The 18th Amendment and development in the provinces
Erum Haider*
It is important that the 18th Amendment has been welcomed by the provinces as an opportunity to move away from blanket development projects and negotiate for more tailored and custom-fit livelihood opportunities. The 7th NFC is not exclusively a population based formula, it is a poverty based formula and at the end of the day even if provincial budgets have not received significant increase, their ability to control budgetary allocations has. If additional resources have been given based on backwardness and poverty then it is likely that the provinces will be encouraged to use these to meet their specific needs. A significant gain through this process has been the flexibility that the provinces can use to expand their influence and exercise genuine autonomy in achieving their social and economic goals.
The 18th Amendment has had varying degrees of impact on administrative functions at the central, provincial and sub-national level. Additionally, through the NFC Award certain financial responsibilities and privileges have been given to the provinces. Finally, the legal impact of the Amendment remains relatively unexplored, including the burden of understanding and interpreting the new legislation itself. The second legal aspect is, of course, the subjects that are now in provincial ambit to legislate on. This paper will discuss the administrative, legal and financial implications of the Amendment, mapping out the likely outcomes of the 18th Amendment in the immediate, medium and long term.
* Erum Haider is working as Research Associate with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad, Pakistan