The Success of India's Democracy

Erscheinungsjahr 2006
ISBN: 978-0-521-80530-8
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, Band 6, 312 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 515 g

Reihe: Contemporary South Asia

How has democracy taken root in India in the face of a low-income economy, widespread poverty, illiteracy, and immense ethnic diversity? Atul Kohli brings together some of the world's leading scholars of Indian politics to consider this intriguing anomaly. They do so by focusing, not so much on socio-economic factors, but rather on the ways in which power is distributed in India. Two processes have guided the negotiation of power conflicts. First, a delicate balance has been struck between the forces of centralization and decentralization and, second, the interests of the powerful in society have been served without excluding those on the margins. These themes are addressed by the editor in his introduction, which is followed by an essay on the historical origins of Indian democracy, and two sections, one on the consolidation of democratic institutions, and the other on the forces which motivate or inhibit democratic growth.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kohli, Atul

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Demokratie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of contributors; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction Atul Kohli; Part I. Historical Origins: 2. Indian democracy: the historical inheritance Sumit Sarkar; Part II. Political Institutions and Democratic Consolidation: 3. India's federal design and multicultural national construction Jyotirindra Dasgupta; 4. Center-state relations James Manor; 5. Making local government work Subrata K. Mitra; 6. Redoing the constitutional design: from an interventionist to a regulatory state Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph; 7. The dialectics of Hindu nationalism Amrita Basu: Part III. Social Demands and Democratic Deepening; 8. The struggle for equality: caste in Indian politics Myron Weiner; 9. Sharing the spoils: group equity, development and democracy Pranab Bardhan; 10. Social movement politics in India: institutions, interest, and identities Mary Katzenstein, Smitu Kothari, and Uday Mehta; Bibliography; Index.