prof. dr. balveer arora chairman, centre for multilevel federalism, new delhi former professor of...

Centre-State Relations:

Current TrendsProf. Dr. Balveer Arora

Chairman, Centre for Multilevel Federalism, New DelhiFormer Professor of Political Science and Rector

Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Foreign Service Institute Officers Training Programme 2014 BatchNew Delhi, 27 January 2015

Centre for Multilevel Federalism, New Delhi

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Vertical and horizontal modes of cooperation in federal systems : political and economic competition

The weak development of inter-state cooperation and its institutions : zonal councils and underdeveloped horizontal synergies

The Interstate Council a clearing house or an actor in the policy process: ambivalence and stunted growth

Exit Planning Commission, Enter NITI Aayog: a lateral transfer of power or empowerment of states?

From Central to National: does it mean more federal (NCTC)? . From Policy Makers to Think Tank

Government-Opposition relations in a multilevel federal polity with multiple arenas of conflict and cooperation : who gets what, when and how?

Coercion, Cooperation and Competition


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Evolutionary and Devolutionary paths and the extension of Swaraj: federal principle = self rule + shared rule

Existential questions: is India federal, why and how ? Superimposed unitary- federal and centralised-decentralised continuums

The genesis of a hybrid model trapped in epistemological red herrings: a federal Union

Models and categories: there is nothing quasi about Indian federalism today.

India’s centralised federal union is firmly anchored in the Constitution and embedded in the polity

Paths to Federalism


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From Multilevel governance to Devolution and the difficult transition to federalism via swaraj: self rule and shared sovereignties.

The journey from colonial rule to centralism with a strong Centre: fears and resistance to ‘excessive centralism’

Adaptation and Innovation: contextual analysis of how the federal principle was salvaged

Indestructible union of malleable states : flexibility and adaptability of geographiesan asset

The Foundations


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Self-rule and shared-rule come simultaneously : the competing logics of parliamentary federalism

The equality of states model set aside : the inequality of states and their circumstances were factored into the original design

Asymmetric and Contextual federalism: experimenting with autonomies and levels

The search for sustainable solutions : from functional autonomy to constitutionally devolved powers.

The Choices Made


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India’s federal governance model: combining and juggling regional and income inequalities

The new redlines: shift from direct intervention to leveraging of developmental schemes

Asymmetric federalism as a strategy: historical and geostrategic imperatives for special status

Special assistance regimes: defining needs of states/ regions and helping the vulnerable

Federalisation and Innovation


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Conservative and incremental changes suggested by successive Commissions: executive hesitation persists and the slow pace of federal reform

The judiciary steps in to fill the vacuum : Bommai judgement accepts Sarkaria

From a nationalised to a federalised party system : the slow transition

The defining decade of the1980s : transitional and transformative for the polity and the economy

The illusion of central stability and the slow consolidation of state party systems

The federalisation of polity-wide parties and the resilience of single-state parties

Political Change & Reform Agendas


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Do states have rights? How and when did they acquire them? The Constitution as a Bill of Rights

The dual-edged Constitution-Political Process interface : concentration of powers through centralised party channels

States acquired the capacity to assert rights and ceased to be pliable through the political process and federal as well as state level coalitions

Concerted Action through Conclaves in a binodal polity : mobilising opposition, fostering competition

Transformative technologies: impact on centre- state relations and the new political economy of federalism

The Emergence of States’ Rights


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Yojana to Niti Aayog : from decider to think-tank, from arbiter to visionary

The precedent of the Inter-State Council under Home Ministry tutelage + executive federalism fora ( NDC, CMs & Ministerial Meets) : political and official consultation and coordination

Other actors: PMO, Finance Ministry, Finance Commission : different mandates and approaches

State and non-State interlocutors: the advent of public-private partnerships and the public accountability deficit

Who sets the agenda and convenes? The illusion of policy without politics.

Intergovernmental Interaction


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Sustaining diversity and growth through multilevel federalism : protecting and promoting initiatives at the sub-state level

The obstacles to cascading of powers towards local governments : structures without substance

Harnessing what works, identifying what doesn’t: is the distribution of powers adapted?

Legislative flexibility and concurrent powers : permitting innovation through presidential assent to creative exceptions

Independent Regulatory Agencies : new actors in policy making with a public accountability deficit

States as Motors of Innovation


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The transformative potential of connectivity and social media mobilisation: corruption

Right to Information as an essential element of good governance

Civil society movements and organisations as actors in the process : from agents of outsourced state functions to enablers of empowered local governments

The global relevance of federalism and devolved governance via decentralisation

Beyond Intergovernmental Interaction : Lateral Synergies


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prof. dr. balveer arora chairman, centre for multilevel federalism, new delhi former professor of...

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