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Successive Indian governments have remained committed to market-oriented reform since its introduction in 1991. In a well-argued and controversial examination of the political dynamics that underlie that commitment, Jenkins challenges existing theories of the relationship between democracy and economic liberalization. He contends that while democracy and liberalization are no longer considered incompatible, the new thinking emphasizes the wholesome aspects of democracy, downplaying the temptations of populism and its reliance on obfuscatory tactics in defusing political resistance. In fact, the author argues, it is through such political maneuvering that democracy survives.
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Democratic Politics and Economic Reform in India Rob Jenkins CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Democratic Politics and Economic Reform in India Successive Indian governments from a variety of political persuasions have remained committed to market-oriented reform since its introduction in 1991. In a well-argued, accessible and often controversial examination of the political dynamics which underlie that commitment, Rob Jenkins takes issue with existing theories of the relationship between democracy and economic liberalisation, while also engaging with key debates concerning the nature of civil society and the functionality of political institutions. He contends that while democracy and liberalisation are no longer considered incompatible, recent theorising overemphasises democracy’s more wholesome aspects while underestimating its practitioners’ reliance on obfuscatory tactics to defuse political resistance to policy shifts. By focusing on formal institutions such as party and electoral systems, existing research ignores the value of informal political institutions. In India these institutions have driven economic elites towards adaptation, negotiation and compromise, while allowing governing elites to divide opponents of reform through a range of political machinations. These include shifting blame, surreptitiously compensating selected interests, betraying the trust of political allies, and cloaking policy change in the guise of continuity. Rather than simply denouncing democracy’s dark underside, Jenkins argues that promoting change routinely requires governments to employ the underhanded tactics and impure motivations which all politics breed, but only democracy can tame. ro b j e n k i ns teaches in the Department of Politics and Sociology at Birkbeck College, University of London. Contemporary South Asia 5 Editorial board JAN BRE MAN, G. P. HAWT HORN, AYES H A JALA L, PATR IC IA JEF FE RY, ATU L KOH LI , D HARMA KUM AR Contemporary South Asia has been established to publish books on the politics, society and culture of South Asia since 1947. In accessible and comprehensive studies, authors who are already engaged in researching speciWc aspects of South Asian society explore a wide variety of broad-ranging and topical themes. The series will be of interest to anyone who is concerned with the study of South Asia and with the legacy of its colonial past. 1 Ayesha Jalal, Democracy and Authoritarianism in South Asia: A Comparative and Historical Perspective 0 521 478626 (paperback) 2 Jan Breman, Footloose Labour: Working in India’s Informal Economy 0 521 560837 (hardback) 0 521 568242 (paperback) 3 Roger JeVery and Patricia JeVery, Population, Gender and Politics: Demographic Change in Rural North India 0 521 46116 2 (hardback) 0 521 46653 9 (paperback) 4 Oliver Mendelsohn and Marika Vicziany, The Untouchables: Subordination, Poverty and the State in Modern India 0 521 55362 8 (hardback) 0 521 55671 6 (paperback) Democratic Politics and Economic Reform in India Rob Jenkins Birkbeck College, University of London PUBLISHED BY CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS (VIRTUAL PUBLISHING) FOR AND ON