Review of Amrita Basu's "Violent Conjunctures in Democratic India"

TOLED

Democratic virtues and educational institutions in India : Black swans in conflict-ridden Jammu and Kashmir

What goes on within educational institutions can be pivotal for whether and how democracy and political tolerance are nurtured, and peaceful relations between groups encouraged. Several studies oriented to the content of curricula have shown that education in India must be reformed if it is to promote inter-ethnic peace, political tolerance and democracy. The focus of this study, however, is more on the praxis of education – how it is conducted, in what kind of institutional setting it takes place, and what the implications are for interethnic peace. This unique case study of Jammu and Kashmir in India provides unexpected insights into how democratic norms can be promoted in disadvantageous contexts, where open violent conflict prevails and politically intolerant attitudes might normally be expected to result. The findings of this study have important implications for educational reform. First, the authoritarian approach to teaching currently employed in India’s system of primary education needs to be replaced by more modern methods, and corporal punishment must be abolished. Second, the praxis found in at least some of the country’s institutions of higher learning should be encouraged, due to the role it plays in bridging ethno-religious divides and breaking path-dependent trajectories towards political intolerance

Politisk tolerans och självcensur i orostider

Demokrati förutsätter åsiktspluralism och ett öppet samtal om intressekonflikter och viktiga samhällsproblem. Därför är det av yttersta vikt att medborgarna kan ge uttryck för sina åsikter och ståndpunkter i olika politiska frågor, och att de uppvisar en hög grad av politisk tolerans mot sina meningsmotståndare. Frågan är dock hur upplevda hot och otrygghet i dagens samhälle samvarierar med den politiska toleransen och yttrandefriheten i Sverige. I 2021 års nationella SOM-undersökning har ett antal frågor ställts gällande politisk tolerans, självcensur och upplevelser av hot och otrygghet. Undersökningen visar att svenska medborgare tycks uppleva en rad hotbilder samtidigt som det finns en utbredd intolerans mot ogillade grupper i samhället. Dessutom ges uttryck för en utbredd självcensur bland svenska medborgare, vilket sammantaget väcker frågor om tillståndet i den svenska demokratin

Politisk tolerans och självcensur i orostider

Demokrati förutsätter åsiktspluralism och ett öppet samtal om intressekonflikter och viktiga samhällsproblem. Därför är det av yttersta vikt att medborgarna kan ge uttryck för sina åsikter och ståndpunkter i olika politiska frågor, och att de uppvisar en hög grad av politisk tolerans mot sina meningsmotståndare. Frågan är dock hur upplevda hot och otrygghet i dagens samhälle samvarierar med den politiska toleransen och yttrandefriheten i Sverige. I 2021 års nationella SOM-undersökning har ett antal frågor ställts gällande politisk tolerans, självcensur och upplevelser av hot och otrygghet. Undersökningen visar att svenska medborgare tycks uppleva en rad hotbilder samtidigt som det finns en utbredd intolerans mot ogillade grupper i samhället. Dessutom ges uttryck för en utbredd självcensur bland svenska medborgare, vilket sammantaget väcker frågor om tillståndet i den svenska demokratin

The effectiveness of national and EU-level civil protection systems : evidence from 17 member states

A number of high profile crises and disasters have driven the EU to increase cooperation among its member states in the area of civil protection and to enhance its capacity to conduct civil protection operations in Europe and around the world. However, in the light of recent transboundary crises in the EU, manifested by the refugee crisis, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters, it is far from clear how effective such cooperative EU arrangements can be due to differences in the way national civil protection has been organized and due to the question of whether sufficient trust exists within and between the involved organizations. In this article, drawing from a unique study of civil protection agencies in 17 EU member states, and utilizing theories on crisis management, public administration and trust, we shed light on the factors that promote national and EU-level effectiveness in civil protection and crisis management

India's Democracies. Diversity, Co-optation, Resistance

Indian democracy has often been characterized as "a puzzle" that "defies theories". But any theory on democratic practice will need to take into account the world's largest democracy. We assert that Indian democracy is maturing with its own practices. Most prominent is its diversity. As a set of institutions, Indian democracy is crafted on to the country's diverse and heterogeneous society, encompassing a great many differing practices. The contributors to this volume investigate democratic practice in different corners of India and at different levels. The differences in political culture and participation between the Centre and the states and among the states themselves reveal the heterogeneous nature of the Indian State. Equally important is the role these differences play in policy making (including foreign policy), and the weight given to them by politicians seeking popular support. Even at the local level we find strikingly diverging perceptions of what democracy means to different groups, and this will help us understand the complexities of popular expectations. These features all form part of the challenges the Indian State faces with increased popular mobilization and democratic participation