1,721,985 research outputs found
Book Review: Maya Tudor, The Promise of Power: The Origins of Democracy in India and Autocracy in Pakistan”
No full textBook review of "The Promise of Power: The Origins
of Democracy in India and Autocracy
in Pakistan by Maya Tudor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. 254pp., £59.99 (h/b), ISBN 978110703296
Review of Political Leadership, Nascent Statehood and Democracy. A comparative study, by Urlika Möller and Isabell Schierenbeck
No full textBook review of "Political Leadership, Nascent Statehood and Democracy: A comparative study", by Ulrika Möller and Isabell Schierenbeck, Oxon: Routledge. 2014
Sri Lanka 2016: Does the New Era Continue?
No full textThe year under review witnessed the continuation of the new political phase in Sri
Lanka, which began in 2015 with Mahinda Sirisena’s victory at the presidential
polls and, later in the year, the electoral victory of the United National Front for
Good Governance (UNFGG) led by the United National Party (UNP). The Sirisena
administration and the National Unity Government appeared to be engaged in reestablishing
of the rule of law and the implementation of reconciliation measures.
However, like in 2015, the government’s efforts appeared to often be slow, limited
and hesitant. Nevertheless the Unity Government was able to carry out at least some
substantial democratic reforms.
In foreign policy, Colombo strengthened the relations with the United States and
India but, at the same time, revamped those with Beijing – which had appeared to be
on the wane during 2015.
From an economic point of view, the situation – which at the beginning of the year
under review seemed to be positive and promising – later deteriorated, raising doubts
about the government’s political will and ability to implement economic reforms. Nevertheless,
when presenting the new budget in November, the government’s dual goals
of addressing the systemic weaknesses of the economy and improving the conditions for
the lower social strata were both in evidence
Prophet and Statesman in Crafting Democracy in India. Political Leadership, Ideas, and Compromises
No full textDrawing on expert works, early political and government records, and personal correspondence, Fabio Leone examines the most commonly cited explanations of the unlikely and puzzling democratization of India. He concludes that the creation of Indian democracy is best understood when assessing the combination of capacities and behaviors of the Indian political leadership. Through a theoretical framework, he demonstrates that Indian democratization was the result of successful interplay between a limited number of key leaders, with the main player being Jawaharlal Nehru. Prophet and Statesmen in Crafting Democracy in India offers an explanation of the origins ofIndian democracy that will interest scholars and students of comparative politics, democratization, political leadership, and South Asian politics and history
Sri Lanka 2017: The Uncertain Road of the «Yahapalayanaya» Government?
No full textIn 2017, the Lankan internal situation was a constant cause of difficulty for President
Sirisena and the governing coalition. First, the government was challenged by
the unexpected political initiative of former President Rajapaksa’s «Joint Opposition
». Second, the Tamil communities in the north and the east of the country expressed
their growing frustration and discontent against the government. Finally,
the most distressing development was the rise of Buddhist religious extremism and the
consequent violent attacks against non-Buddhist individuals and groups.
At the economic level, the year under review witnessed a constant improvement of
the economy. Economic reforms were implemented to comply with the demands of the
financial international institutions. Among these reforms, the long-awaited Inland
Revenue Act (IRA) introduced a new tax system characterised by a direct/indirect
taxation ratio favouring direct taxation. Moreover the government presented an ambitious
long-term economic reform program: «Vision 2025: A Rich Country». Among
the main goals of «Vision 2015» were the raising of per capita income; the creation
of jobs; the increase of foreign direct investments; the promotion of exports; the creation
of a more competitive market; the widening of social justice; the promotion of
digitalisation; the implementation of a balance between environmental conservation
and economic development.
As far as foreign policy is concerned, 2017 saw Sri Lanka acting as a «tightrope
walker», striving to keep the balance between India and China, and desperately trying
to avoid being crushed between the two Asian giants. In addition the new US
presidency caused contrasting effects on Sri Lanka-US relations. On the one hand
the existing structures, created to strengthen and deepen the economic and military
bilateral ties, remained in place and continued to properly work. On the other, the
US-Sri Lanka political relations went through a series of problems, mainly caused by
the new US administration’s concerns about Chinese presence in Sri Lanka
Democrazie dinastiche: la famiglia Nehru-Gandhi e la costruzione della democrazia in India
No full textThe political dynasties are present in many countries and in different political systems. This phenomenon is very common in India. There are many unresolved issues relating to this phenomenon. The political dynasties phenomenon has been often criticized end pointed out as an archaic and pre-modern phenomenon: a real obstacle to political and economic development of the countries. Nevertheless, India has been and it is a real and working democracy. Moreover the literature on political dynasties has said surprisingly little about their role and influence on democratization processes. This work is an attempt to address these issues using the Nehru-Gandhi family and its role on the Indian democratization process as case study
Sri Lanka 2018: The Unfinished Drama of Island State Democracy
No full textAs in 2017, the political landscape in Sri Lanka in 2018 appeared to be characterised
by constant difficulty with democracy. First, through an unexpected landslide electoral
victory, the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was back on the political stage and
he was able to challenge the governing coalition and its leaders. Second, the outbreak
of a deep constitutional crisis caused – albeit for a short time – the break-up of the
governing coalition and the appointment of Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister.
As far as foreign policy is concerned, 2018 witnessed the continuation of Sri Lanka
acting as a «tightrope walker», striving to maintain its metaphorical balance between
India and China. Moreover, the year under review saw the government’s efforts
to develop new ties with Asian countries such as Japan, Pakistan and Iran. In
addition, Sri Lanka developed new links with international economic and security
organisations in order to pursue its goal of becoming a significant political and
economic hub in the Indian Ocean.
At economic level, the year under review saw a further weakening in economic
performances. There were also some moderately positive outcomes (the government was
able to keep the public finances in order and to increase state revenues, and positive
steps in the reform process towards increased revenue-based fiscal consolidation were
recorded). However, these positives outcomes were put at risk by the worsening of the
economic trends, caused by the uncertainty and instability due to the constitutional
crisis of the last months of the year
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