The idea of ‘New India’ has acquired a new currency. The dominant grammar of politics dilutes the critical impulse and deters the expression of alternate politics. The interpretive possibilities have been replaced by a reactive exchange. Technology is presented as a panacea, rather than just a facilitator. Legitimacy and normative dignity for these ideas is acquired by redefining the role of the institutions and also through constitutional amendments. A major intellectual effort is required to reformulate public policy, governance systems and social relations to balance the opposite claims of market efficiency and economic growth with social equity and justice.

This book is co-published with Aakar Books, New Delhi. Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the print versions of this book in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Pramod Kumar is Director, Institute for Development and Communication (IDC), Chandigarh. He has been appointed as Chairperson of the Haryana Governance reforms Authority (HGRA) from 2017. He was also the Chairman of Punjab Governance Reforms Commission (PGRC-II) from March 2012 to 2017. His work focuses on three interrelated themes of politics of development, violence and governance; politics of conflict management and resolution and practice of democracy through empirical methodologies and analysis of public policy and peoples movements. He is a recipient of the prestigious Homi Bhabha Award for the year 1988-1990.

He has held numerous visiting assignments, including visiting professor the Legal Studies Department, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary.