Pakistan: Importing America's Federalism?  
 

A discussion with:
Asif Memon 
US-Pakistan Program Exchange Fellow; and Associate Fellow
Sustainable Development Policy Institute 

Moderated by:
Shuja Nawaz 
Director, South Asia Center
Atlantic Council

Pakistan’s state policymaking space is in flux. Between the transition back to democracy in 2008, the devolution of a number of federal powers to the provinces in 2010, the increasing use of social media and connectivity, and a more active judiciary and civil society—the old images of slow-moving bureaucratic structure are no longer valid. However, what is replacing it is unclear. Recent populist social policy initiatives suggests that there is a growing appetite for social policy making which is visible and popular with voters. In this context, the current Pakistani administration has announced the creation of a national health insurance scheme. What level of data-based evidence is being used to both inform the policymaking and implementation process and to measure and evaluate the success of the project? The creation and implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) presents an interesting and instructive American example for the use of data and evidence in policymaking and policy analysis.  

Asif Memon will share his perspective gleaned from his work in Pakistan and his United States visit, part of the South Asia Center’s US-Pakistan Program Exchange Fellowship, to conduct research on this issue. 

DATE:           Thursday, September 25, 2014 

TIME:            9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.                 

LOCATION:   Atlantic Council 
                    1030 15th St. NW, 12th Floor
                    Washington, DC 20005

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