Exploring Citizen Initiated Contacts and the Role of Local Councilors in Problem Resolution: Evidence From Pakistan

• Published date: 01 February 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00953997231213644
• Author: Seemab Farooqi,Tom Forbes
• Date: 01 February 2024

https://doi.org/10.1177/00953997231213644

Administration & Society

2024, Vol. 56(2) 203 –224

© The Author(s) 2023

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DOI: 10.1177/00953997231213644

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Article

Exploring Citizen

Initiated Contacts

and the Role of Local

Councilors in Problem

Resolution: Evidence

From Pakistan

Seemab Farooqi1 and Tom Forbes2

Abstract

In this study we investigate Citizen Initiated Contacts (CICs) as a common

mode of political participation. CICs arise when citizens contact local

government departments for services or to make complaints. Yet,

increasingly citizens are contacting their political representatives to resolve

their issues rather than local government departments. Using a quantitative

approach based on questionnaire data collected from two city local

governments in Pakistan, we investigate this phenomenon. Our findings

reveal that knowledge and accessibility of local government departments

supplemented by perceived need juxtaposed between unresponsive and

difficult to contact local government services resulted in citizens contacting

their political representatives to resolve their issues. Policy and practical

considerations are suggested to improve the effectiveness of CICs in public

participation exercises.

Keywords

citizen-initiated contacts, local government reform, Pakistan

1University of Dundee, UK

2University of Stirling, UK

Corresponding Author:

Tom Forbes, University of Stirling, Cottrell Building, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK.

Email: t.m.forbes@stir.ac.uk

1213644AAS0010.1177/00953997231213644Administration & SocietyFarooqi and Forbes

research-article2023

204Administration & Society 56(2)

Introduction

Citizen-initiated contacts (CICs) are an important and prevalent form of civic

engagement and political participation where citizens reach out to government

representatives or agencies to request services, voice concerns, or resolve

issues (Hero, 1986; J. Thomas, 1982; Wang et al., 2021). As local governance

structures have decentralized in many developing countries, understanding

citizen outreach to local leaders rather than bureaucrats provides insights into

accountability relations and drivers of civic participation (Agresti, 1990;

Johnson et al., 2005). Yet research on CICs in developing contexts remains

limited (Wang et al., 2021). This study helps fill this gap through its quantita-

tive analysis of factors shaping whether citizens contact local councilors or

administrators in two city districts of Pakistan. The Musharraf-era local gov-

ernment reforms (2001–2009) provide the context for examining decentral-

ized services and political representation (Cheema et al., 2006).

The study is grounded in political participation theory, particularly the

civic volunteerism and parabolic model, but also incorporates recent advance-

ments in the field. The relevance of this study lies in its potential to inform

decentralization policy and participatory governance: priorities for develop-

ing countries like Pakistan. Although local government reforms were discon-

tinued in 2010, the relationships explored in this study serves as a foundation

for future decentralization efforts when local systems are reintroduced.

Understanding citizen-initiated contacts is crucial as it shapes citizen-repre-

sentative linkages and influences the effectiveness of local governance.

The CIC research in developing countries requires more attention as

prior work has focused on Western contexts (Wang et al., 2021). This study

contributes distinctive and robust evidence from Pakistan, which is a

scarcely researched setting and so advances conceptual debates. It tests

established theoretical propositions while highlighting the significant role

of bureaucratic responsiveness often overlooked in earlier models. By inte-

grating state effects into participation frameworks, this study offers insights

to inform decentralization policies for effective participatory local gover-

nance: a topic of immense scholarly and public policy importance in

reforming developing countries.

The analysis tests established theorizations around need and awareness as

drivers of participation while also assessing the role of bureaucratic respon-

siveness. The findings provide evidence on participation dynamics during a

major governance decentralization. Our results generally confirm the role of

perceived need in motivating citizen outreach but more strongly demonstrate

the influence of citizen satisfaction and accessibility in determining contact

choices. This highlights the limitations of traditional participation models,

emphasizing the need to integrate governmental impacts into the framework.