Social Development in Punjab – Pakistan: A District Level Analysis

Social considerations are imperative for the pursuit of sustainable development of an economy. Inclusive or equitable growth requires achieving both economic and social progress. Based on basic human needs approach, a Social Development Index (SDI) for 36 districts of Punjab has been designed to assess the capacity of a society to meet the basic human needs of its citizens and to evaluate the state of social development in three broad Sectors (education, health, water, sanitation and hygiene). The Study comprises of 19 indicators, which are normalized and methodology of Principle component Analysis (PCA) was applied to develop Health, Education and WASH Indexes. The composite Index of Social Development was derived by the integration of aforementioned sectors. The data sets of Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) for Punjab and Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) are mainly used in the study. The paper confirms that despite claims of economic growth in districts of Punjab, it continues to lag behind in terms of social development. There is substantial variation between the performance of the Northern and Southern districts. The disparity reflected in social development in Southern Punjab demands discourse from the policy makers ensuring balanced resource allocation for the deprived districts if Punjab is to improve its socio-economic conditions.