Thread by @ajpirzada

(Thread: 1/n) Everyone in #Pakistan talks about elite capture but what does it even mean? After all, even good policy decisions leave behind "a roll of victims sufficient to give sound policy a bad name" - Hicks, 1939. tribune.com.pk/story/2264602/…

(2/n) In other words, there will always be people complaining about any policy decision ever taken. How then does the electorate know if policy decisions are being taken keeping in view society’s interests as a whole rather than the elites’?

(3/n) I argue tht elite capture can be identified by assessing credibility of decision makin processes. Since an imp part of decision-making r institutions, their nature, culture of meritocracy & autonomy with which they operate shud be central to any discussion on elite capture.

(4/n) I then draw frm Hayek's article on "Use of Knowledge in Society" to suggest institutions: i) shud operate at a level where knowledge needed for making relevant decisions is readily available; ii) shud have internal capacity to interpret this knowledge (own HR policy); & ...

(5/n) iii) have independence to execute decisions they arrive at in the process to deliver on the mandate assigned to them.
The specific proposals concerning (ii) and (iii) draw heavily from the works of @nadeemhaque

(n/n) Reforming institutions to facilitate acquisition & processing of relevant knowledge will improve credibility of decision making processes & help overcome elite capture. If not, even good policy decisions will continue to be perceived as being taken to benefit the elites.

P.S. The longer (pre-print) version of the article can be found here: bit.ly/2H9J0qg