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Holding India together: The role of institutions of federalism

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  • Singh, Nirvikar

Abstract

India is a large, heterogeneous and complex nation, with multiple languages, religions and ethnicities, and over one billion people. It stands out in having held together while sustaining a working democracy for over five decades, at relatively low levels of income. One of the main institutional aspects of managing heterogeneity to preserve national unity is the structures of Indian federalism. This paper traces some of the features of Indian federal institutions, focusing on their contribution to this ‘holding together.’ It reviews the conceptual and analytical underpinnings of the role of federal structures in sustaining unity, and summarizes historical developments and current institutional structures of the Indian case. It assesses the role of federal dimensions of political, administrative and judicial structures in the holding together function. It also examines fiscal federal institutions and their impacts, including distributional and growth issues. It also separately focuses specifically on the special treatment of what may be characterized as India’s periphery.

Suggested Citation

  • Singh, Nirvikar, 2008. "Holding India together: The role of institutions of federalism," MPRA Paper 12432, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:12432
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. World Bank, 2004. "India : Fiscal Decentralization to Rural Governments," World Bank Publications - Reports 14674, The World Bank Group.
    7. Singh, Nirvikar, 2007. "Fiscal Federalism and Decentralization in India," MPRA Paper 1447, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Khemani, Stuti, 2004. "Political cycles in a developing economy: effect of elections in the Indian States," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 125-154, February.
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    10. Nirvikar Singh & Laveesh Bhandari & Aoyu Chen & Aarti Khare, 2004. "Regional Inequality in India: A Fresh Look," Development and Comp Systems 0412006, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    Cited by:

    1. Economou, Emmanouel/Marios/Lazaros & Kyriazis, Nicholas, 2014. "Achaeans, Indians and Europeans: A Comparison of federations," MPRA Paper 57289, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Emmanouil M. L. Economou & Nicholas C. Kyriazis, 2016. "The Achaeans and the Europeans: An Interdisciplinary Comparison of Federations," International Journal of Social Science Research, Macrothink Institute, vol. 4(2), pages 8-23, September.

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    JEL classification:

    • H1 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • H7 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations
    • P35 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Public Finance
    • P26 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Property Rights

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