Political Party Engagement and Public Policy Development in Local Governance: Evidence from Tehsil Barikot

This paper focuses on how the political party has role to play in determining the public policy in the District of Swat in Khybe r Pakhtun Khwa at Tehsil Barikot. By spotting the key political parties, their ideologies, and the strength of support behind each one of them, the study examines the political situation of Tehsil Barikot. It examines the factors that influence priorities and preferences of such political parties in terms of policy. The impacts of political party rivalry on development and implementation of public policies in Tehsil Barikot are assessed in the study. The sample size (63 students) was selected through a multi-stage random sampling process that targeted a population of B.S./M.A., M.Phil./M.S. and any related programs students in both departments, Political Science and International Relations. The data was collected using a questionnaire of 20 statements and a five-point rating scale (Likert scale) so as to find out the thoughts of the students regarding various elements of the research problem. To analyze the data collected, the calculation of the Mean Score of each of the survey questions was conducted and the Standard Deviation of each questionnaire to observe what the respondents think about the role of political parties as far as shaping of public policy is concerned. The results indicate that there is an agreement that the use of political parties is significant in setting the national policy, representing interests of the people and that national welfare is given the first priority. Nevertheless, some variation of perspective can be seen regarding other reasons, like considering the needs of minorities, receiving the changes of society demands, and discussion of the positive arguments. What is also exposed in the study is the differences in perception related to the effectiveness of political parties in communicating, engaging experts in policy making, environmental and social justice concerns.