Shaping Policy in India

The book explores the interaction of political parties, bureaucracy, media, judiciary, and civil society groups in shaping policy in contemporary India. By researching the evolution of nine major legislations using a consistent lens, the work interrogates the suitability of existing political theories to explain the policy development process in an emerging economy like India. It covers recent events such as the agitation for the Jan Lokpal Bill and the Nirbhaya case that have underlined the role of non-government players in law-making in India as well as long-standing movements like for right to information, right to education, and food security. The authors have used the case study method to undertake a holistic study of the policy decisions made in the last two decades. Interdisciplinary in nature, this book borrows tools and concepts used in business studies, political science, and sociology to bring a new understanding to the process of policy in India.