The Oxford Companion to Politics in India

The Oxford Companion to Politics in India provides one of the most comprehensive and authoritative overview of Indian politics till date. Incorporating the best social science knowledge available on the developments in Indian politics, it provides a methodical exposition of how such issues are
best understood. The contributors-top political scientists from across the world-interweave analytical perspectives with existing influential scholarship to provide a rich narrative of the subjects covered.

The volume has been thematically organized in seven parts. It begins with a survey of the basic institutional framework of politics like Indian Constitution, Parliament, federalism, local governance, and the Indian party system from 1952 to 2009. The essays also examine how non-political
institutions like the Supreme Court of India and Election Commission have shaped Indian politics. They discuss social cleavages like class, caste, and gender as well as regional and religious diversities that create identities and mould politics in various ways. The companion further examines the
political processes through political parties and their performance in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, political mobilization, alliances, and political leadership. Ideological contestations like nationalism, secularism, political representation, and social justice have also been explored in detail.
Highlighting the linkages between social movements and civil society, a section looks into issues related with farmers' movements, women movements, and the role of NGOs in Indian politics. In addition, the volume investigates economic transformations in the country through an analysis of politics,
political economy, government accountability, political economy as well as India's external and defence policies. It concludes with a discussion on various ways of looking at Indian politics.


Author: Niraja Gopal Jayal
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 04/05/2010
Pages: 552
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 4.85lbs
Size: 11.10h x 9.10w x 1.80d
ISBN: 9780195669763

Review Citation(s):
Choice 04/01/2011

About the Author

Niraja Gopal Jayal is Professor at the Center for the Study of Law and Governance at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India and is also Visiting Fellow at the Democracy and Development Program in the Center for Human Values and the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies at Princeton University.

Pratap Bhanu Mehta is President and Chief Executive at the Centre for Policy Research in India. He was former Visiting Professor of Government and Associate Professor of Government and of Social Studies at Harvard University. He als has held a visiting appointment at the University of Pennsylvania.

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