2. Civil Society, democracy Philosophical Thoughts.pdf

Philosophical Thought, 2015

One of the recent remarkable movements, known as Civil Societal Movement led by Anna Hazaare and his associates on the issue of ‘Lokpal Bill’ has thrown some fresh challenges to the democratic governance in India. It has posed some important questions, such as– what is the relation between democracy and civil society? Are such kinds of civil societal movements beneficial or harmful to democracy? The interesting impact of such movements may be discussed from two aspects. From one hand, it may be argued that these civil societal movements take an enormous role in promoting or enhancing the mode of mass participation in politics. Since mass participation is regarded as one of the most important ingredients of democracy, the significance of civil society should be acknowledged from this point of view. Contrary to this arguement, such movements often appear as a profound challenge against the existing political order including an order based on democratic system. For example, the basic demand of the movement formed by Hazaare and his associates was to appoint a Lokpal, a formal constitutional body even over a democratically elected government to ensure corruption-free good governance. Hence, it may be argued that the relation between democracy and civil society is complex as well as amorphous. The object of this article is to introspect to the complex interrelation between democracy, political participation and civil society.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2014

Civil society in Independent India has perhaps never been as active as it is today, except in the years before and during the emergency. We explore the role it has played in strengthening and deepening democracy. We focus largely on the work done on introducing transparency, and on raising voter awareness. As a result of this work, a lot of public data is available on the extent of crime and money in elections and politics. We analyze this and point out some implications for democracy and good governance. A brief outline of developments since Independence shows that the number of parties has grown considerably along with crime and money. As the number of parties, it became possible to win elections with a lower vote share, making it easy for big money to influence or buy a smaller fraction of votes. Meanwhile as population grew, an elected MP now represents over 15 lakh voters on average, and an MLA over 2 lakh. This is the largest number by far anywhere in the world. The data on candidates and elected representatives' criminal and financial record is analyzed in this context. It shows that the chances of winning increase considerably for candidates with more wealth. Unfortunately it also shows that those with serious criminal cases pending against them also have a higher chance of winning. The average wealth of over 62,800 candidates analyzed is Rs.1.37 crores, which goes up to Rs. 2.03 crores for third place candidates, Rs.2.47 crores for runners up, Rs.3.8 crores for winners, Rs.4.27 crores for winners with a criminal record, and Rs.4.38 crores for winners with serious criminal cases. Meanwhile, data from India's largest ever citizen survey of over 262,000 people on various aspects of governance show that people are unhappy with Government. There are gaps in the roles civil society has played so far, and some strategic choices it needs to make. We discuss the way forward in this context. If this is done well, change is possible.

2003

PREFACE INTRODUCTION PART I CONCEPTUALIZING CIVIL SOCIETY: MODES OF CIVIL SOCIETY, THE IDEA OF CIVIL SOCIETY, RETHINKING THE PUBLIC SPHERE A CONTRIBUTION OF THE CRITIQUE OF ACTUALLY EXISTING DEMOCRACY, CIVIL SOCIETIES LIBERALISM AND THE MORAL USES OF PLURALISM, BOWLING IN THE BRONX THE UNCIVIL INTERSTICES BETWEEN CIVIL AND POLITICAL SOCIETY, BEYOND THE NATION? OR WITHIN?, CIVIL SOCIETY CULTURAL POSSIBILITY OF A MODERN IDEAL, CIVIL SOCIETY AND ITS INSTITUTIONS, CIVIL SOCIETY AND ITS AVATARS, CIVIL SOCIETY OR THE STATE WHAT HAPPENED TO CITIZENSHIP?, THE CIVIL AND THE POLITICAL IN CIVIL SOCIETY PART II CIVIL SOCIETY AND DEMOCRACY: EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATIONS: IN SEARCH OF CIVIL SOCIETY MARKET REFORM AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA, CIVIL SOCIETY AND OTHER POLITICAL POSSIBILITIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, CIVIL SOCIETY, CONTESTATION AND CITIZEN ACTION IN INDIA, THE COFFEE HOUSE AND THE ASHRAM, GANDHI, CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE PUBLIC SPHERES, DEMOCRACY, SOCIAL CAPITAL AN D CI VIL SOCIETY IN I...

2008

Civil society has become one of the key parts of the reference framework for governance, seeking to replace traditional public action in which representative democracy is combined with bureaucratic implementation. The success of the civil-society myth contrasts with and consequently manifests itself in the problems of political and social legitimacy and representation. This book assesses the shift in the meaning and application of civil society, from citizen protests to its incorporation into public action. It examines the diversity of interpretations and uses of civil society in different political contexts and seeks to understand the reasons for its surfacing and its multiple forms in political discourse. The authors critically analyse and compare how different types of regimes in countries such as Italy, France and the UK, Poland and Czechoslovakia, South Africa, China, India and Chile have incorporated or otherwise responded to the new discourse. Analysing the surfacing and uses of civil society, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, analysts, policy-makers, non-profit think tanks and organisations interested in comparative international studies on the third sector.

"The concept of civil society in India, (even as an attempt to establish civility) which gained public attention in the 1980s, was essentially seen as the opposite of despotism. Since then, it seems that it is not the ‘State’ but the ‘Society’ that has emerged as the driving wheel of the political history of India. Why has this shift occurred in the late 1980s in Indian political scenario? The particular line of thinking that the author intends to pursue in this paper is shared by some other social scientists who have tried to define what is new in the new social movements: they are “the main route to shifting political action in civil society from the current condition of mainly isolated, local initiatives, easily ignored by the power structure and vulnerable to manipulation and co-option. The document explores the various socio-economic factors, which were mainly the contributing factors for the civil societal intervention in the mid 1970s in India. The author also presents a case study, which makes a modest attempt to critically appraise the role of civil society in contemporary governance debate in India, in general, by studying the Mazdoor Kiasn Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), Rajasthan, in particular."

Asian Journal of Social Science, 2014

The concept of civil society in India, even as an attempt to establish civility which gained public attention in the 1980s, was essentially seen as the opposite of despotism. Since then, it seems that it is not the ‘State’ but the ‘Society’ that has emerged as the driving wheel of the political history of India. Why has this shift occurred in the late 1980s in Indian political scenario? As M. P. Singh has put it “the tragedy of the Indian state is that it has become over-loaded even before it has started to provide welfare to its citizens and it has lapsed into ungoverned ability even before it ever started to govern properly. This was further deteriorated by the then political elites; those who were the victims of their own misunderstanding, not only of the Indian tradition but also of independent India’s model of development.”1 These scenarios will be unpacked in a section to follow. Let us for the time being note that for over two decades now, there has been a deluge of writings on various civil society initiatives in India. My general contention is that we can identify the growth of civil society in the Indian context, by looking at the various modes of social movements/non-party political formations, processes/grassroots - movements/mass based organizations as social-action groups. Let me at this point provide two definitions of civil society, which will help us mainly to substantiate the wider arguments of this paper.

Contemporary South Asia, 2014

We are living in rapidly changing times. Rapid economic growth is spreading across much of Asia today. India is being proclaimed to be one of the future economic superpowers of the world. New patterns of production and consumption are sweeping across the country. The wave of liberalization and globalization has created new industries and new opportunities. The service sector has begun to dominate the Indian economy, leaving agriculture and manufacturing/industrial sectors way behind. There is a new buzz of optimism and energy cutting across our society today. In this progressive environment, there is also the stark reality of hunger, poverty, and deprivation. Nearly a third of India's districts are facing growing violence feeding on such frustrations of the youth. Around the world, security concerns are dominating policymakers. Terrorism in its myriad manifestations is spreading across the globe. Rapid economic growth is associated with growing inequalities of income & wealth, around regions, countries, and communities. Environmental degradation and climate change are other consequences of this growth trajectory. In this milieu, new societal challenges are emerging; and many of the old challenges have been persisting. Governments are attempting to balance policies for change with a measure of continuity. Unlike an earlier era where governments, especially democratic ones, were seen as agencies working to bring about improvements in the lives of their people, they are now becoming a part of the problem. Democratic accountability and efficient use of public resources are the twin challenges of modern states, including the Indian state. In some respects, the new era has legitimized the roles of the for-profit private sector in contributing to this rapid economic growth.

2014

Professor Valerian Rodrigues takes part in the exchange program A new passage to India and visited the Institute for Political Science and Sociology (IPS) this summer for the second time. He held a class on "Politics in India" and, furthermore, co-chaired the class "Problems of the Constitutional Democracy" with PD Dr Michael Becker. Moreover he held various lectures, including speeches in a series of lectures on "Diversity" and, at the conference "Exploring Emerging India". The article "Elections and Civil Society in India" published in this volume combines the scripts of both events. We are grateful to Lukas Lemm for editing work on the text.