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

Political intolerance in comprehensive welfare states : Evidence from Sweden

Previous research has shown that comprehensive welfare states are effective at bridging ethnic divisions and promoting political tolerance of marginalized groups. Do these results hold up in the face of the great influx of migrants into European welfare states following the 2015–16 refugee crisis? In this case study of Sweden, we map the general level of political tolerance and test various individual-level explanations for it. Based on a survey of about 3500 citizens, our results show that the level of ethnic antipathy in Sweden is low. Other groups, however—such as supporters of the Sweden Democrats, a radical-right party—are widely disliked, as are abortion opponents and anti-vaccinationists. The individual-level explanations we have tested—in connection with threat perceptions, civic and political engagement, and socio-economic factors—turn up mixed results. Our conclusion is that the results we have found reflect something of a liberal-democratic backlash, whereupon a certain kind of political intolerance has become widespread

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