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Public Affairs Centre

“A not-for-profit, non-partisan organization committed to improve the quality of democratic governance in India by promoting a critical, vibrant and active engagement of the citizenry with the state for enhanced transparency, accountability, responsiveness, inclusiveness and performance among the institutions of governance”.

'''About Public Affairs Centre'''

Public Affairs Centre (PAC) is a not for profit organization, established in 1994 that is dedicated to improving the quality of governance in India. The focus of PAC is primarily in areas where citizens and civil society organizations can play a proactive role in improving governance. In this regard, PAC undertakes and supports research, disseminates research findings, facilitates collective citizen action through awareness raising and capacity building activities, and provides advisory services to state and non-state agencies. The Public Affairs Centre is globally known for its pioneering Citizen Report Cards, benchmarking studies used to improve public services, as well as their work on electoral transparency, public works quality monitoring tools and approaches and the recently launched audits of the Right to Information Act and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in India.

The genesis of PAC can be traced to a modest but pioneering initiative by Dr. Samuel Paul in the early nineties. In 1992, Dr. Paul with several friends initiated a unique experiment to produce a “Report Card” on public services in Bangalore. Anchoring on the twin concepts of measurement and comparison, report cards generated objective and credible citizen feedback on issues related to the delivery of public services like quality, reliability, corruption and satisfaction. The approach received much national and international attention. The public debates the findings triggered and the media interest that issues like corruption generated provided a much needed stimulus to several public agencies in Bangalore to review their performances. These initial responses led to the formal creation of the Centre in 1994 with financial support from the National Foundation for India and the Ford Foundation.

PAC’s uniqueness lies in synthesizing research and action in its activities and approaches. Its research aims to provide a stimulus for action. And, its action in turn is powered by knowledge derived from research. PAC’s work is primarily organized around the premise that an informed and active citizenry is the key to improved governance. While conventional policy research concentrates on policy issues and administrative processes, PAC’s work has focused on governance as experienced from an average citizen’s perspective.

"Public Affairs Centre is truly an experiment – a leap of faith, guided by a vision to enhance the quality of our nation’s governance through an active interaction of civil society with the state. The positive response to the centre’s initiatives from many quarters and the adoption of its concepts, tools and messages in varied contexts auger well for the future". - Samuel Paul, Founder, Public Affairs Centre