The Politics of Reform: The Case of the Right to Information Act in India
Abstract
On 15 June 2005, the Parliament of India passed the Right to Information Act which places a citizen at par with her elected representative in terms of accessing publicly held information. The law is applicable to all public authorities at all levels in the entire country. It also extends to all entities that are substantially funded by the government, even if they happen to be non-government entities. With clauses related to time-bound responses, public interest overrides, well-defined exceptions, and clearly defined sanctions for non-compliance, the Indian law is considered to be one of the most comprehensive and progressive anywhere in the world within the context of Freedom of Information laws.
That such an Act has the potential to fundamentally transform the citizen-state relationship and substantially impact development has been commented upon severally, in academic literature as well as in popular media. However, what has not been investigated in detail is the process that led to the enactment of such a law in the first place. Why should a government voluntarily give up control over something (which some formulations suggest to be the source of the exercise of its power) that it has always held very close to itself? What conditions, actors and processes allowed such a law to be enacted in the form that it was, and at the time that it was? What were the relationships between these conditions, actors, and processes that gave rise to this Act? Gaining a better understanding to such questions is critical to improving our understanding of reform processes, which have a direct impact on the lives of millions of people in developing (and industrialised) countries.
My research therefore attempts to answer the following questions:
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Why and how was the Right to Information Act enacted in India in June 2005?
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What does this say about the conditions under which 'radical' reforms have been and / or can be brought about in India?
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What insights can we glean from this about the political process in India (with a focus on the relationship between the state and the bureaucracy) and the changes, if any, taking place in it?
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What implications does this have for our understanding of the ways in which audacious reforms are proposed, negotiated, and then institutionally incorporated in a democracy?
Through the analysis of the case of the Right to Information Act in India, this research therefore attempts to provide an insight into the elements and processes which allow radical changes or large scale reforms to be proposed, negotiated, and then institutionally incorporated in a democracy.
Supervisors
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Professor Stuart Corbridge
Research areas
Politics of reform, accountability, governance, democratisation processes, corruption, international development, development communication.
CV/Resume
Languages
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Hindi Native
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English Excellent/native
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Nepali Working knowledge
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French Working knowledge: Currently at level 4 at Alliance Française)
Contact information
Department of international Development (ID)
London School of Economics and Political Science
Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 79 12 677 237
Email: p.sharma@lse.ac.uk