Deepening Democracy: Comparative Perspectives on Decentralization, Cooperativism and Self-Managed Development PDF
Preview Deepening Democracy: Comparative Perspectives on Decentralization, Cooperativism and Self-Managed Development
DEEPENING DEMOCRACY This book examines the renewed interest and commitment that countries across the world have shown in recent decades towards adopting models of decentralis- ing, or “downsizing” the state, and moving towards more participatory models of government. It examines systems of decentralised development such as self-managing co-operatives from a global and comparative perspective with a focus on developing countries. Drawing on examples from Kerala and a few other states in India, as well as Cuba, Bangladesh and South Africa among other countries, the book offers critical perspectives on the positive impacts of these experiments and the promises these offer for the future. It discusses the challenges of implementing these models, how well these work in coordination with the civil society and the state, issues of transparency and democratic oversight as well as corruption and capture of power due to entrenched structures of inequality. The volume analyses welfare and development models and self-management interventions in countering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also looks at the merits and demerits of decentralisation in countering the global socioeconomic and environmental crisis and the rise of authoritarian populism in many countries. The book will be of interest to students and researchers of development studies, political science, business, community development, social justice as well as of co-operative management programmes. It will also appeal to students of political economy as well as development professionals, think tanks and policymakers. Joseph Tharamangalam holds the Ayyankali Chair at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. He is also Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Canada, and Adjunct Professor of International Development Studies at St. Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. He has published extensively on agrarian struggles, human development, decentralisa- tion and co-operativism in India, Cuba and elsewhere. Jos Chathukulam is former Professor of Sri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair of Decentralisation and Development, Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru, India. Currently, Chathukulam is the Director of Centre for Rural Management (CRM), Kottayam, Kerala, India. He has done extensive research on decentralisation and local governance across Indian states, Latin America and Africa. He is an expert of ‘Devolution Index,’ which is used to compare the rate of decentralisation across the Indian states. DEEPENING DEMOCRACY Comparative Perspectives on Decentralisation, Co-operativism and Self-Managed Development Edited by Joseph Tharamangalam and Jos Chathukulam Designed cover image: @ Getty Images First published 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Joseph Tharamangalam and Jos Chathukulam; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Joseph Tharamangalam and Jos Chathukulam to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-032-13283-9 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-13284-6 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-22848-6 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003228486 Typeset in Bembo by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India CONTENTS List of Tables viii List of Contributors ix Preface xiii Acknowledgements xiv Acronyms xv 1 Experiments in Deepening Democracy through Decentralised Governance: An Overview 1 Joseph Tharamangalam and Jos Chathukulam PART I Concepts and Visions: Some Refections 17 2 Embedded Democracy 19 Patrick Heller 3 Socialist Construction and Commoning 32 Clif DuRand 4 Thinking beyond Capitalism 40 Errol Sharpe 5 COVID-19 Context in India and Working towards Alternative Paradigms 52 M.A. Oommen vi Contents 6 Social Suferings and Citizenship in the Context of COVID-19 70 P. Sanal Mohan 7 Democracy and Capitalism in the Time of COVID-19 86 Henry Veltmeyer PART II Decentralised Governance and Development in Comparative Perspective 103 8 Roles of NGOs, State and For-Proft Actors in Improving Maternal and Child Sector in Bangladesh: Towards a Division of Labour? 105 Ahmed Tareq Rashid 9 Governance, Welfare-Based Development and COVID-19: Sweden and Kerala in Comparative Perspective 120 Olle Törnquist 10 The Cure Remains a Symptom: Sub-national Government, Democracy and Development in South Africa 135 Steven Friedman 11 Reorienting People’s Planning in Kerala 149 K.N. Harilal 12 The Capacity Conundrum in Decentralisation and Local Governance: How Kerala Tackles It 163 Joy Elamon and K.U. Sukanya 13 Employment Creation at Decentralised Level through Construction of Niche Structure 179 Sunil Ray PART III Experiments in Co-operativism, Decentralised Governance and Self-Management 195 14 From Agricultural Co-operatives to Farmer Producer Companies: Analysing the transition of Co-operativism in India 197 K. Gireesan Contents vii 15 Co-operativism to Manage COVID-19 210 Abhilash Babu and Sabu Thomas 16 Cuba’s Experiments with Co-operativism and Solidarity Economies: A Move towards 21st-Century Socialism 220 Joseph Tharamangalam PART IV Conclusion 235 17 Lessons and Non-lessons 237 Joseph Tharamangalam and Jos Chathukulam Index 243 TABLES 5.1 World, India and select country-wise distribution of cases, recovery and death of COVID-19 54 5.2 COVID-19 trends in cumulative positive cases, cases recovered, deaths and respective ratios in Kerala (selected dates from 1 November 2020 through 24 July 2021) 62 5.3 COVID-19 daily positive cases, cases recovered and death ratio (selected days from 1 November 2020 through 24 July 2021) 63 8.1 Trends in selected human development indicators of Bangladesh 109 8.2 GDP growth percentage average years 109 8.3 Health expenditure as percentage share of GDP 110 8.4 Selected indicators of female human development in Bangladesh 114 11.1 Share of productive sector expenditure in the total expenditure 156 11.2 Tender savings of various tiers of LGs 157 14.1 Producer companies in India 202 14.2 Distribution of PCs by PUC 203 CONTRIBUTORS Patrick Heller is the Lyn Crost Professor of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology and International Studies at Brown University, USA. His main area of research is the comparative study of social inequality and democratic deep- ening. He has authored and co-authored several books and numerous articles on these and related subjects including Deliberation and Development: Rethinking the Role of Voice and Collective Action in Unequal Societies. He has published arti- cles on urbanisation, comparative democracy, social movements, development policy, civil society and state transformation. His most recent project is Cities of Delhi, conducted in collaboration with the Center for Policy Research. The project explores the dynamics of governance and social exclusion in the capital city of India. Cliff DuRand is a Research Associate at the Center for Global Justice in Mexico, which he co-founded in 2004. He is also the coordinator of Research Network in Cuba and co-founder of the Radical Philosophy Association and the Progressive Action Center, long the ‘home’ of the Left in Baltimore. For 40 years he was a Professor of Social Philosophy at Morgan State University. His numerous books and articles, as well as his continuing research and activism focus on globalisation, participatory democracy and socialism. Errol Sharpe is the co-owner and publisher at Fernwood Publishing. He holds a master’s degree in Atlantic Canada Studies from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he also taught Sociology and Atlantic Canada Studies for several years. He has served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Publisher’s Marketing Association, the Word on the Street Halifax and the Halifax North End Health Clinic. He is the author of three books and numerous articles.
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