Role of Domestic NGOs in Policy Transfer and Policy Diffusion: Case Study of PO 2002 in Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is a fragile democracy repeatedly facing problems in the design and implementation of police reforms. The scholarship on public policy highlights the role of non-state actors like NGOs in improving policies, especially through policy transfer and diffusion. In 2002, Pakistan designed a police reform, PO 2002, through collaborative methods, and implemented it nationwide for a short time. Using process tracing within case study and interviews with key informants, this article evaluates the role of domestic NGOs in the design, implementation and change of PO 2002, with special focus on policy transfer and policy diffusion. The evidence collected showed that in 2000, the nascent NGOs lacked expert knowledge to make any contribution to policy transfer. Later, their absence from the implementation phase and faulty methods blinded them from unveiling the critical policy lessons and impeded their ability to play any credible role in future policy diffusion.