The Political Economy Of Democratic Decentralization Politics Essay

The Political Economy Of Democratic Decentralization Politics Essay Decentralization involves the diffusion of powers, as the term itself suggests that it refers to the distribution or devolution of powers, other than the State holding all of the decision making powers, decision making is distributed among the regional and local levels. This refers to the idea of local self-government and also to the idea of democratization. Democracy, gives out the idea of participation and through decentralization such participation can be increased, since it provides not only the State making all the decisions but gives the people at the lower levels to make decisions as well. In India, the idea of decentralization came into force with the passing of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, provisioning the establishment of the Panchayati Raj Institutions and the latter for the establishment of urban municipal bodies. In the book Decentralization: Institutions and Politics in Rural India, Satyajit Singh and Pradeep K. Sharma mention the two Constitutional Amendments are the starting point to the movement towards decentralization. Along with this they acknowledge that the villages in India are characterised by caste oppression, unequal distribution of power, resources and opportunities and others leading to poverty, they fail in providing what could be the best form that could accommodate these characteristics, since democratic functioning of any institution cannot function well without the participation of the whole; and exclusion based on these terms may not provide a good form of decentralised governance. Decentralization basically relates to the shifting of power away from the State, since both Manor, Singh and Sharmas book presents the corrupt nature of the state, which are involved in rent-seeking, both deal with the diffusion and devolution of powers as providing for the deepening of democracy and taking powers away from the State, instead in this book the importance of the State is emphasised and focused on the failure of the local governments, mentioning that the personnel in the local levels are less qualified, they lack access to the resources. Out of seventy-five developing countries, sixty-three have opted for decentralization, India which have adopted decentralization Singh and Sharma point out that the decentralization which requires political, fiscal and administrative autonomy are lacking or underdeveloped. The article Keralas Decentralization: the idea in practice by Rashmi Sharma, mentions the adoption of PPC Peoples Plan Campaign in Kerala devised to increase participation of the people in local governments in civic and development duties and responsibilities for revenue administration and number of regulatory functions. However she points out that decentralized bodies were weak organisations and that panchayats faced personnel problem with their limited qualification, departmental hierarchy still in charge. The different levels of the local government were not allowed to help each other out, like in Kerala the district panchayats which were better staffed were not allowed to help the gram panchayat at times when it could not do on its own. Thus she provides that cooperation is missing among the local governments. Keralas decentralization was mainly characterised by politics. Though it was the most successful State in terms of the decentralization process, it failed mostly in providing for a separation of politics and administration, failure to do this created blocks. Politics played an important part in minimising the role of the decentralised bodies. Rashmi Sharma mentions that the plan could not be materialised due to the political holding then, however the plan was considered to be meaningful with the help of voluntary organisations like the KSSP Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad. Decentralization involves State governments too, they still act as the key factor in facilitating decentralization. As already mentioned, decentralization does not work free of politics and so the inability of the local governments to cope with the politics, States role is always recognised. Therefore, leading us to say that some form of centralisation is necessary for decentralisation. 1 Singh and Sharma, as well as Manor while focussing on decentralization refers to a top-down process of political, administrative and fiscal governance, whereby there is diffusion of such powers to the lower level organisations. While Singh and Sharma presents the idea of decentralization as a tool for some specific purpose of the State. The example they cite is of Pakistan where military leaders threatened by resurgence of national and provincial level democracy and also Nepal in order to counter Maoists decentralization or distribution of powers to local levels were adopted. Where Manor mentions from a political economic perspective that decentralization stands for fiscal transfers from top-down, where top position holders have control over the transfers, therefore mentioning the State. So, they do not really see decentralization as a successful form of governance, but Manor also goes to the extent saying that decentralization is likely to fail. Decentralization is to work at three levels: National, State and the local level, and in each level the institutions are further tiered. Satyajit Singh mentions democratic decentralization is best said to work through active citizenry and not representative democracy, this he mentions at the beginning of the book with his reference to the Athenian form of democracy, but later he contradicts himself saying that a representative form of democracy is important as higher levels usually the State determines the framework of the local participation i.e. people at the local and the representatives at the State or national level, this shows that in spite of having a decentralised form of government still what seems to be important is the role of the state, this just shows that though via 73rd and 74th amendments, decentralization has been asserted in India, still the power of the state prevails which is a centralised entity. Though the centralised state has been hailed as important, and the corrupt nature of the state has been exposed still decentralisation lacks that ability to gain full confidence and power of decision making. As in Kerala, even in West Bengal, political parties have hold over most of the village level panchayats, the LF (Left Front) has about sixty to seventy percent of the seats in the village councils.2 In West Bengal. Participation was required and recorded regarding budgets, accounts and when it was not recorded it was considered illegal. Villagers participation brought down costs of public projects, even though peoples participation compared to Kerala was less. Maitreesh Ghatak and Maitreya Ghatak provides that though such participation empowers the public to participate in the formulation and implementation of plan, still there exists a risk of the officials at the low level of lacking the expertise and the qualification to do that. Relating to the allocation of funds, the lower tiers have no say in it, this is done by the State Governments or the bureaucracy. They also mention the problems associated with decentralization that is of the lack of coordination between village level panchayat plans and also the plan prepared by the state government bureaucracy. The arguments that are presented in Singh and Sharmas book as well as that of Manor is not really inclined towards the success of decentralization, they have however provided how even when decentralization is sought still no complete decentralization can be brought about, certain centralising tendencies do exist. As Singh had mentioned decentralization being a tool for controlling insurgencies etc, so does Merilee Grindle mention that decisions for decentralization were driven by a pre-existing interests to which leaders were beholden (Manor). Referring to the developing countries, centralization were more preferred even though it led to the rural disempowerment, the reason was that the developing countries were mainly the newly independent countries and so a centralised rule was needed to prevent internal diversity from fragmenting the new nations. The rulers held the idea of local governments or decentralization in low esteem, for them national consolidation through centralized leadership was their main emphasis. He cited various examples; one was of India, where post independence period there was a clash of the Gandhian idea of local level self sufficiency and then Nehruvian idea of centralised State, however the food shortages of that time led to the adoption of a centralised rule, therefore local level bodies were deemphasised. More than focussing on what the advantages of decentralization could be they all have emphasised the disadvantages, like Manor through his political economy perspective provides that democratic decentralization is an arena of free market, having buyers i.e. the citizens and the sellers- the centralised authority, saying that the local governments increases the expenditure of the government and also in a course of time leads to system failure. In case where there exists a lack of State funds, the tasks are simply off loaded with the hope that the local governments would deal with it, which at times lead to systems failure. Decentralization is seen to have an economic edge, some countries who are dependent on taxes paid by their domestic population, or who depend on a certain domestic source of fund like Oil, they do not accept decentralization, whereas Marxists provide that decentralization is seen by few to further their own economic interests, in order to cultivate political support for enhancing regime legitimacy. They all provide a very negative connotation to the idea of decentralization, adding to this Manor provides an idea of Cote dIvoire that decentralization is directed to draw up local groups into the system of governance to let the electors do some of the governments dirty work. 3 Decentralization is seen to promote political realism, and also a politically stable and a stronger state. In terms of developmental tasks, decentralised bodies Manor says is not really effective since with the increase in participation because of democratic decentralization, expectations and demands of the people also increase. In the latter part of Manors book The Political Economy of Democratic Decentralization, he provides various details about local governments and what it provides, however on the idea of empowerment and reservation; he mentions that women in developing countries have still not received the participatory role. However he fails to acknowledge that in India which is one of the developing countries have provided for empowerment of women via thirty-three per cent reservation. Regarding the poverty reduction rule, he mentions that the this task should be given to the higher levels, since they would be more enthusiastic about redistribution, however again fails to acknowledge that the higher levels refers to the government authorities, and if the main cause of decentralization is thought of, then it is because of these authorities only that decentralization was brought about, since these authorities engaged in rent seeking and other corrupt practices. As such if poverty reduction programmes and its funds were to be given to the higher levels, then the level of corruption would be higher. Decentralization which is expected to facilitate community participation in development is said to increase voting, contracting etc but participation and the reason Manor gives are: Firstly, the authorities that are created through decentralization stand above the local level, and so they would not really be able to mobilise the masses. Secondly, the government authorities who are really the ones at the top levels of such programs find it difficult to gain the trust of the community. Such decentralised authorities instead create divisions instead of facilitating communal solidarity. Therefore in explaining decentralization and the devolution of power to local government, Satyajit Singh has basically provided local governments as being a weak institution, and Manor has the same view. Singh has provided that by devolution of powers decision making is given to illiterate and inexperienced persons, and though it stands for diffusion of power still States hold important decision making powers, and corruption by the state officials still persists. Therefore Manor in his book has given various reasons as to why developing countries have preferred centralised regimes more than decentralised ones, and the decentralised ones have been branded as weak organisations, lacking skills and the personnel lacking education and qualification. Both Singh and Manor held a negative view of the local governments, more focussing on the failures and weakness of the institutions with their weakness enhanced by the political parties functioning and their hold over sixty to seventy percent of the seats in the local governments. Thus, they present a weak version of the decentralised form of governance.

Kamala das an introduction Essay

Kamala Das (Has also written under the pseudonyms Madhavikutty and Kamala Suraiyya) Indian poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, essayist, nonfiction writer, children’s writer, and autobiographer. The following entry presents an overview of Das’s career through 2000. Das is one of the best-known contemporary Indian women writers. Writing in two languages, English and Malayalam, Das has authored many autobiographical works and novels, several well-received collections of poetry in English, numerous volumes of short stories, and essays on a broad spectrum of subjects. Since the publication of her first collection of poetry, Summer in Calcutta (1965), Das has been considered an important voice of her generation who exemplifies a break from the past by writing in a distinctly Indian persona rather than adopting the techniques of the English modernists. Das’s provocative poems are known for their unflinchingly honest explorations of the self and female sexuality, urban life, women’s roles in traditional Indian society, issues of postcolonial identity, and the political and personal struggles of marginalized people. Das’s work in English has been widely anthologized in India, Australia, and the West, and she has received many awards and honors, including the P.E.N. Philippines Asian Poetry Prize (1963), Kerala Sahitya Academy Award for her writing in Malayalam (1969), Chiman Lal Award for fearless journalism (1971), the ASAN World Prize (1985), and the Sahitya Akademi Award for her poetry in English (1985). In 1984, she was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Biographical Information Das was born into an aristocratic Nair Hindu family in Malabar (now Kerala), India, on March 31, 1934. Her maternal grandfather and great-grandfather were Rajas, a caste of Hindu nobility. Her love of poetry began at an early age through the influence of her maternal great-uncle, Narayan Menon, a prominent writer, and her mother, Balamani Amma, a well-known Malayali poet. Das was also deeply affected by the poetry of the sacred writings kept by  the matriarchal community of Nairs. Das’s father, a successful managing director for a British automobile firm, was descended from peasant stock and favored Gandhian principles of austerity. The combination of â€Å"royal† and â€Å"peasant† identities, along with the atmosphere of colonialism and its pervasive racism, produced feelings of inadequacy and alienation for Das. Educated in Calcutta and Malabar, Das began writing at age six and had her first poem published by P.E.N. India at age fourteen. She did not receive a university education. She was married in 1949 to Madhava Das, an employee of the Reserve Bank of India who later worked for the United Nations. She was sixteen years old when the first of her three sons was born; at eighteen, she began to write obsessively. Although Das and Madhava were romantically incompatible according to Das’s 1976 autobiography, My Story, which describes his homosexual liaisons and her extramarital affairs, Madhava supported her writing. His career took them to Calcutta, New Delhi, and Bombay, where Das’s poetry was influenced by metropolitan life as well as by her emotional experiences. In addition to writing poetry, fiction, and autobiography, Das served as editor of the poetry section of The Illustrated Weekly of India from 1971 to 1972 and 1978 to 1979. In 1981 Das and her husband retired to Kerala. Das ran as an Independent for the Indian Parliament in 1984. After her husband died, Das converted to Islam and changed her name to Kamala Suraiyya. She currently lives in Kerala, where she writes a syndicated column on culture and politics. Major Works Das published six volumes of poetry between 1965 and 1985. Drawing upon religious and domestic imagery to explore a sense of identity, Das tells of intensely personal experiences, including her growth into womanhood, her unsuccessful quest for love in and outside of marriage, and her life in matriarchal rural South India after inheriting her ancestral home. Since the publication of Summer in Calcutta, Das has been a controversial figure, known for her unusual imagery and candor. In poems such as â€Å"The Dance of the Eunuchs† and â€Å"The Freaks,† Das draws upon the exotic to discuss her sexuality and her quest for fulfillment. In â€Å"An Introduction,† Das makes public traditionally private experiences, suggesting that women’s personal  feelings of longing and loss are part of the collective experience of womanhood. In the collection The Descendants (1967), the poem â€Å"The Maggots† frames the pain of lost love with ancient Hindu myths, while the poem â€Å"The Looking-Glass† suggests that the very things society labels taboo are the things that women are supposed to give. In The Old Playhouse and Other Poems (1973), poems such as â€Å"Substitute,† â€Å"Gino,† and â€Å"The Suicide† examine physical love’s failure to provide fulfillment, escape from the self, and exorcism of the past, whereas poems such as â€Å"The Inheritance† address the integrity of the artistic self in the face of religious fanaticism. In Tonight, This Savage Rite: The Love Poems of Kamala Das and Pritish Nandy (1979), Das invokes Krishna in her explorations of the tensions between physical love and spiritual transcendence. The Anamalai Poems (1985), a series of short poems written after Das was defeated in the 1984 parliamentary elections, reworks the classical Tamil akam (â€Å"interior†) poems that contrast the grandeur and permanence of nature with the transience of human history. Poems such as â€Å"Delhi 1984† and â€Å"Smoke in Colombo† evoke the massacre of the Sikhs and the civil war in Sri Lanka. In My Story, originally published in serial format, Das provides details of her extramarital affairs and her unhappy marriage to Madhava Das. She is also the author of a novel, The Alphabet of Lust (1977), and several volumes of short stories in English. Under the name Madhavi Kutty, Das has published many books in the Malayalam language. Critical Reception Critical response to Das’s poetry has been intimately connected to critical perception of her personality and politics; her provocative poetry has seldom produced lukewarm reactions. While reviewers of Das’s early poetry have praised its fierce originality, bold images, exploration of female sexuality, and intensely personal voice, they lamented that it lacked attention to structure and craftsmanship. Scholars such as Devindra Kohli, Eunice de Souza, and Sunil Kumar have found powerful feminist images in Das’s poetry, focusing on critiques of marriage, motherhood, women’s relationships to their bodies and power over their sexuality, and the roles women are offered in traditional Indian society. Many critics have analyzed Das as a â€Å"confessional† poet, writing in the tradition of Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and Denise Levertov. Some scholars, such as Vimala Rao, Iqbar Kaur, and Vrinda Naur, have deemed Das’s poetry, autobiography, and essays frustratingly inconsistent, self-indulgent, and equivocal, although they, too, have praised her compelling images and original voice. Such commentators have suggested that Das is both overexposed and overrated. Other scholars, such as P. P. Raveendran, have connected the emphasis on the self in Das’s work to larger historical and cultural contexts and complicated, shifting postcolonial identities. Indian critics have disagreed about the significance of Das’s choice to write of her experiences as an Indian woman in English; some scholars suggest that, in her shunning of traditional aesthetic form, she has created a new language for the expression of colonial contradictions. Despite disagreement over the aesthetic qualities and consistency of Das’s body of poetry, scholars agree that Das is an important figure whose bold and honest voice has re-energized Indian writing in English.

Elecriccity and Magnatism Essay

A hostile takeover defense wherein the target firm makes its stock less attractive to a potential acquirer is called Choose one answer. | a. a standstill agreement. | | | b. greenmail. | | | c. a poison pill. | | | d. crossing the palm with silver. | | Question 38 Marks: 1 Compared to managers, shareholders prefer Choose one answer. | a. riskier strategies with greater diversification for the firm. | | | b. riskier strategies with more focused diversification for the firm. | | | c. safer strategies with more focused diversification for the firm. | | | d. afer strategies with greater diversification for the firm. | | The Enron employee who reported the financial manipulations at the company to her superiors can be considered to have engaged in Choose one answer. | a. an act of courage. | | | b. white-collar crime. | | | c. vindictive disloyalty. | | | d. managerial opportunism. | | Question 40 Marks: 1 The longer the focus of managerial incentive compensation, the greater the ____ top -level managers. Choose one answer. | a. earnings potential for | | | b. incentives for | | | c. potential tax burden for | | | d. risks borne by | | Marks: 1 The choices that a firm has for entering the international market include all of the following EXCEPT Choose one answer. | a. acquisition. | | | b. leasing. | | | c. exporting. | | | d. licensing. | | Question 36 Marks: 1 There are few true mergers because Choose one answer. | a. few firms have complementary resources. | | | b. of managerial resistance. True mergers result in significant managerial-level layoffs. | | | c. integration problems are more severe than in outright acquisitions. | | | d. one firm usually dominates in terms of market share, size, or value of assets. | | Market power is derived primarily from the Choose one answer. | a. size of a firm and its resources and capabilities. | | | b. core competencies of the firm. | | | c. depth of a firm strategy. | | | d. quality of a firm top management team. | | Question 34 Marks: 1 The use or application of entrepreneurship within an established firm is called Choose one answer. | a. transformational leadership. | | | b. corporate entrepreneurship. | | | c. corporate emergence. | | | d. exceptional R&D. | | Four perspectives are integrated to form the balanced scorecard framework. The financial perspective focuses on the view of the firm by the Choose one answer. | a. employee. | | b. general society. | | | c. customer. | | | d. shareholder. | | Question 32 Marks: 1 Managers may decide to invest ____ in products that are not associated with the firm’s current lines of business to increase the firm’s level of diversification and decrease their employment risk. Choose one answer. | a. free cash flows | | | b. unsubstantial pro fits | | | c. marginal profits | | | d. frozen assets | | An international diversification strategy is one in which a firm Choose one answer. | a. acquires a firm in a foreign country | | | b. expands into a potentially large number of geographic locations and markets | | | c. xpands into one or a few markets | | | d. expands into nearby markets | | Question 30 Marks: 1 Firms needing to change their strategies should Choose one answer. | a. emphasize the training and development of internal managerial talent. | | | b. implement transformational leadership. | | | c. focus on their core customer base. | | | d. create more heterogeneous top management teams. | | The primary responsibility for effective strategic leadership of the organization rests with the Choose one answer. | a. top management team. | | | b. stakeholders. | | | c. CEO. | | | d. board of directors. | | Question 28 Marks: 1

The Inequality of the United States View on Same Sex...

The National anthem of the United States specified â€Å"†¦And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!† The United States is reputable for its right to equality; an icon of hope, independence, and the chance to live a nondiscriminatory life and to benefit many of the opportunities. This country was founded on equality and the belief that everyone should have the same opportunities. As a country the United States has seen many protests when it comes to the with issues of equality, from the Women’s Rights Movement to equality for African Americans, and many still remain. A sense of assurance has been created in having our rights secured by means of historic documents and laws. However,†¦show more content†¦The line may be blurred when it comes to politic; many conservatives are against same sex marriage; while liberals are fighting for the right to have equal opportunity. The Christian polit icians are using religious opinions to establish that homosexuality is a disgrace. While this may be their belief, this country was founded on religious freedom, meaning that people are permitted to worship how they see fit or to not worship. A ground rule, set up from the very foundation of this country that states a separation needs to be made between religion and government, so the two shall never be combined. We may all have a different opinion to what is what we think is ethical, but it might be safe to reason that we can agree that it’s unfair for people to be treated differently for being of different race, ethnicity, physical traits, and that the government should not discriminate against residents or visitors in that country because they have what would be considered an â€Å"unusual† sexual orientation. The constitution is considered to be one of the greatest manuscripts written in the history of the United States. An article of that manuscript requires each State to recognize the public acts, archives, and litigations of other States. So, as soon as one State legalizes gay marriage, like it has already happened in California since 2008, other states have to respect the unions taken place there. That means manyShow MoreRelatedThe Views Of Same Sex Marriage948 Words   |  4 PagesIn my opinion, the views of many people are influences based upon the way they were raised and taught as a child. Yes, many others go the opposite direction as the way they were raised, but many others also stay the same. Throughout history, different groups have been suffering from inequality, because the people in their society do not view them as equals in their society. As society evolves over time, new groups of people have become the target of many and denied the rights they deserve as AmericanRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal in All States1632 Words   |  7 Pagesthroughout the United States for decades has been Gay Marriage. Whether same-sex c ouples should be given the right to marry or even if same-sex couples should be given rights at all, this has been a contentious discussion which creates division and disunity throughout the country. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. Gay marriage has been legalized in 17 states. But only 19 of 194 countries allow for gay marriage. Statistics showRead MoreMisogyny And Homophobia1171 Words   |  5 Pagesthe 1900s, the United States took the steps needed in an attempt to diminish gender inequality, yet the problem still persists. Since the beginning of time, men have been the controllers of society setting rules and deciding people’s lives. Such power comes from patriarchy, which began thousands of years ago with the concept of fatherhood and the virtues of man. This notion of man having the virtue to rule better than women serves as the root for the misogynistic and homophobic views of society. Patriarc hyRead MoreSame-Sex Marriage Essay1176 Words   |  5 PagesSegments of many countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have begun to acknowledge the rights of homosexuals. However, homosexuals are still fighting today to become equal with all citizens in hopes of receiving their respective rights. Same-sex marriage is against the axiom of many religions and is predicted to be controversial for a very long time. Nonetheless, we are known to have the separation of church from state. Separation of church and state is known to be the distance betweenRead MoreThe Legalization of Same Sex Marriage 1623 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States has been constructed around the ideas of sovereignty and free will. There were many movements that have taken place in history that have made this country’s policy on freedom so unique; unique in how the citizens value their morals. An every day American would think that being with the same sex is not normal, or is frowned u pon. Recent studies show that half of all Americans believe that gay men and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry (Craighill). Same-sex marriage hasRead MoreHow Legal Constraints Affect Marriage And Family Formations1714 Words   |  7 PagesConstraints Effect Marriage and Family Formations in Lesbian and Homosexual Couples Anna Gonzales The University of North Florida Word Count: 4364 â€Å"I Would Rather Have a Traditional Wedding†: How Legal Constraints Effect Marriage and Family Formations in Lesbian and Homosexual Couples ABSTRACT Lesbian and homosexual couples, in many ways, have the same familial goals and expectations as heterosexual couples. The question is how they experience and navigate marriage and family formationsRead MoreGender Inequality: Can We Change Something so Engrained1447 Words   |  6 Pagesreadily agree that the United States has its fair share of issues. Where this agreement usually ends, however, surrounds the question of where these problems originate. Whereas some are convinced that it is an individual’s problem, others maintain that it is the system-based issue (Eitzen et al., 12). Through the use of Social Problems by D. Stanley Eitzen et al. throughout this course, the authors discuss the causes and solutions of social problems such as the inequality towards sexual orientationRead More Gay Marriage Should Be Legal Essay1278 Words   |  6 PagesThe Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. Yet, same-sex marriage continues to be a highly debated issue that leaves our society searching for answers. This has been very apparent during elections when politicians, in order to distract or sway conservative voters, all took a side and had an opinion on the issue of same-sex marriage. The debate has been presented on the left as a civil rights debate, equal rights. And on the right,Read MoreMarriage, Family, And Religion1687 Words   |  7 Pages Marriage, Family, and Religion Omar De La Garza Texas AM International University Abstract The institutions of marriage and family are fundamental concepts to the functioning of our present day society. In this paper, marriage and family and their changes over time will be discussed. Topics such as religion, which plays an important role is the development and changes of ideas regarding these two topics will be approached as well as the social changes due to tradition and theRead MoreThe Fight for Gay Marriage1385 Words   |  6 Pagesof same sex partners and their choices to form families. Given our first amendment right to freedom of speech, there are plenty of sentiments regarding whether or not laws should be ratified permitting these male or female partners to have the legal right to marry. There are numerous of current trends that provide absolute support to the homosexual community with hopes of increasing the level of tolerance. In addition, the great economic advantages that have come about from same-sex marriages in