SPDC undertakes independent and joint research with governments, donors, academia and civil society organizations within and outside Pakistan. This is undertaken in areas of poverty alleviation, equity, devolution, gender, health, and education. This is both proactive and in response to requests by governments, donors, academia and civil society organizations thus strengthening the capacity of SPDC itself and the governments, donors, academia and civil society to contribute to a better understanding of issues related to governance and social development in the country.
Each year the technical units ascertain key areas and topics for research keeping in view the national and international situation/events, the SPDC mandate, and the available technical skills and expertise within SPDC.
SPDC has over the years been able to create niches for itself, which are today considered to be its unique hallmarks. SPDC has created an area of expertise in social sector/macro-economic modelling by developing the integrated economic/social sector planning model. It is based on consistent national level data from 1973 onwards, and consists of 265 equations. The Integrated Social Policy and Macroeconomic Model (ISPMM), was considered to be a pioneer effort by the international community of economic modellers at the Project Link Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1996 and by the UN's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The ISPMM has been used by the Central Board of Revenue (CBR), Planning Commission, the Economic Advisory Board and the Debt Reduction and Management Committee in the preparation of plans and policies. It has also been used for the Medium Term Macroeconomic Framework, which was used for negotiations with the IMF, and to define the Macroeconomic Framework for Debt Management.
A large number of research output has been published on social sector issues and the number is still increasing. Since 1995, SPDC has published over 532 publications including 2 Books, 5 Annual Reviews, 55 Research Reports, 23 Policy Papers, 51 Conference Papers and 3 Database Reports. The other publications consist of chapters in books published nationally or internationally, articles in professional refereed journals and also in newspapers and news magazines. The latter articles help disseminate the results of our research and analyses on issues of topical interest. SPDC also disseminates its major research output through conferences, seminars, workshops, and the electronic media. In addition to this, there have also been public debates between SPDC and government functionaries at the highest level. Continuous efforts are made to broaden dissemination and improve targeting of research outputs through a variety of channels. For the professionals and practitioners in social sectors, this is undertaken through research reports, policy papers and papers presented by staff at national and international conferences and seminars. Senior members of the staff participate in discussions on the electronic and print media. SPDC hosts seminars at which leading professionals and practitioners discuss social sector issues and their solutions. To facilitate better understanding, the research produced at SPDC is specifically customized for CSOs, media, donors, and political parties, in accordance with their needs, and understanding.
Since 1998, SPDC has produced a theme bound Social Sector Annual Review which has served to analyze the issues and trends in social indicators, provide inputs to social sector expenditure planning, highlight areas for future study, and raise awareness of current social and economic development issues in both the public and private sectors. The Review defines the parameters of the research agenda for the year. Other than the maiden issue in 1998, each review is theme bound and contains a statistical appendix of social indicators. The first was a review of the fifty years of Pakistan. The second in 1999, titled “Social Development in Economic Crisis”, analysed the implications of the economic crisis on the social sector in Pakistan, and suggested remedies and provided answers to some of the major concerns facing Pakistan in the aftermath of sanctions imposed on account of the nuclear tests in May 1998. The third review in 2000, “Towards Poverty Reduction” prescribed a policy matrix to reduce the impact of poverty, and has been largely incorporated in the Government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. The fourth review in 2001, “Growth, Inequality, and Poverty”, was an attempt to present an independent and objective assessment of the process of unequal development in Pakistan. The Annual Review of Social Development in Pakistan 2002-03 focused on Education. The analysis presented in the Review is expected to increase knowledge and awareness of Government and civil society on basic policy issues related to education in Pakistan, and become a major focus of public debate with a fresh perspective on education in the country.
These reviews have been acclaimed as authoritative documents and have been cited by the Governments in Pakistan, the academic communities, by the private sector and NGOs in Pakistan, and the international donor community.
To integrate the gender perspective in SPDC research, a gender research program based on existing SPDC strengths, particularly in the area of public finance, has been developed and operationalized. This will help, support and strengthen the institutional capacity of the government, NGOs and other organizations for gender mainstreaming with special reference to Gender Responsive Budgeting and compilation of gender disaggregated data.
A landmark achievement for SPDC was the provision of technical assistance to the Government of Eritrea, under which SPDC researchers assisted the Eritrean National Statistics Office in Asmara, Eritrea in preparing a Household Income and Expenditure database, followed by the preparation of a Poverty Profile and Poverty Reduction Strategy, and, subsequently, of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.
The Pakistan Nonprofit Sector Study undertaken by SPDC in technical collaboration with the Centre for Civil Society, Johns Hopkins University, USA, and supported by the Aga Khan Foundation (Pakistan) is a part of an international study spanning over forty countries. It was an effort to systematically analyse the scope, structure, financing and role of the private non-profit sector. This has led to a significantly improved understanding of the Nonprofit Sector by government as well as the civil society. |
