Afghanistan’s economy heavily depends on aid and its growth rate is extremely slow and fragile due to prolonged war in the country. The Afghan government and the international community envision a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan at least over the next five years. As Afghanistan enters the second half of the decade of transformation, from 2021 to 2015, the need for peace and prosperity is dire in order to eradicate poverty, develop Afghanistan into a self-reliant and productive economy connected to region and the rest of the world. In line with the Afghanistan Sustainable Development Goals (ASDGs), Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework (ANPDF II, 2021-2025) and National Priority Programs (NPP), the Center for Afghanistan Policy Studies (CAPS) will commit its efforts to produce market-building researches and insights for a self-reliant and prosperous Afghanistan. We believe that public policy intervention to any economic problem is mostly effective when decisions are taken based on robust analytical research. Thus, we aim to produce problem-oriented researches on overall Afghan economy, including but not limited to: trade and transit, public-private partnership for infrastructure development, agriculture and mineral sector development and reform, industrial development, rural and urban development, monetary and fiscal policy and above all women’s economic empowerment through job creation for a broadly shared prosperity and opportunity in the country. Through our researches and insights, we aim to arm government and the donor community with the essential, hard-to-find knowledge that informs and supports their decision-making for a better and economically strong Afghanistan.
People all over the democratic world, irrespective of their socio-economic level, expect their governments to provide “good governance.” An essential feature of good governance is probity and high standards in public life. Those in positions of power, whether they be in the Executive or Legislative, are expected to hold their offices in trust on behalf of the People. There is a deep concern about the potential for abuse of authority by those holding public office, and demands everywhere for an effective definition of the term “corruption” and for wide ranging criminalization of corrupt related acts of commission and omission. There are also sustained civil society campaigns against corruption in many countries. The international community is engaged at the global and regional levels in establishing Conventions and other instruments to address the problems of national and transnational corruption.
Afghanistan is a country in conflict. It continues to experience armed conflict across large extents of its territory. The Afghan government is at a critical juncture in its state building and development efforts. Combating corruption is a key to the development and prosperity of Afghanistan, as well as to increasing the legitimacy of the government. Despite some progress in education, health, and other areas, the government has had difficulty in expanding its control and connecting with the Afghans to win their support. In fact, absences of governance and rampant corruption have served to alienate many and have created openings for insurgents to exploit. Afghans’ primary concerns remain inadequate security, the scarcity of employment opportunities and the generally poor state of the economy but corruption is still cited as a factor contributing to Afghans disillusionment with the government.
The Centre for Afghanistan Policy Studies works to conduct independent researches and share insights and relevant practices from other parts of the world to promote democracy, strengthen the role and functioning of democratic institution, free and fair elections, prevention of violent extremism and promoting culture of peace building and social cohesion.
Afghanistan’s plural legal system is governed by a diverse set of laws and institutions that includes Islamic law, customary law, state positive law, and international human rights law. Taking into account the complex interplay of these different entities is significant for any legal reform project. Customary laws driven from cultural and religious practices are a more prevalent form of legal practice than other legal practices in Afghanistan. Despite the overarching presence of customary laws, state centralized policies failed to mobilize the non-state legal system (i.e. shuras/jirgas that apply customary laws) to encourage cooperation and enhance interaction between different legal institutions. This negligence on the state’s part led to the continuation of harmful cultural practices to the detriment of women’s rights and their underrepresentation in both legal systems, above all. By employing a legal pluralism framework that takes a wider approach than being limited to the state’s legal system only, the Center aims to offer support through research, capacity and institution building and undertaking advisory roles in different areas of legal reform at the local and national levels. This would include, but is not limited to, reforming the legal education system, closely working with the Judiciary especially the Supreme Court regarding the interpretation of the Constitution and Judicial Review, creating spaces to invite open dialogues regarding the liberal interpretation of Islamic sources, advising and offering research support to parliament on key constitutional issues especially when the parliament is negotiating a new act or amending existing legislation; and developing evidence-based policy papers on enhancing women’s representation in both state and non-state legal systems. The Centre for Afghanistan Policy Studies works to conduct independent researches and share insights and relevant practices from other parts of the world to promote democracy, strengthen the role and functioning of democratic institution, free and fair elections, prevention of violent extremism and promoting culture of peace building and social cohesion.
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