Military, Civil Society and Democratization in Pakistan

by S Akbar Zaidi

Publication Date: 2011

Extent: 218 pages

The Book:

Using a political economy framework, this book examines issues related to the process of democratization, decentralisation, governance and civil society in Pakistan, in an historical and contemporary context. The book highlights social and structural transitions and transformations in economy and society, and shows how the emergence of new socio-economic groups and classes often come up against older and more established structures and institutions, resulting in conflict, contradiction and compromise. It provides a broad historical perspective of such developments, especially during the regime of General Pervez Musharraf (1999-2008). As such it is amongst the few serious evaluations of the political economy of the Musharraf years. A theme which recurs in many of the chapters relates to why there is prolonged military rule in Pakistan and why democracy has been unable to find its footings in Pakistan. An examination of the political process of 2007 leading up to the 2008 general elections and an examination of the role of political actors and of civil society forms an important core theme in this collection.

Military, Civil Society and Democratization in Pakistan will interest a wide and diverse set of readers. Those interested in the economic, social and structural transformation of Pakistan’s society will find this book useful in understanding such trends and developments. Those who want to examine more typical and mainstream forms of democratization in a different, more dynamic, framework, looking at processes and how they unfold, will also benefit from this book.

The Author:

S Akbar Zaidi is one of Pakistan’s best known and most prolific political economists. He also has great interest in themes of development and governance, in the social sciences generally but also increasingly in history. He has written over sixty academic articles in international journals and as chapters in books, as well as numerous books and monographs. Military, Civil Society and Democratization in Pakistan is his third book to be published by Vanguard. His recent books include The New Development Paradigm: Papers on Institutions, NGOs, Gender and Local Government (1999), Pakistan’s Economic and Social Development: The Domestic, Regional and Global Context (2004), and Issues in Pakistan’s Economy (2005). He has taught at Karachi University and at Johns Hopkins University as a Visiting Professor. He lives and works in Karachi.