Democratisation in South Asia

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Democratisation in South Asia

The First Fifty Years

A Publication of the

Edited by: John M. Richardson Jr. and S W R de A Samarasinghe

Introduction I Summary I Contents I Notes on Contributors I Detailed Summary of Chapters I Ordering Information

Democratisation in South Asia: The First Fifty Years is the final product of an International Centre for Ethnic Studies project on "The Process of Democratisation in South Asia," initiated in the Spring of 1991. The project's primary goal was to conduct an in-depth survey of South Asia's democratisation process with a view to gaining a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of that process. A second goal was to identify policies and strategies that might strengthen the future of the democratisation efforts. It seems appropriate that the volume should be released in the year that commemorates Sri Lanka's Fiftieth year as an independent democratic state and in the year following India's and Pakistan's independence. Notably, Southeast Asian Scholars who live and work in the region have written most of the contributions contained within this compilation.

Summary

Debates about the appropriateness of democracy for developing nations were common during the Cold War years. Now, in many regions of the world this issue is moot. Communism has been discredited. Democracy is fashionable. Strong international pressures, both economic and political, favour democratisation. Within the past decade, in more than one-third of the world's independent nations, people have opted for more open and democratic forms of governance. Leaders in new democracies face a daunting problem: how to create strong, sustainable democratic institutions that will fulfil the high hopes of their people for political freedom and opportunity. This volume examines democratisation in one of the world's most populous and diverse regions. The subject is of intrinsic interest, the varied experiences of South Asian nations can help answer the questions about democratisation that are now engaging scholars and political leaders in other regions. Among the most important are these:

What factors best explain why some developing nations have established resilient, stable democracies, while others have not?

What is the relative importance of international and domestic causes in explaining the survival of domestic regimes and the more recent transitions from authoritarian regimes to democratic ones?

How can leaders of democratic nations, multilateral development organisations, and non-governmental organisations support democratic transitions most effectively?

Contents

Notes on Contributors

Preface

Introduction

Democratisation in South Asia: Theory, Experience, and Issues Kristine A Herrmann and John M Richardson Jr.

Part I. Definitions and Hypotheses

1. On Democratisation: What is it? How is it Encouraged? How is its Progress Measured? Kenneth Kusterer

2. The International Dimension of Democratisation: Three Perspectives Laurence Whitehead

Part II. The South Asian Experience

3. The Indian State Democracy: Contradictions and Consequences S N Jha

4. Pakistan: Electoral Politics and Democracy Mohammad Waseem

5. Bangladesh: Democratisation in Crisis Abdul Momin Chowdhury and Chandra Barman

6. Sri Lanka: Electoral Politics and Resilience of Democracy K M De Silva

7. The Process of Democratisation in Nepal: Problems and Prospects Lok Raj Baral

8. Bhutan: Ethnicity, Democracy and Nation-Building Partha S Ghosh

Part III. Unresolved Issues

9. "Hanging in" at the Margin: Political Participation, Democracy and Women in South Asia Vidyamali Samarasinghe

10. Human Rights and the Neo Liberal Raj Stig Toft Madsen

11. Democratisation or Economic Liberalisation: The 'Catalyst' in South Asian Regional Cooperation Ravintha Aryansinha

Conclusion

Democratisation in South Asia: Lessons and Prospects John M Richardson Jr. and Kristine A Herrmann

Index

ISBN 955-580-032-4

mailto:jrich@american.edu

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