Candles in the Dark

This book explains how some entities can survive and flourish in an institutional environment that is both fragile and hostile. Despite daunting odds, some institutions have managed to succeed and effectively deliver core services, earn legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, and forge resilience in the face of an otherwise tumultuous and prohibitive operational context. Nine Pakistani institutions from the public and private sectors, generally regarded as successful, have been selected for this research. These include the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Motorway Police, Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Punjab Education Foundation, Edhi Foundation, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, and Rescue 1122.

The study’s research results are based mostly on semi-structured interviews with members of the selected institutions including leaders, staff, and clients. In addition to the interviews, and where possible, a qualitative assessment has been made of how the organizational performances are perceived by key stakeholders and the general public.

‘A breath of fresh air from the gloom and doom scenarios about Pakistan's economy and institutions’.

Dr Kemal Dervis,
Vice President of Brookings Institution
and former head of the United Nations Development Program.

‘An engaging read…this book should be a welcome addition to the literature on organizational success and institutional reform’.

Dr M. Ali Khan,
Abram Hutzler Professor of Political Economy, Johns Hopkins University.

‘This book complements the limited literature on pockets of success in otherwise gloomy institutional environments’.

Dr Ishrat Husain, Dean and Director of IBA
and former Governor, State Bank of Pakistan.