Comparative Politics: India
India Today: Political Culture
- A dominant state that promotes pan-Indian middle class consciousness - Caste system - A village society: most Indians live in villages that are heavily bypassed by national politics and development - A society of violence: political, social and religious conflicts regularly lead to physical violence - Rising frustrations: Many urban middle class Indians find that the more they want, and as their lives improve, they find it harder to compromise...
Foreign Policy
- By virtue of its size and location, India is a major regional power - Central to India's regional policy has been its relationship with Pakistan over Kashmir - Supports UN peacekeeping missions - A founder and member of the Non-aligned nations (founders: Nehru, Tito and Nasser)
Parties
- Congress Dominant (1947-1967) - Congress Divided (1967-1977) - The Janata Coalition (1977-1980) - The Gandhis Return (1980-1989) - Congress in Opposition (1989-1991) - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): Prime Minister Modi's party - Communist Party - Others
Elections and Parties
- General Elections - State Elections
Culturally:
The country is highly diverse
Population:
Over 1 billion
Urban-Rural:
Over 70% live in rural India and the rest in cities (what are the implication of this ratio developmentally?)
Sub-national Government
- India is a federal republic with 28 states and 7 Union territories - Every state (like the US) has its own government - The state governments work mutually (symbiotically) with the Union Government (as in the US), but - The Union government has control over defense, foreign affairs and income tax - In a conflict between the Union and the states, Union law always prevails - The Union government has the power to change the boundaries of states - The president of India, on the "advice" of a state governor can declare a state of emergency - An emergency can be declared if a state fails to comply with a law passed by Parliament, thereby forcing that state to comply
Political System
- India is a federal republic with a parliamentary system of government - It is also the world's largest democracy
The President
- Is elected for a renewable five-year term by an electoral college made up of members of both Houses of Parliament and of the state legislatures - "Appoints" the prime minister and members of the Council of Ministers (all the president actually does is confirm as prime minister the leader of the largest party or coalition of parties) - Can step in to arbitrate following an indecisive election
The Legislature: Parliament Rajya Sabha (Council of State)
- Is the Upper House - Designed to represent the states - It has 245 members - 12 are appointed by the president to represent the professions of sciences and Arts - The balance are elected for six-year terms by the members of the state legislatures, using a proportional representation method
Lok Sabha (House of the People)
- Is the more powerful of the two chambers - It has 545 members, elected from single-member districts by universal suffrage for a maximum of five-year terms - 523 are elected by voters in the states - 20 are elected by voters in the union territories - 2 seats are reserved by Anglo-Indians - Meets at least twice a year
Policies and Policymaking
- Population studies suggest that there is opposite (inverse) relationship between population growth rates and economic development - As societies become wealthier and more urbanized, government provides more in the way of social security. - Women marry later in life - Children become more expensive to raise and educate - Parents are able to make choices about the number of children they have
The Judiciary: Supreme Court
- The Supreme Court is responsible for interpreting the constitution and arbitrating disputes between the states or between the Union (federal) government and the states - The Court has the power of judicial review, but has less latitude than the US Supreme Court
Social Class
- The most important character of India's social division is caste - A complex Hindu hierarchy, caste is a form of social apartheid - At the bottom of the heap are over 150 million Dalits formerly called untouchables - Mahatma Gandhi called them Harijan: "children of God" why? - See "Human Rights Issues of Minorities in Contemporary India: A Concise Analysis," by Ghatak and Udogu
The Executive: Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers
- The prime minister is generally the leader of the majority party or coalition in Parliament - Appoints and oversees the Council of Ministers - Like the British cabinet, the council consists of the heads and deputy heads of government departments - A notable feature of Indian Prime Ministers is the dominant role of personality - The current Prime Minister is Narendra Modi
Characteristics
- There may be regular elections, but they are often accompanied by violence and fraud. - Indian Prime Ministers have more potentially dictatorial powers than their liberal democratic counterparts - India may be federal in theory, but in practice the central government wields so much power over the states that state governments have little real independence - The rights of individuals may be constitutionally protected, but many minorities still rail against the authority of the central government and the caste system still exists - In spite of recent economic growth and liberalization, the vast majority of Indians live in poverty
Religion
80% Hindu 20% Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians and others Indian has a large Muslim community
Introduction (See Quick Facts p. 343)
Formerly part of British East Indian Colony until 1947 Brief history (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh)
