Democratic Political Process

The first five decades spanning the second half of the 20th century provided. both for the global society and India's constitutional democracy, crucial take off points of rapid social change. On the process dimensions of democracy. India has established itself as a vibrant and yet stable democracy characterized by smooth transitions of power, multi-party system, and universal adult  franchise. Some aberrations such as the proclamation of an Emergency and suspension of human rights were nipped in the bud through the democratic mode. We had also learnt the lesson that for development to take rapid strides we need to involve the people through decentralized structures and participative mechanisms. Thus we had added the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution heralding participatory development. We have registered a multi-pronged process of development. But for the question whether our development was on the right track and moving at the pace matching our national endowment, and without any contra-indicators, there emerged a consensus that an all-round decadence has set in. It appears vividly even to that naked eye of the citizens. Against this backdrop, the present volume highlights the issues and concerns that confront the nation under two broad themes : democratic polity and participatory development. The volume contains a collection of fourteen research papers and articles contributed by renowned academics, administrators and activists. Areas of discussion include : Engendering Democratic Politics in India; Party System, Electoral Process and Public Concerns; Political Leadership; People's Democracy; Public Policy Perspectives; Fourth Tier in Indian Federalism; Crisis in Indian Polity; Infrastructure for Universal Education; Domestication and Liberation in Education; Women in Grassroots Decentralised Educational Administration; Voluntary Organisations and Rural Development; Rural Employment Programmes and Synergetic Action for Participatory Development.

M.R. Biju (b.1965), Director of Asian Institute of Development Reseach and recipient of the Post-Doctoral Research Award of the University Grants Commission, is a prolific writer on socio-political and developmental issues. He has published twelve out-standing books and seventy-eight research papers in prestigious journals. Some of these have been abstracted in the International Political Science Abstracts, Paris. He is also editing an international journal- South Asian Journal of Socio-Political Studies (SAJOSPS) - and working as Member, Associate Board of the renowned Management Journal. Economics and Management (E+M) published by the Technical University of Liberce, Czech Republic. His books include (1) Politics of Democracy and Decentralization in India (1997),  (2) Dynamics of New Panchayati Raj System Reflections and Retrospections (1998), (3) Parliamentary Democracy and Political Change in India (1999), (4) India's Foreign Policy: Towards a New Millennium (2000) (5) Human Rights in a Developing Society (2006), (6) Decentralization: The Indian Experience (2007), (7) Women's Empowarment: Politics and Policies (2006), (8) Development Management under Globalization (2006) (9) Sustainable Dimensions of Tourism Management (10) Resurgent Rural India-Decade After the Constitutionalization of Panchayati Raj (2006) (11) New Horizons of Indian Foreign Policy and (12) Good Governance and Administrative Practices.     Dr. Biju obtained his PhD on Panchayati Raj in Kerala in 1991 and started his career in the Institute of Social Science, New Delhi in a research project. In 1994 he joined the faculty of Post-Graduate and Research Department of Political Science. Currently he is a Reader there, Sree Narayana College, Kollam, University of Kerala. Dr. Biju has successfully guided doctoral students of University of Kerala. In 2004, he was conferred with PDF by the UGC for his exemplary contributions in the field of decentralized governance of India.