With reference to the functioning of panchayats or local governments in the state of Haryana, India.

This collection of sixteen articles and reports, drawn from the action projects carried out by the Rajiv Gandhi Chair

It is becoming common in many states: the opportunity to reclaim government from politicians by simply signing a petition to put an initiative on the ballot and then voting for it. Isn't this what America ought to be about? Proposition 13 in California's 1978 election paved the way; the past decade saw more than 450 such actions; now in many states direct legislation dominates the political agenda and defines political—and public-opinion. While this may appear to be democracy in action, Richard Ellis warns us that the initiative process may be putting democracy at risk. In Democratic Delusions he offers a critical analysis of the statewide initiative process in the United States, challenging readers to look beyond populist rhetoric and face political reality. Through engaging prose and illuminating (and often amusing) anecdotes, Ellis shows readers the "dark side" of direct democracy—specifically the undemocratic consequences that result from relying too heavily on the initiative process. He provides historic context to the development of initiatives-from their Populist and Progress roots to their accelerated use in recent decades-and shows the differences between initiative processes in the states that use them. Most important, while acknowledging the positive contribution of initiatives, Ellis shows that there are reasons to use them carefully and sparingly: ill-considered initiatives can subvert normal legislative checks and balances, undermine the deliberative process, and even threaten the rights of minority groups through state-sanctioned measures. Today's initiative process, Ellis warns, is dominated not by ordinary citizens but by politicians, perennial activists, wealthy interests, and well-oiled machines. Deliberately misleading language on the ballot confuses voters and influences election results. And because many initiatives are challenged in the courts, these ostensibly democratic procedures have now put legislation in the hands of the judiciary. Throughout his book he cites examples drawn from states in which initiatives are used intensively—Oregon, California, Colorado, Washington, and Arizona-as well as others in which their use has increased in recent years. Undoing mistakes enacted by initiative can be more difficult than correcting errors of legislatures. As voters prepare to consider the host of initiatives that will be offered in the 2002 elections, this book can help put those efforts in a clearer light. Democratic Delusions urges moderation, attempting to teach citizens to be at least as skeptical of the initiative process as they are of the legislative process—and to appreciate the enduring value of the representative institutions they seek to circumvent.

This book approaches grassroots governance and democracy from a sociological perspective, focusing on the interaction between the community and the State. It explores the interrelationship between state, governance and community and demonstrates the performativity aspects of both political actors and citizens in various elections in India. It also highlights the need to understand the dynamics of governance in a multi-ethnic society and democracy like India both at the micro and macro levels. Offering detailed explanations of formal and informal governance in people’s everyday lives, it reviews some of the key debates on governance with respect to the engagement of the community. This book is intended for academics, researchers, activists, planners and policymakers from a range of disciplines, such as sociology, public policy, social anthropology, development studies, politics and regional development, interested in governance and development in India.

A cutting exploration of how cities drive climate change while being on the frontlines of the coming climate crisis How will climate change affect our lives? Where will its impacts be most deeply felt? Are we doing enough to protect ourselves from the coming chaos? In Extreme Cities, Ashley Dawson argues that cities are ground zero for climate change, contributing the lion’s share of carbon to the atmosphere, while also lying on the frontlines of rising sea levels. Today, the majority of the world’s megacities are located in coastal zones, yet few of them are adequately prepared for the floods that will increasingly menace their shores. Instead, most continue to develop luxury waterfront condos for the elite and industrial facilities for corporations. These not only intensify carbon emissions, but also place coastal residents at greater risk when water levels rise. In Extreme Cities, Dawson offers an alarming portrait of the future of our cities, describing the efforts of Staten Island, New York, and Shishmareff, Alaska residents to relocate; Holland’s models for defending against the seas; and the development of New York City before and after Hurricane Sandy. Our best hope lies not with fortified sea walls, he argues. Rather, it lies with urban movements already fighting to remake our cities in a more just and equitable way. As much a harrowing study as a call to arms Extreme Cities is a necessary read for anyone concerned with the threat of global warming, and of the cities of the world.

The book is the first and general report of a series of six that reviews the practice of “China Dream” policy by the Zhejiang provincial government. “China Dream” is one of the most important state policies established by the present Chinese government and how to convert this abstract national strategy to concrete practice is still much of a challenge for local governments. The book summarizes the six facets of government administrative practices in economics, politics, culture, society, ecology and construction of the Party. It serves as the skeleton of the series and outlines the whole structure. It will help scholars and political practitioners worldwide better understand the statecraft of China and the practice China has experienced.

With original contributions from an international team of well-known experts, media activists, and promising young scholars, this comprehensive volume examines community media from theoretical, empirical, historical, and practitioner perspectives. Organized thematically, this collection explores the intersection between community media and issues of democratic theory and the public sphere, cultural politics and social movement theory, neoliberal communication policy and media reform efforts, as well as media activism and international solidarity building. Foregrounding the relationship between symbolic and material relations of power in an increasingly interdependent world, this collection examines the role of alternative, independent, and community-based media in the global struggle for communicative democracy. Understanding Community Media explores a wide range of media forms and practice. Each essay considers the particular and distinctive ways local populations make use of various technologies for purposes of community communication. Taken together, this distinctive collection provides an incisive and timely analysis of the relationship between media and society, technology and culture, and communication and community. * Features more than 35 original, cutting-edge essays * Provides a comprehensive overview of community media around the world including essays on women's video collectives in India, indigenous radio in Colombia, street newspapers in Canada, and independent media in Nigeria. * Makes a timely and important contribution to a burgeoning sub-field of media and cultural studies.

Wang's book offers an empirically rich and conceptually nuanced analysis of how local state agents maintain control over village self-governance in China. His careful analysis of primary documents enables him to explicate the formal mechanisms used by members of the local state to influence village affairs. Meanwhile, his rigorous and fascinating ethnographic data enable him to elucidate the manifold ways in which informal clientelist ties between local state officials and village elites permit the former to exert control. Overall, this excellent book powerfully demonstrates the need for scholars to go beyond attention to election processes when evaluating what village democracy means in a Chinese context. It is a must-read for all serious scholars of Chinese politics and society. —Rachel Murphy, University of Oxford Guohui Wang's highly original, in-depth case research vividly reveals the dynamics of contemporary Chinese village politics. By combining abundant empirical data with close observation as an "insider," his book illustrates the processes and consequences of transplanting 'democracy' into rural Chinese society. Particularly for those in the West who are keen on understanding the ongoing transformation of rural China, this book is a rich and revealing source. —Shukai Zhao, Development Research Center of the State Council, P.R. China