Course Objective: This course acquaints students with the constitutional design of states structures and institutions, and their actual working over time. The Indian Constitution accommodates conflicting impulses (of liberty and justice, territorial decentralization and a strong union, for instance) within itself. The course traces the embodiment of some of these conflicts in constitutional provisions, and shows how these have played out in political practice.
It further encourages a study of state institutions in their mutual interaction, and in interaction with the larger extra-constitutional environment.
READING LIST
· G. Austin, (2010) ‘The Constituent Assembly: Microcosm in Action’, in The IndianConstitution: Cornerstone of a Nation, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 15th print, pp.1 25.
· R. Bhargava, (2008) ‘Introduction: Outline of a Political Theory of the Indian Constitution’, in R. Bhargava (ed.) Politics and Ethics of the Indian Constitution, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 1-40.
· D. Basu, (2012) Introduction to the Constitution of India, New Delhi: Lexis Nexis.
· S. Chaube, (2009) The Making and Working of the Indian Constitution, Delhi: National Book Trust.
· G. Austin, (2000) ‘The Social Revolution and the First Amendment’, in Working a DemocraticConstitution, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 69-98.A. Sibal, (2010) ‘From Niti to Nyaya,’ Seminar, Issue 615, pp 28-34.
· The Constitution of India: Bare Act with Short Notes, (2011) New Delhi: Universal, pp. 4-16.
· B. Shankar and V. Rodrigues, (2011) ‘The Changing Conception of Representation: Issues, Concerns and Institutions’, in The Indian Parliament: A Democracy at Work, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 105-173.V.
· Hewitt and S. Rai, (2010) ‘Parliament’, in P. Mehta and N. Jayal (eds.) The OxfordCompanion to Politics in India, New Delhi: Ox.Univ. Press, pp. 28-42.
· J. Manor, (2005) ‘The Presidency’, in D. Kapur and P. Mehta P. (eds.) Public Institutions in India, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp.105-127.J.
· Manor, (1994) ‘The Prime Minister and the President’, in B. Dua and J. Manor (eds.) Nehru to the Nineties: The Changing Office of the Prime Minister in India, Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, pp. 20-47.
· H. Khare, (2003) ‘Prime Minister and the Parliament: Redefining Accountability in the Age of Coalition Government’, in A. Mehra and G. Kueck (eds.) The Indian Parliament: AComparative Perspective, New Delhi: Konark, pp. 350-368.
· U. Baxi, (2010) ‘The Judiciary as a Resource for Indian Democracy’, Seminar,
Issue 615, pp. 61-67.
· R. Ramachandran, (2006) ‘The Supreme Court and the Basic Structure Doctrine’ in B. Kirpalet.al (eds.) Supreme but not Infallible: Essays in Honour of the Supreme Court of India, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 107-133.
· L. Rudolph and S. Rudolph, (2008) ‘Judicial Review Versus Parliamentary Sovereignty’, in Explaining Indian Institutions: A Fifty Year Perspective, 1956- 2006: Volume 2: The Realm of Institutions: State Formation and Institutional Change. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 183-210.14
· M. Singh, and R. Saxena (eds.), (2011) ‘Towards Greater Federalization,’ in Indian Politics: Constitutional Foundations and Institutional Functioning, Delhi: PHI Learning Private Ltd., pp. 166-195.
· V. Marwah, (1995) ‘Use and Abuse of Emergency Powers: The Indian Experience’, in B. Arora and D. Verney (eds.) Multiple Identities in a Single State: Indian Federalism in a Comparative Perspective, Delhi: pp. 136-159.
· B. Sharma, (2010) ‘The 1990s: Great Expectations’; ‘The 2000s: Disillusionment Unfathomable’, in Unbroken History of Broken Promises: Indian State and Tribal People, Delhi: Freedom Press and Sahyog Pustak Kuteer, pp. 64-91.
· R. Dhavan and R. Saxena, (2006) ‘The Republic of India’, in K. Roy, C. Saunders and J. Kincaid (eds.) A Global Dialogue on Federalism, Volume 3, Montreal: Queen’s University Press, pp. 166-197.
· R. Manchanda, (2009) The No Nonsense Guide to Minority Rights in South Asia,
Delhi: Sage Publications, pp. 105-109.
· P. deSouza, (2002) ‘Decentralization and Local Government: The Second Wind of Democracy in India’, in Z. Hasan, E. Sridharan and R. Sudarshan (eds.) India’s Living Constitution: Ideas, Practices and Controversies, New Delhi: Permanent Black, pp. 370-404.
· M. John, (2007) ‘Women in Power? Gender, Caste and Politics of Local Urban Governance’, in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 42(39), pp. 3986-3993.
· Raghunandan, J. R (2012) Decentralization and local governments: The Indian Experience, Orient Black Swan, New Delhi
· Baviskar, B.S and George Mathew (eds) 2009 Inclusion and Exclusion in local governance: Field Studies from rural India, New Delhi, Sage
· Paul, Nayak and Sarmah, Bharatar Rajanaitik Byabastha, Arun Prakashan, Guwahati.
Course Objective: This course is divided into five units. The units introduce the students to the idea of political theory, its history and approaches, and an assessment of its critical and contemporary trends. Further the last two units tend to reconcile political theory and practice through reflections on the ideas and practices related to State, Citizenship and Democracy.
Reading List:
· Bhargava, R. (2008) ‘What is Political Theory’, in Bhargava, R and Acharya, A.
(eds.) Political Theory: An Introduction. New Delhi: Pearson Longman, pp. 2-16.
· Bellamy, R. (1993) ‘Introduction: The Demise and Rise of Political Theory’, in Bellamy, R.(ed.) Theories and Concepts of Politics. New York: Manchester University Press, pp. 1-14.
· Glaser, D. (1995) ‘Normative Theory’, in Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (eds.) Theory and Methods in Political Science. London: Macmillan, pp. 21-40.
· Sanders, D. (1995) ‘Behavioral Analysis’, in Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (eds.)
Theory and Methods in Political Science. London: Macmillan, pp. 58-75.
· Chapman, J. (1995) ‘The Feminist Perspective’, in Marsh, D. and Stoker, G.
(eds.) Theory and Methods in Political Science. London: Macmillan, pp. 94-114.
· Bharghava, R, ‘Why Do We Need Political Theory’, in Bhargava, R. and
Acharya, A. (eds.)
· Political Theory: An Introduction. New Delhi: Pearson Longman, pp. 17-36.
· Bannett, J. (2004) ‘Postmodern Approach to Political Theory’, in Kukathas, Ch. and Gaus,
· G. F. (eds.) Handbook of Political Theory. New Delhi: Sage, pp. 46-54.
· Vincent, A. (2004) The Nature of Political Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004, pp.19-80.
· Srinivasan, J. (2008) ‘Democracy’, in Bhargava, R. and Acharya, A. (eds.)
Political Theory:An Introduction. New Delhi: Pearson Longman, pp. 106-128.
· Owen, D. (2003) ‘Democracy’, in Bellamy, R. and Mason, A. (eds.) Political Concepts.Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, pp. 105-117.
· Christiano, Th. (2008) ‘Democracy’, in Mckinnon, C. (ed.) Issues in Political Theory, NewYork: Oxford University Press, pp. 80-96.
· Arblaster, A. (1994) Democracy. (2nd Edition). Buckingham: O. U. Press.
· Roy, A. ‘Citizenship’, in Bhargava, R. and Acharya, A. (eds.) Political Theory: An Introduction. New Delhi: Pearson Longman, pp. 130-146.
· Brighouse, H. (2008) ‘Citizenship’, in Mckinnon, C. (ed.) Issues in Political Theory, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 241-258.
· Andrew Heywood, Political Ideologies: An Introduction, P. Macmillan, 2012
· Gauba, O.P., An Introduction to Political Theory, MacMillan India, Delhi, 2007
· Dutta, A. R., Political Theory: Issues and Debates, Arun Prakashan, Ghy. 2011
· Paul and Nayak, Rajanaitik Twatwa, Arun Prakashan, Guwahati