Abstract/Description

Pakistan is no stranger to the union of authoritarianism with its economic decision-making. From the grand designs of Ayub Khan’s industrialization to Bhutto’s nationalization to Zia’s privatization, the country has been practically a laboratory of authoritarian experimentation over nature and the processes of the national economy. However, certain ideas have been coherent throughout time and space when it comes to the fusion of authoritarian law, arbitrary power, and economic decisions. These ideas have historically shaped the fusion of authoritarian power with economic decisions in the country. Resultantly, the authoritarian legality approach establishes a Dual-State in Pakistan by undermining normative processes of law and economic decision-making and empowering prerogative socio-legalist approaches in governing methodology about economics. The present research draws upon this history to inquire how the formation of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) builds upon the legacy of using law as a wielding instrument to fuse authoritarian power in shaping and imposing economic decisions that are devoid of democratic political legitimacy and cross-societal parliamentary and civil representation, and founded on the elements of arbitrary power, executive authority, and coercive violence. These elements serve as the foundation for the ideas that structure the relationship between authoritarian legalism, arbitrary power, and economic decisions.

Keywords

Authoritarian Legalism, Dual State, SIFC, Arbitrary Power, Economic Decisionmaking, Executive Authority

Location

S2 room, Adamjee building

Session Theme

Institutions and Economics

Session Type

Parallel Technical Session

Session Chair

Anwar Shah, Quaid-i-Azam University

Session Discussant

Adnan Haider, Institute of Business Administration ; Muhammad Sabir, Institute of Business Administration

Start Date

10-12-2024 3:15 PM

End Date

10-12-2024 5:15 PM

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Dec 10th, 3:15 PM Dec 10th, 5:15 PM

Authoritarian Legality of SIFC: An Inquiry into the Dual State and Economic Decision making in Pakistan

S2 room, Adamjee building

Pakistan is no stranger to the union of authoritarianism with its economic decision-making. From the grand designs of Ayub Khan’s industrialization to Bhutto’s nationalization to Zia’s privatization, the country has been practically a laboratory of authoritarian experimentation over nature and the processes of the national economy. However, certain ideas have been coherent throughout time and space when it comes to the fusion of authoritarian law, arbitrary power, and economic decisions. These ideas have historically shaped the fusion of authoritarian power with economic decisions in the country. Resultantly, the authoritarian legality approach establishes a Dual-State in Pakistan by undermining normative processes of law and economic decision-making and empowering prerogative socio-legalist approaches in governing methodology about economics. The present research draws upon this history to inquire how the formation of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) builds upon the legacy of using law as a wielding instrument to fuse authoritarian power in shaping and imposing economic decisions that are devoid of democratic political legitimacy and cross-societal parliamentary and civil representation, and founded on the elements of arbitrary power, executive authority, and coercive violence. These elements serve as the foundation for the ideas that structure the relationship between authoritarian legalism, arbitrary power, and economic decisions.