Exploring the Nature of Collective Action in the Neoliberal Context in India (original) (raw)
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The growing role of civil society organisations in contemporary India
"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."
On Civil Society, Again: Civil Society, State and Public Policy in South India
Studies in Indian Politics, 2014
It is often assumed that civil society’s influence on governance can only be complementary to the state and that it must be exercised through conciliatory approaches. But contrary to that assumption, a study of civil society organizations in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh shows that the civil society may attempt to influence governance process through multiple strategies. These include conciliatory approaches, adversarial approaches and a combination of both, depending on the issue or policy on which the influence is sought to be exercised. This article illustrates this by taking the examples of two intermediary NGOs: one from Karnataka and the other from Andhra Pradesh. The question this article raises is: in the context of globalization and the supposedly prominent role of civil society, how effective are they? This article argues that they still happen to be subsidiary partners in the paradigm of ‘governance-through-networks’. By and large, public policy still happens to be influen...
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.
This article explores the transformative role of civil society in shaping the future governance landscape of India. Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing socio-political context, this study investigates the multifaceted contributions of civil society organizations, advocacy groups, and grassroots initiatives in influencing governance dynamics. The research delves into the mechanisms through which civil society influences policy formulation, promotes transparency, and fosters citizen engagement. Special emphasis is placed on the evolving nature of collaboration between civil society and government institutions, with a focus on innovative approaches, technology integration, and the promotion of inclusivity. Key themes include the
Civil Society and Policy Advocacy in India
2013
Can civil society speak truth to power in Indian democracy? In times when civil society is making headlines every day, this working paper considers some questions regarding the process through which civil society does policy advocacy. Defining civil society as medium and large NGOs, this paper raises some serious questions: When does civil society matter? Can civil society influence public policy? If so, how does it do it? When does it fail? What are the areas in which it can influence policy? What are the areas in which it fails to make any impact? This paper suggests that in attempting to advocate policies to the state i.e., in attempting to speak truth to power, civil society—even when defined as NGOs—does a quintessential political act of engaging the state.
In this article we propose a different approach to the study of neoliberalism. We shift away from institutionally focused accounts of neoliberalism as a strategy of rule, to examine the way citizens engage with neoliberal reform. While there is a burgeoning body of literature on the expansion of civil society, new entrepreneurship and novel governmentalities, not enough is known about the ways the state is restructured by the social processes that follow on from neoliberal reform. How does the to-and-fro between policy makers, state agents and citizens shape emerging projects and what consequences do citizens' actions have for state structure? The article uses two case studies from India: a local governance reform and a new health insurance. Unpacking their multiple unexpected outcomes, we argue that neoliberalism does not represent a discrete set of state practices or ideologies but a set of ideals operating in a political field that is far in excess of it and creates new contestations about how to structure and improve the relations among the state, markets and citizens.
Civil-society debates in India: Civil society against political society?
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.