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There are considerable disparities between the status of men and women in Pakistan. In Global Gender Gap Report 2014, Pakistan is ranked at 141 among 142 countries of the world and the overall gender gap calculated is 44.78%. Pakistan occupies the last place in the regional ranking of gender gap. In order to reduce this gap, empower women and reduce poverty, the government of Pakistan has adopted various social, economic, legal and political strategies and policies. The reservation of 33% seats for women at union council (village level), tehsil council (sub-district level) and district council level under the new local government plan (devolution plan) in 2000 is one of the strategies adopted for empowerment of women. This created a critical mass of 39,964 women councilors in Pakistan. In order to assess the effectiveness and impact of women councilors for women's empowerment, a study was conducted in two selected districts of Pakistan, i.e. Abbottabad (Kyber Pakhtunkhwa Province) and Attock (Punjab Province). Primary data were collected from 54 women councilors of both the districts. The result shows that participation of women councilors in local government remained good. Hence, the economic effect was quite surprising. However, no separate funds/schemes were initiated for women. Their influence over changing polices remained weak. The women councilors in the new local government system increased awareness and coordination among women. However, they were unable to reduce violence and awaken other women regarding their rights. Key Words: Devolution Plan, Gender Discrimination, Local Government, Pakistan, Women's Empowerment, Women's Participation, Introduction The overall development of a country depends upon the maximum utilization of human resources including both men and women. The constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan gives equal [...]

The concept of people's participation in development is well defined but its meaning is different to different development organizations and social scientists. The objective of the paper is to unpack the concept of participation by looking at its various aspects including types, forms and stages. The paper focuses on research questions such as what kinds of participation are used worldwide with special reference to Pakistan; how the importance of people's participation is realized and incorporated in development projects worldwide and more so in Pakistan. The paper provides the rationale for conceptual understanding of participatory approach and enables to deepen the knowledge about participatory approach for development. Thus, this paper contributes to the existing theory in terms of exploring the conceptual understanding of participation, realizing the importance of participation in development. The paper is descriptive in nature, based on secondary materials (research papers and various project documents), case studies and examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is a key factor for the growth of human capital. Human capital is directly related to economic growth and development of a country. This paper looks at the economic returns and cost to different fields of study in Pakistan. To assess the return to education, two main degree programs-master's and professional bachelor's-are taken into account. Benefits to the individual have been calculated using the government pay scale. Household income data and individual expenditure have been used for calculating per capita educational expenditure. This data has been derived from Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement Survey (2004-05). The data is analyzed using Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). The result reveals that the rate of return calculated for master's's degree is 26.52% which is comparatively more than professional bachelor's degree as it is calculated as 23.83%. The results presented in this study are important to government, academic, and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]