ABSTRACT
Currently, in Afghanistan, almost 99% of everything is being controlled by the government, and that could be the one reason that lots of things mess up. The reason that I chose this topic is to find ways to be able to start the culture of privatization in my country. Where to start from and have to implement this and more importantly how to convince the government to count on private sectors. My main research objectives are to; bring positive changes in our economic system, to give space to private sectors to use the latest methods, to pave way for real democratic governmental structure, which let the public be involved in government. What I am planning to do is to do my literature review and along with that, distribute questionnaire, mentioning all these problems to collect the replies of public and then will have my comments as result.
The problem brought about by everything being controlled by the government is massive. The government should focus on making the country more attractive to investors by providing a stable environment. They should be the guys providing stability to the region which attracts people who know how to do business. The government knows how to govern only and should focus on that. When they control virtually everything in Afghanistan they give loopholes from which a lot of public funds can be swindled through corruption. Also these vice discourages the act of democracy which hinders the growth of a nation. The private sector in a country acts a price control between themselves such as the competition makes prices cheaper and more affordable to the people of Afghanistan.
My choice of topic is aimed at giving the Afghanistan government an insight into what they will benefit if they choose to allow some sectors to be managed by the private organization. These benefits will impact positively to the people of Afghanistan and also the government will reap some benefits. The period of one power controlling everything is a country is long past and my country should not be left behind in embracing the new way of doing things like how other major economies are doing in the World. The leadership of Afghanistan should give a chance to the people of the nation to invest in businesses and employ themselves while also providing employment to others in the society.
INTRODUCTION
Privatization of public sectors in Afghanistan is a move which has been received well within and also outside of Afghanistan. It has been a topic of wide discussion since the Afghan Interim Government took power. Aside from the backing it us from donors and the potential increase in the inflow of investors from within the world it faces some problems based on the turmoil the region has faced in the near past. Privatization will solve a lot of issues which is facing the modern day Afghanistan which is far from the glory used to be associated with the region. Privatization of public property involves transferring of state-owned assets to individuals or companies following the laid down procedures so as to remove any doubt and also it is good for the cohesion of the nation as a whole.
Afghan society is made up of different tribes hence the process of privatization should be equal, fair and transparent. The country can not afford to go back again hence the process should involve every individual or company who have a claim to the public property being privatized. Privatization will also be able to lift a huge burden from the government such as huge wage bills incurred. The government aims at having only the task of governing the country which has always been impossible in the near past. A good and safe environment will boost trade and make it possible to bring sanity forever in a country which has been ravaged by war for a long period of time. These process will hugely impact the mining sector which will attract billions of Usd from potential investors. In the process, a lot of Afghan youths will get a well-paying job instead of killing each other and make the country ungovernable. These will bring tonnes of monies to the government through the process of taxation and other levies. Having reputable companies working in Afghan will trickle down to the citizens and also the neighbors. Giving Afghan a positive image which has been lacking for years which is required for the country to progress forward. The banking sector is bound to benefit from these movements and also the move of privatization of the banking sector in Afghanistan such as the New Kabul Bank.
The public sector was bound to have a high level of corruption because the employees taking care of the business aspect of the sector are sure of receiving payment at the end of the month. The employees will do a bad job and also inflate prices and other procurement procedures with an aim of enriching themselves at the cost of the citizens. The private business organization has a strict code of conduct and procurement procedures making it impossible for the organization to lose money. Poor service delivery also goes hand to hand with public sector which is evidently visible in every government-owned property offering service at a fee or free of charge. Privatization of public sector is a step forward towards growing the economy of Afghanistan and moving out of depending on donor funding to run the government operations. It is an idea which is implemented in the right way it will save the government from running bankrupt. The The The United States is looking to privatizing the war against terrorism in Afghanistan when these are implemented the donor funding to the government will reduce making the government more under pressure to be self-sufficient. The assets are worth billions of dollars which if it should privatize the government will be able to collect the huge tax which can help run the country with an aim of making it safe to be another tourist paradise and also investors paradise.
Research problem and its importance
My research problem is the widespread of privatization of public sector because of the several problems such as corruption which is evident in the public sector. Under the public sector, millions of funds were lost through corruption a good case study is what happens in The Kabul Bank where 900 million US Dollars was lost. Having a good look into these problem helps me to see the source of the problem in the public sector which can be solved by privatizing of some public sector. Leaving the government of Afghanistan with one duty of keeping everything in order so as that the country can move forward. The importance of my research is that it will help the people and also the government of Afghanistan identify the source of the problem and also give them a solution to the problem. Privatization is the way to go its where the whole world is or leading to because private organization encourages peace because it is good for business and that is what the Afghanistan people and government need.
The importance of my research paper is opening the eyes of Afghanistan with an aim of making them better understand the phenomenon of privatization. The process will help in opening up Afghanistan for more possibility which will improve the income to the nation which will be transferred directly to the pockets of the citizens through employment and also better service delivery such as better health care and road network. For a country which has been in a state of war for more than 20 years, these will bring hope to the nation which was on its death bed. My research paper is dedicated to helping the nation and the people to realize that privatization will help the nation which is very rich as per the mineral deposits which has not been mined due to war in the country.
Research Motivation
My motivation towards the topic is brought about by the suffering which people in Afghanistan have gone through because of the lack of proper services. The country has been faced with turmoil and a state of instability for a long period now. The government-controlled sectors lack the merit of giving citizens proper service and also it has been faced with major corruption scandals. My aim is bringing these to an end and encouraging the people of Afghanistan that privatization is for their own good. I have also been motivated by how privatizations as helped many countries achieve their dreams such as China after the effects brought by communists. These process as helped nations development and improve citizens living standards and have helped countries to become more stable due to the end of conflicts. Afghanistan should embrace privatization with both hands and make it work because it is good for the growth and development of the nation as a whole.
The sight of developed nations because of the aspect of privatization is my motivation too, I want to see a new rich Afghanistan with a good image. The image which portrays our country as a country which lacks stability and host nation for terrorist needs to change. In that place, a rich developing nation which attracts tourists and also investors to fly to Afghanistan needs to be established. Because we need to leave a better country than the one we inherited which it is possible by privatizing the public sector in the right way. Our country is a rich country unfortunately many parts were left in ruins after the war. Also, the tribes of the nation need to be willing to work together to achieve a better nation than the current state. Some nations are very poor in terms of natural resources but are ahead of our nations because of the existence of goodwill among them to work together which lacks in Afghanistan. I am also motivated in living in a nation which service is easily available and it is also affordable so that our sick people won't have problems accessing a health facility. Also, privatization will help in the fight against corruption
which has always been a torn in the flesh of the public controlled sector.
Research Objectives and Questions
The research which I will be doing is all related to the benefits of privatization in public sectors because due to the corrupt and old system of government many things got damaged. The main thing that is being focused here is how to improve the quality of overall services being provided to the public. Schools and other higher educations centers to get the maximum support and provide the latest material with new methods to get everyone in education. Below are the five main objectives, which I think will be achieved once I am done with my research.
1. To review the literature on privatization in developing economies
2. To explore how privatization could promote economic development, growth and quality improvements
3. To identify the main challenges in the privatization process in Afghanistan
4. To identify the key opportunities that privatization can bring to Afghanistan
5. To suggest ways in which privatization can be handled in the most effective way in Afghanistan.
Research Questions
Will privatization help in curbing corruption?
What benefits will people of Afghanistan get through privatization?
Is it good for the stability of the nation?
How will the process help the government?
Will the process help improve revenue for the government?
Research Methodology
I will use a quantitative approach in investigating the phenomenon I will analyze written materials about how privatization helped other nations forge forward. Because the process of privatization has been proven I will look for facts which analyze how the process was a success in other countries. I will also design a questionnaire which will be used to collect information from the public. These will be done in personal level which will bring information about how individuals fell about the whole procedure. Because it is anonymous so the people will communicate freely without fear of anything. These will help in getting the raw data about how the citizens take these process without being held liable by anyone.
Research Contributions
LITERATURE REVIEW
According to Mohammad Sabir Sidiqee in his article “is Privatization of New Kabul Bank an Ultimate Solution?” they are many factors to be taken into considerations before privatizing public sectors. This is brought about by factors which goes hand in hand with the process which will include some advantages and also disadvantages before going ahead with the procedure. The shareholders should do an analysis of the effects which will result from the process. Kabul Bank was one of the major private company with headquarters in Kabul and branches across the country. It offered transaction services to the common citizen of Afghanistan. It offered services in Afghani currency, euros and US dollars, it served the private citizens and also public servants such as teachers and also individuals serving in security which include the military and police. They offered three kinds of accounts namely current account, savings account, and deposit accounts. They also offered an easy way of access of the money by the customers such as the Automatic Teller Machines (ATM). These machines were scattered around the nation serving more customers and making it easy for them to get their money. The bank was under the full supervision of the Central Bank of Afghanistan but changed after it changed its name to be The New Kabul Bank Mohammad Sabir Sidiqee. (2016).
The worst news in the banking sector of near collapse of Kabul Bank in 2010 caused individuals to do panic withdrawal making the amount withdrawn to be equal to be half the amount deposited. The collapse of the bank was due to the high level of corruption and also fraud which was being done in the bank. The collapse of the Kabul Bank has been attributed to the weak and corrupt Da Afghanistan Bank which is the central bank of Afghanistan. They governors were political aligned hence they could not steer the banking sector in the right direction. They failed in providing regulations and leadership to the Kabul Bank which resulted in the collapse. The departments responsible for quality failed to put checks on the Kabul Bank and also their shareholders the reason for that laxity is unknown which caused the bank to collapse. Kabul Bank was taken over by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in the year 2010 after the loss of 900 million US dollars over fraud. This loss of millions caused the International Monetary Funds to halt their million loans to the Afghanistan government. The matter was revisited when Mohammed Ghani was the president of the National Unity Government which resulted in the people involve in the corruption to lose everything and also be jailed. These open an atmosphere of goodwill between the government and its citizens which is good for the nation Mohammad Sabir Sidiqee. (2016).
Private organizations engage in a business with an objective of making money, they do not engage in business for social interests as compared to how the government does business. Privatization of Kabul Bank to The New Kabul Bank a private banking company will result in many people losing their jobs through resigning or being fired. These will be brought about by the high level of pressure to perform which is brought about by the private company. The employees were used to handle their work without pressure and also the organization can have policies which will require non-performing employees to be fired. There are many other disadvantages which will be brought about by the process of privatization also there are some advantages too. The organization will be free from political pressure which will result in the atmosphere which is good for making business decisions which will result into profitability and also welcome investors to the country. This move will also reduce procedures which made the initial Kabul Bank inefficient. This move will help in providing citizens faith in the banking sector which will also involve rapid customer support in providing service, Mohammad Sabir Sidiqee. (2016).
According to Saul Estrin in his publication “Privatisation in Developing Countries: What Are the Lessons of Recent Experience?” he takes a look about how privatization has helped nations achieve widespread growth. Privatization is also attributed to the wide distribution of resources making it possible for every part of the nation to be evenly developed. As per the article, there was a lack of issues which has come up recently due to privatization because the articles which highlight this topic was written two or one decade ago and they are mainly about developing economies. There is a point of interest which will determine if privatization goes through or not the point includes the process of regulation of the process. The main aim of the government in the process of privatization is to get the firms to earn more profit and also to reduce government intervention. The government only has the power to regulate and also encourage competition by regulating firms which operate in a monopoly market which is not good for economic development. Western Europe led in terms of privatization in the 1980s many upcoming nations took it as an example of what can be realized if the process is undertaken, Saul Estrin. (2016).
Many nations started privatizing in Africa from 1980s to 1990s it was achieved through pressure from external bodies and also the positive aspects which have been realized from privatization. Some countries were first skeptical that it will result in problems in what I term the fears of the unknown which can be related to what is happening in Afghanistan. These countries who were late in privatization in Africa include Tanzania and Zambia but they eventually privatized after observing the positive effects of the process and they did not want their country to be left. Some countries avoid privatization because the governments are afraid of leaving huge power to be controlled by private citizens. This is a problem which can be brought about by too much power falling into wrong hands which might result in a war. Privatization in South Asia has been rare which can be attributed with the conservant nature of people from those regions. In the 2000s the very limited amount of nations have undergone a privatization. India has had positive impacts on its revenue which was brought about due to privatization Saul Estrin. (2016).
Privatization has been linked with firm performance and also witness of efficiency improvement. The process has yielded positive results not only on monetary terms as shown by Saul Estrin. Sometimes success depends on the owner of the new firm which has been privatized because he/she or they are responsible for making decisions and also running the business on a day to day activities. Whether the privatization is partial or complete the level of success varies and depends on how the business is managed. Also, the government regulatory authority should be taken into consideration because they have a major impact on the business. Such as developing a business encouraging an environment which will either promote a business or it will make it impossible to do business such as failure to maintain law and order, Saul Estrin. (2016).
Many ways have been used to evaluate the performance of privatization. To check if it is working well as required. Methods are such as return on equity, changes in income and costs, labor productivity, output growth and many others. They are problems which are associated with the evaluation of privatization which involves missing data making it impossible to properly evaluate the issue. Which can result in the wrong result obtained but they are many ways to analyze the result of privatization such as observing the amount deposited and
withdrawn daily. And also looking at the employment rate which will be high because many businesses will be started because the market is a free market. Another way of analyzing the effects of privatization is by directly comparing two companies one controlled by the government and the other one is owned by a private company. The one controlled by government will always result in losses which can be attributed by lazy employees and also a high rate of corruption and general lack of efficiency as compared to a privately owned company which has policies in place to ensure the company makes profit failure to do so the employees who are responsible will face consequences. Making the privately owned company perform better and offer a great quality of service as compared to the government-owned company. There are many techniques to measure which model works better but the privately owned company always comes first compared to government-controlled firms. Which is the hotbed for corruption, inefficiency and also the place where government waste money in funding its operations, Saul Estrin(2016).
According to a study done between 1984 and 1997 about telecommunication industries in developing nations which comprised of countries from Africa and Latin America. According to the research competition mainly relied on the area covered by the network and also on the costs which they charged. Privatization was found to increase performance when the regulation was coupled with effectiveness to come up with a competitive way of doing business which resulted in the customers having options to choose from. Privatization of telecommunication is widespread in most of the developing nations which can be attributed to the competition which is in that sector, Saul Estrin. (2016).
Privatization of utilities such as water providing company has been researched in companies based in Pacific and Asian countries. It was established that efficiency was not significantly different between a privately owned company and public controlled company. Another study was performed in 13 different nations and 14 different water providing companies. Questionnaires were used to collect the information upon review there was no major difference between privately controlled companies and their counterparts which were government controlled. There was no major difference in the two sectors providing water utilities which can be attributed to weak regulations, cost of production and also the technology used to provide these water utilities. The nature of the product hinders competitions hence affects the efficiency. Other factors are the bidding procedures which should be made more open and also transparent which can improve service providing in this field Saul Estrin. (2016).
Another area which has been studied is an area of privatization of electricity generation. Which is a major area of concern so that the economy can grow spontaneously. Generating capacity is the potential of a region or company to develop and produce electricity in another area which is critical to electricity privatization. 36 developing nations was used to do these study which is vital to our topic. They investigated the electricity generated which can be measured and be planned for to be used for other functions. Also, they took into consideration labor productivity which is vital in accessing if the process of electricity privatization is profitable. This area is very critical to the development and should be well investigated. Because if it is not profitable and it is a privately controlled it will cause it to close down due to a high cost of production. Or they can increase the cost of electricity to consumers which will affect the rate of development in the nation. The government should put up strong regulations if they choose to have this sector privatized because of the risks involved Saul Estrin. (2016).
According to the author of the article, the process of privatization should not affect the wealth distribution, wealth accumulation or the process of development. These are public resources which are to be privatized but should continue offering services in the intended regions it should not bring regional imbalance which is not good for the stability of the country. It should provide profits to the new owners without bringing any major problems with wealth distributions. There are some regions which failed to follow the above principles which resulted in shifting of wealth balances. Such countries are Russia and Republic of Czech which had the public assets transferred to an individual with zero nominal returns. Which can bring consequences and also a shift of wealth which can not be good for the stability of the nation? State assets as always been undervalued which is a problem which can also shift that wealth distribution balance. These assets when sold to private citizens or companies they can produce more than their value which has been witnessed in many instances. There are instances where these state properties have been transferred directly to citizens from that particular area at a zero nominal fee. There are aspects where politics play a central role in these process. Where politicians use their influence to get more properties which result in a shift of wealth balance. Corruption which is brought about by the might in the society has been the undoing of a perfect privatization process. Their greed has made these processes fail in some states making the country poor and enriching themselves and their kids. There is an example of privatization of telecommunication in Mexico which resulted in Carlos Slim enriching himself and making millions of dollars in that process Saul Estrin. (2016).
The aspect of ownership in the process of privatization has brought a lot of issues. This is because of the corruption and under-hand deals used which results in the unfair process. There have been instances where the values of the assets were valued at a very low amount compared to the actual price of the asset. These happened in the Czech Republic and Russie where some people were given an opportunity to control the state because of the process which made them have ownership of major assets. The process was not transparent which caused internal dealings from people given the mandate of distributing the assets making it not evenly distributed as it was required. Also, employment suffered according to the author Saul where the process of privatization can cause the existing income to shift in distribution which can affect the rate of employment and also employment pattern. Also, there is a possibility that if the privatization process inefficient the employment rate might be recovered through the phase. A study conducted for over 20 years in privatization in India brought positive result where the rate of employment increase and also the process does not affect pension offered to retirees. The process of wealth redistribution analysis should also take into consideration government-controlled firms which receive subsidies from the government that aspect should also be brought into the book so as to provide conclusive findings, Saul Estrin. (2016).
The process of privatization has effects to access to services and prices as per the author. Privatization can lead to falling in prices if there is an increase in competition. Which benefits the consumers and also the organizations because there will be an increase in consumption which will trickle down to the government through taxation. There may be instances where prices may increase due to the cost recovery issue which will force consumers to spend more to acquire the goods and services. There will be an increased access to the goods and services if the private organization is expanding in new branches. Which can be attributed to more money being spent with an aim of having a huge market share. Price increases are always accompanying telecommunication sector. But it comes with an improved service package which covers a huge geographical location. Government subsidies have been found to benefit the rich more than the poor in the society which is unfortunate. The utility such as privatization of water has been found to increase prices which puts additional expenses to the consumers. But on the bright side, the service has been found to expand to serve more people as compared to government-controlled entities. The people who have benefited from this move are those who live in rural places who had no access to such a service which has helped in developing the agriculture sector and other sectors which require water in large amounts. When there is an increase in access to the service and the prices remain the same there is what is referred to as positive redistribution of services Saul Estrin. (2016).
There are also fiscal effects which have been realized because of the process of privatization. Which trickles down and earned as revenue through government projects and also taxation from the privatized sectors of the economy. The increase in income is easy to monitor because it is a fixed amount compared to the initial process where revenue lost because of corrupt public servants who operated the government-controlled ventures. These will help in reducing the household tax burden. Public subsidies are removed due to privatization which benefits the taxpayers who had no access to the services and at the same time reducing surplus goods or services if there are an increase in price. Developing nations face very many regulations which arise due to privatization the government is trying to make sure that the goods or services offered to its people is okay to be used and it will not result in complications. There are many bodies which have been established to help in the regulation process where samples and abrupt raids done to ensure compliance
Saul Estrin. (2016).
Also, the government offers subsidies to sectors which are the heartbeat of the economy to avoid the nations from collapsing economically. There as also been instances where there are regional-wide regulations or worldwide regulations which the privatized company should adhere to failure to do so attracts penalties and sometimes sanctions. Incentives have been used to achieve results in some privatized economies. There are cases where privatization has been done to companies from other countries. These are cases used by the government to attract major players in the world economy. It is like a statement saying we are open for big businesses. These have been noticed in the banking sector in Africa which has brought immense results.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The methodology used to acquire data for these research paper is based on quantitative analysis. Where the quantity of the sample was used to check how privatization affects the households in Afghanistan. I used a quantitative method of collecting data from the wider population which is affected by this phenomenon. The method is random and no known criteria are used to collect the raw data from the population. Afghanistan is a huge country and all parts of the nation need to be measured to get accurate results. Also, the wide nature of activities and economies level in the country needs to be taken into consideration so that conclusive results can be achieved. The quantitative analysis will measure the trickle-down effect which is caused by the privatization of the public sector in Afghanistan which has both positive and negative effects on the population. The data collection method should capture exactly how the effects have been felt to the Afghani economy and also its neighbors since there are bilateral trade agreements between the countries surrounding Afghanistan.
The method used to collect data in these case include conducting experiments, observing and recording events which are well defined such as lines counting individuals and recording their number and the turn over time. Other methods I used to collect data for my research paper includes getting data which is relevant to my topic privatization of the public sector in Afghanistan from the management information systems (MIS). Another technique to get the data is by using closed-end questions. Which can involve face to face interviews where I had to meet the people who have relevant knowledge and ask them questions about the process of privatization in Afghanistan. In the event that I am in a different geographical location, I used phone calls to interview my sources of information. Another critical source of information here is the use of questionnaires. I had to come up with a set of questions which the people whom I want to extract data from will have to fill it up. Then I collect them and went ahead to extract the information I wanted from the questionnaires which have been filled.
This process is the most important part of the research paper because it is here where the real work is happening. The researcher does the actual research here to support his or her topic. This point is critical and important and the researcher can not afford to get these wrong. These processes involve extracting actual information from the ground. Getting these part wrongly can make the whole paper to be wrong and due diligence should be taken to ensure that the right information is collected. Also, the information collected should also be analyzed well so as to achieve a conclusion which is critical to supporting facts about the topic of research. The information collected through the various method should come up with a conclusion which is reliable and can be related to what is actually happening at the ground level in the topic of discussion.
Data Collection
There are many ways of collecting data to be used in our research topic privatization of the public sector in Afghanistan which includes the following.
Experiments.
Experiments are the act of doing trials or examination to a variable which affects the topic of discussion. Experiment as a method of data collection to the privatization of the public sector in Afghanistan is very vital because it helped me understand my topic of research better. Also, the relationship between the population and how the process affected their buying and selling patterns. This phenomenon of privatization has affected how trade is conducted in Afghanistan because competition has increased in business. Due to high competition, the people of the nation can get the best deals compared to the previous monopoly owned by the government.
I created a condition in the transport area where I had several means of transport available to the public in Islamabad and I actively recorded how the customers were boarding the source of transports. I was able to record and notice that the population was choosing the cheaper mode of transport. These were brought about by the urge of the general public to save some money because at the end of the day they will reach their homes despite the amount of money paid. The customers used the price differences to be able to identify the cheaper mode of transport I knew these because I recorded a high number on a cheaper mode of transport as compared to few numbers of customers to the mode of transport costing more. Sticking with this experimentation the young people loved the mode of transport which is faster. I was able to measure these by recording a higher number of young commuters in faster modes of transport as compared to a few old people who choose this mode of transport.
I also took a number of samples both old, young, men and females and put them in a room. Then I displayed video ads on a television set and noticed their reaction and also recorded them down. These type of experimentation is lab like experimentation where they had a controlled environment. The ads on the television set were of both privately controlled organization and also government controlled organization. I recorded down their reaction which will assist in measuring which type of advertisements attracted more attention from them. The population was more attentive during privately owned organization ads because it was catchy and also had discounts, free gifts and also competitive prices. The population showed not much attention to government-owned organization advertisement which means theirs prefer doing business with privately owned organizations as compared to their government controlled counterparts. Which is a good thing taking into consideration the process of privatization of the public sector in Afghanistan which is happening at the moment.
Another aspect of experimentation method of data collection is ethnography. It is a concept which involves investigating the buying and selling of the culture of a given geographical location. I used this concept by carrying out experiments of buying behaviors of clients at a different geographical location of the same product. In my case, I used buying of fertilizer in Afghanistan which is a huge country with different economic activities in different geographical locations. I was able to record a varied data based on the different location. Rural areas with good conditions to practice agriculture had a higher percentage of buying fertilizer compared to urban and regions which do not support agriculture the figure was as follows.
Urban centers had 20%.
Rural areas which support agriculture had 75%
Rural area not viable for agriculture had 5%.
As per the above data the buying power of fertilizer differs for customers based on the geographical locations in which they live in. These can be attributed to the different economic activities which take part in Afghanistan based on the geographical location. I am sure if I used retail sales of domestic animals medication I would have gotten a different data which will define areas where animal rearing takes part in the country.
Observation
This is a method which involves observing events which affect out the topic of study. With an aim of getting data which can help us learn more about how the topic of study affects the population. This method helped me a lot because I did not have to mingle with the topic of study I just had to record what I see which is very easy and reliable when you are researching a topic which can come with language barriers. Also, this method came handy when I was researching my topic of research because it is important when handling a population which is not friendly. It is a method of data collection which is the most accurate method of getting data. This is because the subject being investigated is not aware of the process and their real behavior is achieved which makes it perfect. The subject being investigated is not aware of the process being undertaken hence making it a perfect method when collecting data from a population which is hostile.
I used observation while obtaining data from the health sector in Islamabad. Where I observed how the government controlled health facilities carried out their day-to-day activities. They are related to how they handle their clients where clients have to queue in lines for averagely ten minutes before getting the service they wanted. Which can be compared to the privately controlled health center where customers only have to wait 2 to 3 minutes to be attended to making the privately controlled health facility better in terms of how they offer services. According to the schedule of visiting, clients by friends and family public controlled organization have a time schedule which resembles each other in the public hospital I visited. Privately controlled health center have different visitation times and periods of stay vary from one to the other depending on the policy set by the board of management responsible
for each of the health facilities.
The infrastructure in the public controlled health facility was outdated and lacked maintenance which can be attributed to the high level of corruption witnessed in public controlled facilities which triggered the process of privatization. The infrastructure and equipment looked dilapidated which might bring issues to patients. Private controlled health facilities had better equipment and infrastructure which means they are at the better place of giving better services to their clients. According to the cost of the services, public managed organizations charged a smaller fee to their clients that is why there were many customers seeking medical services in public healthcare organizations. The huge influx of individuals seeking medical services in the government-controlled organization can be attributed to the high poverty level in the current Afghanistan population which was brought about by the instability state of the nation for over 20 years.
There are few numbers of individuals visiting privately controlled health organization which can be attributed to the high charges. Few individuals are able to pay for the services which are offered their hence making it accessible to the few individuals. There are situations where ward beds are full in government-controlled hospitals while privately controlled hospitals have empty wardrooms. The uneven distribution of wealth which brings these issue varies from on geographical area to another. There is an instance where the distribution of people visiting public managed hospitals will be higher in slum dwellings in urban centers and also some rural areas while privately managed hospital will attract the high-income earners and also middle-income earners who can afford their services and also have tight schedules to go with their day to day activities. The busy schedule and also the availability of funds affects the number of the population visiting the private or government controlled health facility. It has a uniform distribution where people living in leafy suburbs will visit a privately controlled healthcare facility. I also was keen to observe the number of vehicles in these two healthcare facilities. The one which is government controlled facility had a fewer number of the privately owned motor vehicle. The vehicles in public hospital carparks were of a cheaper model. The privately owned healthcare facility had many cars which are expensive and owned by people who have money in the society.
I also observed the companies which offer water services. The companies offering the services privately had a huge customer base also the once that were controlled by the government also had a huge customer base. These can be attributed to the same procedure used in getting the water ready for consumption. Where a nearly equal amount of expenses is incurred in the process. Since water is cleaned then transported to the client there are no many requirements to be certified in these line of business. There is a short supply of water requirement in Islamabad so privately owned companies help in a big way in supplying this basic commodity sometimes there is a shortage of up to 40% of the water needed. The private organization helps in bridging these gap which the government controlled organization would not be able to cover. The competition ensures fair prices are achieved and also the supply meets demands which are good for both consumers and also the suppliers.
I used observation method in acquiring data from the education sector. The education sector is the main sector which quality needs to be ensured at all cost since it affects the livelihood and source of skilled and unskilled labor for the whole nation. There were bills passed by the Afghanistan government which says that a private university should have over 50 acres of land to be accredited. The institution needs to have enough space for expansion and also to cover the huge number of students who attend them. Also, the huge land should be able to accommodate all the facilities needed to facilitate learning. I was able to observe these in many of the universities around Afghanistan which had fulfilled all regulations required to have a fully functioning institution of higher learning. These are vital because students need enough space to mingle and also take part in other extra curriculum activities. Also, both primary and secondary level education institutions are required to have a field. Which is vital to the growth of the learner since it will help them in expanding their brains and also some learners will develop their talents which might help them earn a living. I also observed that the number of students attending government controlled schools was high which is attributed to the less fee charged and also these institutions have teachers who are paid by the government and are dedicated to helping the learners to grow.
The privately owned education centers also have a smaller number of students which can be attributed to the higher fees charged. Which is affordable to the fortunate less who earn good money. The ration of student per teacher is high which is better then the public owned schools. Also, government controlled based in urban centers have a huge student number which can be attributed to the high number of individuals living in informal settlements. I also observed that the time schedule slightly differs between the government-controlled institutions and those that are privately controlled institutions. Some of the privately controlled institutions had a different curriculum which can assist the students in any part of the world since it is recognized worldwide. The curriculum of government-controlled institutions was the same in all the schools these are to bring about the aspect of easy manageability. The curriculum was set at a central location by the government authority responsible for education with guidelines so as to be able to monitor and control the whole procedure.
Another aspect I used observation to collect data is in the agriculture sector. The Afghani government had tried to implement some aspect of privatization in agriculture. They started by privatizing Baghlan sugar enterprise which I observed improve the economy in the region and many individuals produced the crops which are needed to produce the sugar. The people surrounding that area are full-time sugar depending farmers due to the availability of the company. Also, the economic value has increased in terms of lands due to the Baghlan sugar enterprise. Also, the land was privatized making it possible for farmers to increase the input with an aim of getting more output.
Using information from the management information system.
I also used already available information from management information systems (MIS). I checked on data from different sectors with an aim of getting to understand how the sector is performing after it has been privatized. I took a look at the production of seeds which are distributed to farmers for them to be ready to plant them. From the information, improved seeds were produced at a bigger capacity than previously done. There were many seeds which were produced ready for the expanding markets which I can attribute them to the higher level of advertisements done by the privately owned improved seeds enterprise. Which as an aim of expanding its customer base and in the process it causes the country to improve in its agricultural productivity. Also, it can be attributed to relative calmness which is engulfing Afghanistan slowly region after another region showing stability which improves production. The seeds are also cheaper and easily available to the farmers according to the existing data which shows a wider distribution of the seeds to more remote regions. It is done by setting up shops their or urging customers to come together and be supplied with the quantities of seeds they need.
I took my time also to go through data from the silo systems of the nation of Afghanistan. It shows a relative improvement of food storage which is preserved in case of a disaster where the country won't be able to feed itself. The Kabul and Balkh silo shows a great improvement in grain stored at these sites and other many storage sites which are privately owned. The process of privatization as helped a great deal in this sector of storing grains for future use. Some private storage companies show a detail improvement in a number of bags available for the public in case the country does not have enough food. These process will help Afghanistan citizens a big deal because of the unreliable weather patterns which have recently changed constantly producing large harvest each year is hard. The amount of grain stored as improved by a percentage of 50% over the previous ten years. This sector is very vital to the economy because the country must be able to feed itself so that it can improve its economy.
I also took the time to go through information from the ministry of commerce. This sector is very important because it puts into check the performance of the country in terms of trade. This sector is the sector which is responsible for earning the country foreign exchange through trade. Food enterprise has taken a steady move since its privatization. It has improved by 20% percent in terms of revenue since it was put into the process of privatization. It also doubled its workforce in a period of two years which is a significant growth. Information from the management information system shows a constant increase in the level of production which can be attributed by policies which were developed by the board since the time it was privatized. Also, the rate of competition for part of the pie in this sector is high which shows the eager of investors of getting some of the Afghani food enterprises.
Samon
dried fruit enterprise has shown an increase in a number of goods being imported to other nations since it was privatized. The organization has also caused ripples to farmers producing the fruit by increasing their wellbeing by paying them well and on time. Which causes positive responses to individuals who live around the production area. The amount of output from the company has increased by 32% according to their management information system. It also shows that the amount of fruits delivered to the company for processing is constantly increasing in numbers. If the Afghanistan government are able to maintain stability such production companies will be able to employ many youths and help in empowering the society in general. And it will also help in curbing unnecessary conflicts because youths have many times been used for wrong reasons in Afghanistan.
The management information system shows a constant increase in area covered while providing water to the general public. Which is a positive thing this area has no major price competition so they compete among themselves in the sense of area coverage? The company which can serve many customers is on the front foot. Also, they companies should be reliable they should provide water to their customers constantly there should not be times where water lacks in their taps for more than 24 hours.
Interviews.
I was lucky enough to conduct both face-to-face interviews and also telephone interviews. In situations where my target was in a far geographical location, I used telephones to get in touch with them. I interviewed both teachers from privately controlled institutions and also those from public controlled institutions. The teachers from public institutions lacked the motivation to do their duties citing lack of resources and facilities. There has been a constant problem in the public owned schools the teachers are few in numbers compared to students. The teachers from privately owned institutions had enough motivation from the board and also they had enough resources and facilities to handle they teaching perfectly. The teacher to student ratio in this institution is perfect as per the teachers. The issue of monitoring teacher progress is also a problem in government-controlled schools. These can be attributed to the few individuals tasked with going around monitoring teachers progress and Afghanistan is a huge country. While monitoring of private institutions teachers is simple because the board of management has employed a manager to do the actual job of managing the school’s day to day activities.
Some of the privately owned schools also have a curriculum which suits the needs of each student I got these by interviewing their students. The students told me what they are actually good at and which courses are taught to them to make them perfect in the area in which they are talented in or have interest in. The students are molded to be a perfect example of what they want to be in the privately owned institutions. The management of the privately owned organization also cast lights on the wide range of resources available in their facilities to be able to nature the learner in the best way possible. The students from public schools complained of basic needs such as proper materials to seat on during lessons or lectures and also lack of books. These were brought about by poorly stocked libraries some librarians even went ahead and confessed that the library was last stocked more than ten years ago. Some public institutions even lacked a library and a librarian. Also, lack of security is what I witnessed in some government-controlled institutions there was no security office or personnel and when I asked principal about them he or she went ahead and confessed there was none available because no funds were allocated by the national government to take care of that. Which brings a lot of questions are our kids safe in these public institutions am not sure are they getting better learning to help them with their future that too I am not sure. In private institutions I interviewed security personnel in their offices to be able to gauge if the institution is safe I got great answers for my question all of them being positive.
I got hold of potential meat customers in Bagh-e Babur in Kabul. They preferred buying meat from a privately owned slaughter-house which they know the owner is a Muslim and the rites of slaughtering the bull or goat were followed. They potential customers do not like meat which has been slaughtered in another government controlled slaughterhouse far away from them then shipped to their butcheries. They take these issue very strongly Ali a local guy from these region of Kabul even prefers going to the slaughterhouse to see the whole process before buying meat for his family. The potential praised the process of privatization in the meat production sector which gave them the opportunity to have an upper hand in choosing quality meat products for their families. I also took my time and interviewed butcheries owners in Kabul. 90% of them talk positively about the process of privatization of meat production in Afghanistan. They now can have a fresher supply of meat from a local private slaughterhouse and also they can be able to get discounts and sometimes meat on credit and pay in the evening. Which has enabled their business to grow over the period of time? Also, they have had an increase in a number of customers as compared to years in the past. The price of meat is relatively stable and cheaper from the local private slaughterhouses which are easy to get access to because no additional transportation charges are incurred.
I took my time and decided to interview individuals who take part in the transportation industry in the country. I interviewed the crew of millie bus both one and two, I got a different type of information from them relating to how customers behave. The crew told me that most of the potential customers want the best value for their money so they will choose a mode of transport which they will be comfortable with and will not take a lot of their monies. The crew told me the customers vary from time to time example customers in the morning and evening are always restless they want to get home or to work faster. While mid-morning and mid-day customers are not under much pressure. They also gave me a wise observation about the younger and older generation preferences. The younger generation preferred a cheaper mode of transport which goes faster. Their older counterparts prefer the safest means of transport which can be attributed by their advanced age or the experiences which they went through up to the time they are now. I also took my time with the travelers i asked them questions which confirmed what had been told to me earlier in the day by the Millie bus crew. I went ahead and asked the bus crew which is owned by private individuals. The crew told me that customers prefer their services because they offer the best prices and also the best services. This is a result of competition between themselves which the customer benefits the most from it. Their potential has a wide range of preferences to choose from comfort being another factor which is considered by the customers and also the amount charged by the bus company is another factor to be considered. The transportation sector has a wide range of alternatives for the clients to choose from which gives them an upper hand in getting the best service for their money, these can be attributed to the process of privatization in the transport sector.
I also interview random members of the public who most of them had positive things to say about the privatization of the public sector. They supported the move citing massive corruption which was evident in the public sectors. I also was able to get a guy who lost money through the Kabul bank collapse. The guy fully supported the move citing the old way of doing things made the citizens suffer the way he lost his hard earned money. He supports the issue of corruption and fraud which can be curbed once many of the public sectors are privatized. Members of the public also said the move will help them get more preference when doing their business because the monopoly owned by government-controlled business will end. They said they will be able to get the best value for their money through the process of privatization.
Questionnaire
I took my time in designing a questionnaire to cover my topic of interest which is the privatization of the public sector in Afghanistan. I designed the questionnaire to cover a wide range of the population affected by the process of privatization. I took into consideration the huge nature of the country Afghanistan and the many economic and social activities which takes part in this region of the world. The wide sectors in Afghanistan should be able to be taken into consideration to be able to acquire the needed result for the research paper. The questionnaires should be answerable to any individual who has basic knowledge in reading and writing. I used basic English which will not trouble members of the society. I designed a closed-ended questionnaire which is relatively easy for the person to fill it since they have to choose an answer which suits them from their perspective. The person has to tick the right box to be able to complete a particular question.
My set of a question aimed at extracting how privatization as affected each member of the community whether positively or negatively. I made these questions in a particular way to extra only the required information from the target population. The questionnaires were given randomly to members of the public around the country. And I used the internet to target the younger generations through social media. This is because many of the younger generations prefer
using their phones and other gadgets rather than using pen and paper to fill out the questionnaire. The period I took in the whole process took me 3 to 4 weeks in giving out the questionnaires to be filled with the general public. The process was smooth I did not face any individual who was arrogant or brought issues to me. Almost 90% of the total people I approached to fill the questionnaire only 10% declined to cite reasons such as being busy which is understandable. The response from the population was good citing the goodwill of the people in helping to push through the process of privatization of the public sector which is a good indicator.
Questionnaire
Questions Answers
Which gender are you? Male Female
How old are you? Under 25 Between 25 and 40 Over 40
Do you shop in private organizations? Yes No
Where are you studying? Government nstitution Private institution I dont study
Where do you work? Private organization Government employee Unemployed
Where do your kids study? Private institutions Public institutions I dont have kids who attend school
Data Analysis
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSIONS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
REFERENCES
Mohammad Sabir Sidiqee. (2016). Is Privatization of New Kabul Bank an Ultimate Solution?. Retrieved from https://www.khaama.com/is-privatization-of-new-kabul-bank-an-ultimate-solution-0577/
Saul Estrin. (2016). Privatisation in Developing Countries: What Are the Lessons of Recent Experience? Retrieved from https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=954020088007068030014091082028005070039012064010087068076124127038086093058095009090113002084028006080031001018087006021087097024125106124093013118092119006025093124022116094004105&EXT=pdf
Abdul-Qayum Mohmand. (2012). THE PROSPECTS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN AFGHANISTAN. Retrived from https://asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/ProspectsofEconomicDevelopmentinAfghanistanOccasionalPaperfinal.pdf
PARUL KUMAR. (ND). What is the Use of Experimental Method in Data Collection? Retrived from http://www.preservearticles.com/2012022523770/what-is-the-use-of-experimental-method-in-data-collection.html
Nadia Siddiqui and Stephen Gorard. (2017). Comparing government and private schools in Pakistan: The way forward for universal education. Retrived from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883035516307534
