Courtesy: arabia.msn.com
The right to be heard and to dissent is crucial in a democracy but they come with responsibilities. The current anti-government protests are being mobilised by partisan-players with a political stake and could jeopardise Pakistan’s hard-won democracy
Courtesy: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
'Getting India back on track: An Action Agenda for Reform' prescribes the revival of India’s economic growth as the number one priority for the new government
Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
Why does politics now exercise so much influence over markets? The answer starts with the breakdown of economic growth models that relied on high commodity prices, low interest rates, and other global windfalls
Courtesy: Owlpacino
Although the histories, levels of economic development, and critical issues of India and the U.S. are different, the confrontational party politics in their political systems pose similar challenges. Both countries can learn from the experience of federalism of the other to take their national agendas forward
Courtesy: Wikimedia
The birth of Telangana was a fall-out of the politics of opportunism practiced by both regional and national parties. The idea of federalism in India has to be conscious of these fault lines as they do not bode well for aspirations of cooperative federalism
Courtesy: Wikipedia
India’s federalism sees territory as fixed space through which power is distributed. We must instead imagine a federalism of time, a non-linear layering that reverses the heliocentrism of the State. It will give us models of disorder to create a diversity-sensitive system, and a new prism to re-imagine India’s future
Courtesy: Synthesio.com
Many Arab Republics are mired in political discord after the departure of the old tyrannical regimes opened up spaces for new struggles. In Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan, attempts to address the turmoil through constitutional reform are facing challenges. Will a democratic federalism be attained when the battles are done?
Courtesy: wikimedia\commons
Brazil follows a more decentralised form of federalism and gives special importance to the municipalities. Porto Alegre’s successful 'participatory budgeting' is a role model for the world. India can learn from both the positive and negative aspects of the Brazilian system
Courtesy: Wikimedia
A powerful National Counter Terrorism Centre may appear to contravene the federal spirit, but it is a necessary step. The opposition of several state governments to the potential encroachment upon their powers by the NCTC can be addressed if the centre and states share the responsibility of combating terrorism
Courtesy: in.com
The government in New Delhi can address roadblocks in centre-state relations in various ways: by allowing fiscal federalism through such measures as a reallocation of resources; customising central schemes to state-specific needs; and by formulating policies through consultation, not confrontation