Acknowledgement

PIDE produces policy-relevant research of Pakistan. Research based on evaluative frameworks is the need of the hour not only for pragmatic reasons but also for identifying soft spots in the existing policies, programs and regulatory frameworks and for improving the policy practice, therein. The current compilation provides detailed evaluative research-based studies conducted by researchers in PIDE. The papers were presented in a conference and feedback from an evaluation expert, Dr. Tariq Husain and by representative regulatory authorities was incorporated by respective authors for each of the studies included in this book. I am very grateful to Dr. Nadeem Ul Haque for his untiring efforts to bring this book to life. Dr. Haque has remained actively involved in every step of the way, right from the inception of idea for conducting evaluative studies to holding a conference and finally publishing this book. We hope to continue our efforts in producing more policy-relevant research and bring more research based on evaluations of State’s policies, packages and regulatory authorities. I am also grateful to Mian Imran ul Haq (Senior Publications Officer, PIDE) for his insightful comments and detailed proofreading of the book chapters.