insight to the institutional decay that started from the 1990s. The author being an economist provides possible solutions to the problems Pakistan is facing.
Ishrat Hussain argues that political instability and discontinuity of policies have pulled Pakistan deeper into crisis. He says that neighbouring India and Bangladesh also faces the problem of corruption and flawed institutions but they have recorded consistent growth from the past two decades, all this was possible because of continuity of policies and stable transfer of power unlike Pakistan.
Profile Image for Zeeshan Nabi.
15 reviews
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July 26, 2024
In this book Isharat hussain briefly explain the situation of pakistan from past till now.He emphasize the politician of the pakitsan by saying that the politician of pakistan are not sincerly working for their country that why pakistan is undeveloped day by day.If you want more detail of the book visit my youtabe channel thanks.

https://youtu.be/UqupytvjLrE
Profile Image for Mudasir Hussain.
28 reviews2 followers
April 1, 2020
Just okay. The book is filled with selected stats and does not at all represents a accurate state of Pakistani institution. Instead of being research oriented, academic, unbiased and non political, the book seems to be presenting lame justification of failure of Pakistani institutions.
66 reviews
December 22, 2021
Pakistan with the passage of time has lacked behind its neighbours especially after 1990s. Author has explained the reasons and also suggested way forward that unison effort of all institutes can bring Pakistan again on the path of progress.
1 review
June 29, 2022
Fews chapters in which the author seems to have command have been articulated very well. It explains the issues in Pakistan in a very detailed manner. If you are new at learning about the problems in Pakistan; it's a good book for your learning.
Profile Image for Aurangzeb Alam.
67 reviews1 follower
March 13, 2023
Every head of Pakistani state should read it to understand and tackle chronic issues...it must be made mandatory book in our universities...Its academic approach and use of difficult words sometimes make it hard to read; but it is NOT boring and strongly recommend it
139 reviews1 follower
October 5, 2024
Pakistan with the passage of time has lacked behind its neighbours especially after 1990s. Author has explained the reasons and also suggested way forward that unison effort of all institutes can bring Pakistan again on the path of progress.
Profile Image for Anas Chandio.
6 reviews
June 26, 2025
the title reflects the impotency and flaws in the democracy of the country with thoroughly examination of intermittent military regimes and Democratic interregnum policies on economics and governance.
Profile Image for Waseem Arshad.
27 reviews14 followers
September 15, 2018
An excellent read but in the end, author did not give explicit recommendations and went vague.
Profile Image for Syed Shah.
32 reviews33 followers
December 2, 2018
Has some good relatively new data in one book for people concerned with numbers
120 reviews1 follower
April 8, 2019
A very comprehensive detail & indepth analysis of Pakistan's problems but as for the solutions no out of box solution or sugesstion has been put forward as to how & where to start afresh.
Profile Image for Mohammad Aoun.
2 reviews
July 31, 2022
Excellent commentary on how the institutional decay has resulted into the mess that Pakistan now has become. Highly recommended.
10 reviews1 follower
March 8, 2025
Great book on Pakistani Bureaucracy
Profile Image for Qasim Bin Ali.
42 reviews
November 13, 2025
This book, written by Ishrat Hussain in 2017, tries to answer what's wrong with Pakistan in the realms of economy, governance, and their interplay, and what can be done to bring about a change in a positive directions.
The writer has written a case-study, hypothesizing that better institutions of governance improve economy and governance. By carefully selecting some key institutions and carrying out systematic and wholesome reforms, better governance, delievery of public utilities, and sustaining economic turnaround can be achieved. In the end, the writer has prescribed an agenda of reforms, which if carried out to their full extent, can bring an end to miseries and stangnation of Pakistan.
Profile Image for AA .
6 reviews14 followers
September 10, 2019
This book provides a very good account for Governance Structures and Problems of Pakistan. Dr Ishrat has collected a ton of research related to multiple governance areas. This is an amazing book for CSS aspirants (especially, fo those with GPP and P. Admin optionals), and students of public policy. However it needs more pf original reserach.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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