Outline/ Agenda:
- Just rules and laws – what is the nature of the ideal political system?
- Institution of the State – what ought to be its primary roles and responsibilities?
- Differences between premodern and modern aristocracy?
- What are the mechanisms through which aristocratic practice persists in Pakistan?
- Two Pakistans: capture of state and its resources
- Basic amenities – two cities, one for aristocracy and another for ordinary people
- Constitutional amendments to break this cycle of state capture
- Who is to blame for the prevalence of state aristocracy in Pakistan, and what are the incentive structures that make it possible?
- What is the role of activism and grassroots politics in uprooting the system of state aristocracy, if any?
- How can steps be taken in challenging power structures through policy? What does effective ‘reform’ look like?
- What is the efficacy of think tanks and non-government organizations? Do they have a role to play, and if so – what should it look like?
- If ‘ideologies’ have become outdated, why do they persist among so many groupings in Pakistan and around the world? If something truly is redundant, it fizzles away with time – however Socialism, for instance, seems to be experiencing a revival: why? Also, is Liberalism – which you are a strong proponent of – not an ideology too?
