Zia Obaid

Dr. Zia Obaid

Associate Professor

Institute of Management Studies | University of Peshawar

ziaobaid@uop.edu.pk
Core Research Areas
Public managementDevelopment AdministrationPolicy Evaluation and ImplementationSocial Capital and Organization Theory.

About

Dr. Zia Obaid is a Fulbright Scholar and has earned a PhD in Public Administration and Public Policy from Florida State University and has an MPhil in Public Administration and Organization Theory from University of Bergen, Norway. He is Associate Professor, at the Institute of Management Studies, University of Peshawar and has been associated with the university for the last twenty years. His area of interest is development administration and policy implementation. Dr. Obaid has widely published in national and international journals on topics related to public management, development administration, policy evaluation and implementation, social capital and organization theory. He has worked in various capacity building initiatives and was involved in programs designed to mitigate risk in vulnerable societies. His area of interest includes evaluation of foreign aid interventions and their impact on civil society with a focus on building so􀅌 skills of the populace through training and education. Dr. Obaid has been involved as Project Director and Convener on various training projects partnered with UNDP, Swiss Aid, Disaster Management Authorities in Pakistan and the US. He also delivered training in capacity building initiatives related to social mobilization and development sector management. Dr. Obaid has also worked as Project Convener on monitoring, assessment, and evaluation of projects on behalf of UNDP, WFP and GIZ. As project convenor he has been responsible for overall administrative and financial control and implementation of the project.

Education

Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, Florida State University, FL, USA

Ph.D. Public Administration and Policy

  • Awarded prestigious Fulbright Scholarship.
  • Earned Doctor of Philosophy degree in Public Administration and Policy from Askew School of Public Administration & Policy with focus on development policy.
  • Thesis titled “The Enigmatic Consequences of Security and Development Aid: Evidence from Pakistan”. Major Professor, Dr. Ralph Brower and committee members included Dr. Frances Berry, Dr. Lance Dehaven Smith and Dr. Stephen McDowell.
  • Received Sweetie Cox Best Doctoral Dissertation proposal award.
  • Completed Course work with a CGPA of 3.72

Department of Administration and Organization Theory, University of Bergen, Norway

MPhil. in Public Administration

  • Awarded Norwegian government’s Quota Scholarship.
  • The title of my thesis was “Reforming Political Universities: A Case Study of University of Peshawar and my supervisor was Dr. Tor Halvorsen.
  • Institute of Management Studies, University of Peshawar, Pakistan

Master’s in Public Administration (MPA)

  • Scored 3.5 CGPA.
  • I got selected to do the internship with the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) as part of my Master’s program and wrote an internship report on "Preservation of Chilghoza Forest in Sulaiman Range and the role of WWF". My report was highly appreciated by the organization and its findings were incorporated in the annual report of WWF-Pakistan
  • I was the President of "Excursion Committee" of the Institute of Management Studies, University of Peshawar for two consecutive terms.

Honors, Awards & Scholarships

  • Fulbright Scholarship for Doctorate (2008)
  • Sweetie Cox Award for Best Dissertation Proposal (2012).
  • Best Paper Award (2014), INSPIRE International Conference Dubai, UAE (2014).
  • Norwegian Government Scholarship for MPhil (2004)
  • David Gould Scholarship to present paper in American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) conference (2012).
  • ISTR Scholarship for paper presentation (2014).
  • Dissertation Support Grant by the Florida State University (2014).
  • HEC Conference Presentation Grant (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017).
  • Disasters and Community Research Fellowship (DCRF) (2012)
  • Pi Alpha Alpha International Public Administration Honor Society (2015).

Professional Experience

  • Member National Course Review Committee (NCRC) of Higher Education Commission (HEC) for Public Administration (PA) and Governance and Public Policy (GPP)
  • Member Board of Studies, Institute of Management Studies, University of Peshawar.
  • Member Board of Faculty, Faculty of Management and Information Sciences, University of Peshawar.
  • Member Academic Committee Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar (2021-24)
  • Member Purchase Committee, University of Peshawar (2022- till date)
  • Secretary of Graduate Studies Committee (GSC), Institute of Management Studies, University of Peshawar (2022-24)
  • Member of ASRB Sub-Committee of Faculty of Management Information Sciences, University of Peshawar. (2021- to date)
  • Lead Instructor, NAHE-PERU of Higher Education Commission (HEC) of the Capacity Building Program for the Faculty of HEIs (2021-till date).
  • Conducted Trainings to State Bank of Pakistan Employees on Soft Skills.
  • Soft Skills Trainings conducted for Degree College Girls under the auspices of Higher Education Department.
  • Resource Person, Pakistan Provincial Civil Services Academy (PPSA) Peshawar.
  • Resource Person, Junior Command and Staff School, Badaber, Peshawar.
  • Member of Editorial Board of the journal International Review of Public Administration Review.
  • Reviewer of the journal Business & Economic Review (B&ER), published by Institute of Management Sciences.

Selected Peer Reviewed Published Journal Articles

Shah, S.B., Gul, M., & Obaid, Z. (2023). Improvisation, training and resources are key for decision making in unforeseen situations: An exploratory study of managers’ decision-making process. Journal of Applied Economics and Business Studies, 7(2), 1-22.

Farid, G., Gul, M., & Obaid, Z. (2023). Convenience, courtesy and care: the impact of MTI reforms in public sector teaching hospitals on patients’ satisfaction. Business and Economic Review, 15(1).

Ali, S., Jabeen, M., Obaid, Z., & Zaib, S. (2020). Relationship between Product Market Competition and Payout Policy of Pakistani Firms. FWU Journal of Social Sciences, 14(2), 190-207.

Ali, S., Rahman, A., & Obaid, Z. (2017). Can working capital cycle or cash conversion cycle be factored in economic performance of Pakistani corporate firms? Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, XXV (1), 97-108.

Obaid, Z., Gul, M., Khan, A.Q., Hussain, A., &Ali, S. (2017). The role of media in framing political imaginaries: Comparative analysis of media response to 9/11. Journal of Managerial Science, X (3), 1-18.

Gul, M., Obaid, Z., & Ali, S. (2017) Liberalization of media in Pakistan: A challenge to democracy. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, XXV (1), 37-54

Gul, M., Obaid, Z., & Hussain, A. (2017). Using media to further political ideology: A case of Rush Limbaugh’s radio shows & EPA in USA. PUTAJ-Humanities and Social Sciences, 25 (Special Issue- Media Matters No.1-2), 83-98.

Obaid, Z., Gul, M. (2016). Qualitative Methods: Triangulation to tackle issues of reliability and validity in public diplomacy and propaganda studies. Journal of Law and Society, XLVII(69), 153-178.

Gul, M., Obaid, Z., & Hussain, A. (2016). VOA Dewa radio: Propaganda or persuasion? PUTAJ-Humanities and Social Sciences, 23(1), 67-73.

Ali, S., Obaid, Z., & Hussain, A. (2014). Do stock prices take the effects off exchange rates? A comparative study of Pakistan and India. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, XXII(3), 35-52.

Hussain, A., Ismaile, S., Obaid, Z., & Gul, M. (2014). Determining the relationship between inflation and unemployment in emerging economy of Pakistan. Journal of Law and Society, 45(65), 191-212.

Hussain, A., Obaid, Z., & Khan, S. (2014). CEO compensation determinants: Is the size of performance of the firm a determinant of CEO compensation in Pakistan. PUTAJ-Humanities and Social Sciences, 21(1), 115-124.

Gul, M., Obaid, Z., & Hussain, A. (2014). Who makes decision?: A study of two union councils in Peshawar district of Pakistan. Journal of Law and Society, 45(65), 157-190.

Obaid, Z., Hussain, A., Gul, M. (2013). How public administration theory and practice have contributed to totalitarian tendencies? Journal of Law and Society, 44(63), 1-11.

Hussain, A., & Obaid, Z. (2013). Cost push vs demand-pull inflation: Evidence from and emerging economy (Pakistan). Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, XXI (2), 23-42.

Ullah, I., Obaid, Z., Hussain, A., & Gul, M. (2013). Profitability of commercial banks in Pakistan: A case study of National Bank of Pakistan. Journal of Law and Society, 44(64), 243-264.

Khan, S., Hussain, A., & Obaid, Z. (2013). The role of Islamic microfinance and its growth prospects: A case study of Akhuwat. Journal of Law and Society, 44(63), 13-21.

Hussain, A., Minhas, A., & Obaid, Z. (2013). Impact of oil prices increase on inflation in Pakistan. PUTAJ-Humanities and Social Sciences, 20, 463-477.

Hussain, A., Shah, F., Obaid, Z., & Gul, M. (2013). Advantages of most favorable nation status granted to India by Pakistan. Journal of Law and Society, 44(64), 225-242.

Obaid, Z, Hussain, A. (2011). Effects of alcohol sales restriction on DUI related convictions: A case study of Kentucky. Business and Economic Review, 3(2), 218-228.

Hussain, A., Obaid, Z., Afridi, S. (2011). Testing of CAPM in an emerging economy: A case study of Pakistan. Business and Economic Review, 3(2), 143-153.

Project and Consultancies

 
  • Project Convener   (June 2024- July 2025)

WFP Funded Girls Stipend Program in Merged Districts (Erstwhile FATA and FRs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Implemented on behalf of Elementary Education Department Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

  • Project Team Lead   (June 2024 – Sep 2024)

Food Security, Livelihood, and Resilience Assessment Endline Study of the Afghan Refugees and Host Communities 

Funded by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

 

  • Survey Coordinator  (Oct 2023- March 2024)

Comprehensive Food Security & Livelihood Assessment (CFSLA) in the entire Newly Merged Areas

(Erstwhile FATA and FRs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

by WFP and Bureau of Statistics (BoS) Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa