The Centre for Public Policy and Governance (CPPG) at FCCU was established in 2007 to nurture a new generation of Pakistani scholars and policy analysts. The CPPG has significant accomplishments in research, teaching, training, and advocacy in governance, civil service reform, demography, urban policy, citizens engagement, youth, electoral democracy, sustainable development, conflict resolution, and peace building to mention a few. Our three-pronged approach includes:
1) As an academic institution, impart quality education based on an innovative curriculum designed with domestic needs in mind.
2) As a policy think tank, conduct applied and evidence-based research to inform the policy process. In addition, organize academic conferences, policy dialogues, seminars, and workshops.
3) As a training institute, devise and conduct short-term, skill-oriented trainings for public sector development professionals and academia.
CPPG’s core team includes experienced academics with a collective experience of over 120 years spanning a wide range of expertise in governance, history, sustainable development, civil-military relations, and informal economy. They represent diverse backgrounds in terms of their international and national academic and professional experiences including USA, UK, and Germany.
Through research, policy dialogues, seminars, international conferences, and short-term trainings, CPPG has emerged and is increasingly recognized as the university face of FCCU. It has established a Resource Centre, which has digital facilities and a library with a special focus on public policy, which has various resource archives, study spaces, and office facilities for faculty and students. It is also open to academics, researchers, policy analysts, government functionaries, and interested citizens. CPPG’s aspirations are rooted in FCCU’s strong education heritage spanning longer than 150 years. Luminaries including Sir Shadi Laal, the first Indian to become Chief Justice of a High Court, and Sir Abdul Rasheed, the first Chief Justice of Independent Pakistan are FCCU alumni. FCCU has also produced two prime ministers of India, three prime ministers, and two presidents of Pakistan. Amongst other distinguished alumni. Prof Compton conducted his Noble Prize-winning research at this college. The University also holds the distinction of being the first college in Punjab to admit women in 1902.
The Centre continues to encourage and promote a culture of research that feeds into policy processes at the local, provincial, and federal levels of government. Its objectives include raising awareness of socio-economic and political issues that impact the sustainable development of Pakistan. Our effort is to expand the listening capacity of decision-makers to achieve tangible results for improved governance, data-driven policy making, and effective delivery of services to citizens. As a result, the CPPG has established a diverse and effective network of local policy stakeholders that includes public sector officials, bureaucrats, academic institutions, members of civil society organizations, and NGOs. Similarly, the CPPG’s international network includes experts from a variety of academic disciplines, diplomats, and international development practitioners. A range of collaborative projects has resulted from these interactions, allowing CPPG to be in direct conversation with international and Pakistani decision-makers. Recent local collaborators include organizations such as the Civil Services Academy-Pakistan Administrative Service, The Urban Unit, Social Welfare Department, Punjab Planning and Development Board, WWF Pakistan, USAID, Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change, Punjab SDG Unit, US Consulate General in Lahore, and the Embassy of France to name a few. Internationally, CPPG has collaborated with organizations such as: the Global Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the University of Pennsylvania, Observer Research Foundation, United States Institute of Peace (USIP), and scholars from internationally renowned universities such as Oxford University UK, Nottingham University UK, Sciences Po France, Arizona State University, amongst others.
Additionally, CPPG has a successful history of winning project funding and research grants and is frequently invited to provide consulting expertise on different development programs. It has enabled the Centre to make a marked difference in strengthening the link between academia and decision-makers. Some of these projects and grants include but are not limited to: training of PAS officers at the Civil Services Academy, Institutional Assessment of the Social Welfare Department USAID Small Projects Grant, Thesis Research Grants for MPhil students from USIP, research and consultation grant by the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) for Consultations and Research on Local Governance in Punjab, Research Grant by the United Nations Population Fund.
This unique amalgam of academia and think tank functions sets CPPG apart from other institutions, giving students a novel chance to integrate their academic studies with exposure to real-life governance activities. In addition to their curriculum, which is designed to include the latest relevant research and literature, students are given a chance to interact firsthand with stakeholders in the field of public policy. Our seminar and policy dialogue events are strategically designed to facilitate students’ accessibility to those in decision-making positions: events are followed by Question & Answer sessions and networking receptions which are given ample opportunity for discussion and career development. These also help build confidence among students as they are motivated to ask questions and engage the speakers in a conversation. Furthermore, the Student’s Quarterly Magazine allows students to publish their articles and gain editorial experience. Lastly, CPPG students have unmatched dedicated research facilities, including a computer laboratory, library, student lounge, and workspaces, in addition to other FCCU facilities.
Founding Director, Dr. Saeed Shafqat (the PhD University of Pennsylvania, MA University of Punjab) is a celebrated social scientist, acknowledged by the government of Pakistan and internationally. He has been awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (2018) in recognition of his services as an Eminent Social Scientist in the field of education, research, and teaching, conferred by the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. In 2019 he was honored with the Chevalier des Palmed Académiques by the French Embassy in Pakistan for his significant efforts in promoting educational exchanges between Pakistan and France. He has been Quaid-e-Azam Distinguished Professor and Chair (March 2001 – May 2005), Pakistan Center at the School of International Affairs and Public Policy (SIPA), Columbia University, and continued to be an Adjunct Professor at SIPA until 2010. For Spring 2012, he was Visiting Professor of South Asian Studies, at the College of Wooster, Ohio. Moreover, Dr. Shafqat has been Chief Instructor, Pakistan Civil Services Academy, Walton, Lahore. He has the distinction of training over 1,500 civil servants and is a regular guest speaker at the National Defense College (now NDU) Islamabad and National Management College (NMC), Lahore. He is also a member Board of Governors National Management College (NMC).
The best part about studying at the CPPG is that it offers a professional culture of openness and respect for new ideas and invites critical thinking that expands the dimensions of conventional academic methods and research. It is a unique environment for young scholars and professionals wishing to make a mark in the field.
Our academic programs encourage students to learn from each other’s experiences, as theoretical aspects of public policy are deliberated based on real-life case studies in policy formulation and implementation.
