Development and Social Change
The patterns of relationship among structure and dynamics of society, politics, and economy play a decisive role in determining the course and spatial distribution of development and social change. The consequences of this relationship on social organization in Pakistan vary significantly along the lines of gender, class, culture, ethnicity, and age. Particularly, there are phenomenal differences in the nature and pace of change between the rich and poor, urban and rural areas, and males and females. This is evident from differential access to political and economic resources, opportunities of exposure to technology and media, and human development at the individual, group, community and societal levels. The persistent problems of deteriorating law and order, terrorism, family disputes, crime, conflict, and social injustice continue to exist as symptoms as well as causes of underdevelopment and social decline.
A real dilemma of development policy and practice in Pakistan has been the lack of focus on investigating the role of sociological factors, as political and economic theories and approaches have dominated development planning and decision-making. The way social structures, values, institutions and human behavior affect, or are affected by, the development and change remains underemphasized in Pakistan. There is a dire need to integrate sociological perspectives into development research, policy and practice. This kind of research-based evidence is a pre-condition for informing the public policy in a way that it is capable to solve the persistent social problems in Pakistani society. There is a need to critically appraise the changes in social structures, institutions and values of the society in the backdrop of its pre and postcolonial history and contemporary challenges. Social transformation, ethnic tensions, sectarian violence and struggle for peace and dominance in Pakistan need to be researched in the context of a multilingual, multiracial society that is coping with the challenges of ever-changing patterns of governance and economy.
In view of the above, I-SAPS is dedicated to supporting the process of development and social change through integrating sociological perspective into research and analysis, policy advice and policy dialogues, and teaching, training and capacity building. In research and analysis, our focus rests on examining the role of social factors in development strongly rooted in theory and methodological rigor. The research-based evidence thus produced is used to provide policy advice, and to inform the decision-making processes through communication and policy dialogues.
Contact for more information
development@i-saps.org Tel: +92-51-111-739-739
Fax: +92-51-2825336