The Government And Politics Of India

Account of the contemporary Indian political system

This revised edition of the bestselling textbook explains the development, activities and complexities of Indian government and politics and its contemporary aspects. Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, Indian Government and Politics, 2e, offers a refreshingly creative interpretation of foundational ideas, key institutions, democratic processes and states' responses to public aspirations. It unearths new areas of inquiry by posing pertinent questions on the nature of Indian politics and functioning of the government. The book studies how the political institutions have emerged and changed since the end of the colonial rule in the country. Its strength lies in its focused content and analytical rigour that help readers to critically engage with the political happenings in India. This edition will continue to serve as a standard textbook for UG and PG students of political science and public administration. It will also act as an incisive manual for UPSC and civil service aspirants. Key Features: - Continues to help build a solid theoretical--conceptual foundation on the nature and texture of Indian politics - Thoroughly updated and revised chapters to reflect recent developments in Indian politics - Six additional chapters on the nature of Indian state, fundamental rights and directive principles of state policy, public services, electoral process, corruption and machinery for redressal of public grievances and social movements - Introduction of pedagogical features such as Did You Know boxes, brief bio-notes of eminent writers of Indian politics and mid-chapter exercises to aid self-learning and assessment

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1974.

The Government and Politics of India provides a clear and concise account of the contemporary Indian political system. It explains the historical legacies that have shaped the structures of Indian government and influenced the patterns of its politics. It describes the network of Indian institutions at federal and provincial level. It conveys a sense of where power is located, how it is used and the constraints on its exercise. Special attention is devoted to caste, religion and regionalism in Indian society and to the nature of democratic politics in relation to Third World development.

Framed within a perspective of the entire political process, this book closely examines the legal provisions of the Constitution of India, as well as the role and functions of other agencies and groups that influence policies and laws. It also looks at historical and contemporary cases to illuminate the philosophy behind the Constitution, the role of various social groups, the functioning of the government and the evolution of our politics. Written in a lucid and familiar style, this book assumes no background in the subject, and an extensive glossary explains unfamiliar terms and complex concepts.

Hardgrave discusses the problems of political development as shown through the experience of India. He examines India's struggle for independence and national unity, its experience with democratic political institutions, and its efforts to establish itself as a power in South Asia and the world. Although the book reflects a particular theoretical perspective, it is not essentially theoretical in either content or purpose. It is designed to provide a sense of the cultural and historical milieu in which political developments take place and to give a balanced treatment of structure and process, of institutions and behavior, and of policy and performance in Indian politics. India reflects the growing importance of non-Western nations and provides the framework in which problems of political development common to a major portion of the world are explored. ISBN 0-15-541353-8 (pbk.).

Following India’s general election in May 2009, this book undertakes a critical evaluation of the performance of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). It presents a thorough analysis of the UPA coalition government, and by providing an understanding of the new innovations in the UPA’s policies, the book goes on to evaluate the effectiveness of these policies against their aims and objectives. This book suggests that there is an analytical framework for assessing the political consequences of the policies and the UPA’s success, both at the national and state levels, with particular reference to new policies in governance, secularism and security. These three areas constitute important fault lines between the main national political parties in India, and provide an interesting point of departure to explore the new emerging trends, as well as the strong underlying continuities between the UPA administration and its predecessors. The book offers new insights into the structure of Indian politics, and is a useful contribution to studies in South Asian Politics, Governance and Political Parties.