THE IMPACTS OF ELITE CAPTURE AND APATHY TOWARDS DECENTRALIZATION IN EDUCATION AND HEALTH IN BALOCHISTAN

Abstract

The study focuses on investigating elite capture as a barrier to the decentralization of powers and its impact on governance in the social sectors of education and health in Balochistan. Since there is limited work available on how elites dominate the governance structure and turn a blind eye towards the decentralization of social sectors such as education and health in Balochistan, it is pertinent to investigate how elite capture as an obstacle to decentralization complicates governance in social sectors of Education and Health in Balochistan?  The study is guided by the theory of consociational democracy, especially its aspect of consensus and accommodation among elites. The study's findings are based on primary data collected through in-depth key informant interviews, a qualitative method. The tool of thematic analysis is used to interpret data from in-depth interviews, in which various themes and patterns are identified, gathered into themes, and used to provide a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. The study findings indicate that elite capture is a barrier to decentralization of powers in the social sectors of health and education, and as a result, there are governance issues in these departments. The study highlights the importance of consensus among elites for exercising true decentralisation of powers in the province, as mentioned in the 18th amendment, to overcome the falling dimensions in the social sectors of education and health in Balochistan.

Keywords: Decentralization; Education; Elite Capture; Health; Power; Social Sector.