Federalizing India in the Age of Globalization, by M. P. Singh and Rekha Saxena.

Abstract

The Indian federalist system is a unique variant of federalism. Introduced by the British in 1935 and fueled by the popularity of federalism in the twentieth century as practical for a heterogeneous society, the Indian constitution framers decided on a distribution of powers between the center and the states. The uniqueness was that the constitution recognized a strong central government that directed the economy and could exercise certain legislative and executive powers over the states in times of need. Although designed as a federal system, the Indian constitution refers to it as the Union government, and is considered a centralized federation (Singh and Verney 2003). In Federalizing India in the Age of Globalization, the authors M. P. Singh and R. Saxena adopt an analytical approach to explain the development and expand understanding of federalism in India. The authors argue that this book is “the first comprehensive and systematic study of the processes of greater federalization of the Indian political system since the early 1990s” (p. ix). Chapter 1 begins with a discussion of the devolutionary decentralization in precolonial India followed by a review of the political system in British India. Chapter 2 is a comparative examination of the concept of federalism in the United States, Canada, and other countries in an attempt to draw on some commonalities and explain why a federal system of government works better for India. The authors allude to the conditions of federalism as propounded by other political scientists and expand these in the Indian context in Chapter 3. Here nationalism, multiculturalism, and federalism are explained taking into account cultural, religious, linguistic, and ethnic diversities. Noteworthy in this chapter is the discussion of the shifting territories and boundaries of the states against this diversity resulting in a push for more federal democracy through a separation of powers, and the rise of a capitalist society due to global influences. In Chapter 4, the authors discuss six indicators of increased federalization in India by underlining the decline in the central dominance over state administrative and legislative matters, the increased involvement and interest of state governments in treaties with other nations and private organizations, and increased push for functional autonomy by state governments. The authors argue that factors such as increase in the number of political parties and transformation of multiparty configuration with federal coalitions have brought about these changes. They also argue that liberalization of economic policies that led to privatization of most industries resulting in globalization and influx of global companies is another reason for the increased federalization. In the same vein, changes in judicial review and behavior pertaining to important constitutional items also are a factor in the increased federalization in India. Chapter 5 is a very interesting discussion of the formation of states in the pre-British period, during the British period, and reorganization of states post independence in 1947, with the most recent one in 2000 and another brewing in the form of Telangana in south India. Cultural and religious heterogeneity and economic disparities characterize each state, and a major reason for reorganization of states. Furthermore, this chapter briefly touches on models of state making (pp. 72–73) along linguistic lines that could be applicable in the Indian context. The authors, however, caution this trend by stating that the difference in representation between north and south India, creation of new states as a political strategy to satisfy certain groups, special status enjoyed by certain states that previously witnessed violent insurgencies, and the multitude of religion, castes, and ethnicities within each state cannot possibly be addressed through fragmentation and reorganization. Chapter 6 discusses in detail the asymmetries with respect to the constitutional provisions accorded to the states of Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland, political asymmetries in terms of state representation in the national parliament, and fiscal asymmetries in the distribution of funds among states. Chapter 7 discusses the role of the federal second chamber, the Rajya Sabha, in the Indian Parliament in effectively representing each state’s plurality. This chamber has very little power and therefore, the authors question if its representational imbalance could be reduced through reconstitution, which then could lead to effective representations of the diversity within each state. In Chapter 8, the authors discuss the transformation of the judiciary from restraint to activism by citing federal–state and interstate disputes. The authors discuss intergovernmental relations (IGR) in Chapter 9 in the context of the executive relationships in policy making and implementation in the central and state levels. It can be understood from the discussion that besides competition by the economically developed states to attract more investors post 1991 economic reforms, not much have changed in the arena of IGR. Then in Chapter 10, the authors talk about the active participation by some state governments in the forging of international treaties by the central government, even resorting to judicial intervention in opposition to certain international agreements that were against their political ideology. In the absence of an institutionalized consultation or collaboration process between the center and the states, tensions in the center–state relationships often occur. Chapter 11 discusses the role of the centralized election commission, an autonomous body that is external to the government, and responsible for holding elections in a uniform manner, which is nondiscriminatory in nature, and allows for partnerships with local administration. The authors highlight the activism displayed by this commission as necessary in a fragmented society and for the success of electoral democracy. In Chapter 12, the authors explain the transformation in the party systems from single-party dominance to the rise of multiparty system with increased instances of minority government or coalition government, all of which contributed to increased federalization through power sharing and integration. However, the authors also recognize the multitude of pressures on the executive, and suggest electoral and party reforms akin to Canada, and active interventions by the intergovernmental bodies in generating federal consensus. In the last chapter, the authors describe briefly the development of local governments and their relationship with the center and go on to highlight the increase in democratic decentralization with increased self-governance and inclusivity to gender and castes. In sum, throughout this book, the authors advance explanatory factors for the increased federalization trends in India. In doing so, they bring to our attention several important issues, such as multiparty coalitions, competitive federalism, fiscal federalism, regionalization, judicial activism, and so forth, which are transforming the Indian political and administrative processes. The authors took pain in researching the historic basis that makes the changes more striking albeit somewhat distracting or informative based on one’s perspective. Yet, blending India’s rich history with the modern challenges of operating a country marked by plurality in every sphere is what makes this book so interesting and distinguishes it from other books on federalism. Features that are significant but not captured in this book well enough are the roles of the media and the civil society. While civil society is mentioned in the passing in the conclusion section, it could have been discussed in detail as a distinct chapter considering the important activist role that this sector has played in the Indian context. Nevertheless, this book is a comprehensive discussion of the changes in India’s political systems resulting in an evolving federalism. The judicious blend of rigidity and flexibility in operations offered by the constitution without any changes to its basic structure has equipped the Indian federal system with the strength to withstand any challenges of time.