The autonomy and governance of mutual aid organizations for civil servants’ welfare

Civil servants’ mutual aid organizations can be characterized as premodern welfare state organizations. They are still very common in countries with well-developed social security systems but even more so in countries where these systems remain underdeveloped. They assist members and their families in times of sickness, disability or death, and provide dowries and scholarships. This paper systematically analyzes the autonomy and governance of 28 civil service mutual aid organizations in Pakistan. It reveals that mutual aid organizations are governed by four different types of boards and that most have low strategic human resource management (HRM), policy and structural autonomy. This study contributes novel empirical insights into mutual aid organizations as a phenomenon in public sector personnel studies that is often ignored. Overall, this study adds to the scant literature on mutual aid organizations, which has taken a welfare state perspective.Points for practitionersMutual aid organizations are vital for civil servants’ welfare. Practitioners must prioritize enhancing their strategic human resource management autonomy for improved effectiveness. They must also advocate for increasing the policy autonomy of these organizations to address the evolving needs of civil servants and improve welfare outcomes. Their structural autonomy should also be enhanced to enable adaptability, reduce political influence, foster trust, and develop a more complementary relationship with government.