A Comparative Survey of

DEMOCRACY, GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT

Working Paper Series: No. 99

Jointly Published by

Governance and its implications for Democracy

in India

Sandeep Shastri

Pro Vice Chancellor, Jain University, India.

Asian Barometer

A Comparative Survey of Democracy, Governance and Development

Working Paper Series

Jointly Published by

Globalbarometer

The Asian Barometer (ABS) is an applied research program on public opinion on political values, democracy, and

governance around the region. The regional network encompasses research teams from thirteen East Asian political

systems (Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia,

Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia), and five South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and

Nepal). Together, this regional survey network covers virtually all major political systems in the region, systems that

have experienced different trajectories of regime evolution and are currently at different stages of political transition.

The ABS Working Paper Series is intended to make research result within the ABS network available to the academic

community and other interested readers in preliminary form to encourage discussion and suggestions for revision before

final publication. Scholars in the ABS network also devote their work to the Series with the hope that a timely

dissemination of the findings of their surveys to the general public as well as the policy makers would help illuminate

the public discourse on democratic reform and good governance.

The topics covered in the Series range from country-specific assessment of values change and democratic development,

region-wide comparative analysis of citizen participation, popular orientation toward democracy and evaluation of

quality of governance, and discussion of survey methodology and data analysis strategies.

The ABS Working Paper Series supercedes the existing East Asia Barometer Working Paper Series as the network is

expanding to cover more countries in East and South Asia. Maintaining the same high standard of research methodology,

the new series both incorporates the existing papers in the old series and offers newly written papers with a broader

scope and more penetrating analyses.

The ABS Working Paper Series is issued by the Asian Barometer Project Office, which is jointly sponsored by the

Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences of National Taiwan University and the Institute of

Political Science of Academia Sinica.

Contact Information

Asian Barometer Project Office

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National Taiwan University

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Tel: 886 2-3366 8456

Fax: 886-2-2365 7179

E-mail: asianbarometer@ntu.edu.tw

Website: www.asianbarometer.org

LOKNITI NETWORK

November 7, 2013

Authored by: Sandeep Shastri

GGOOVVEERRNNAANNCCEE AANNDD IITTSS

IIMMPPLLIICCAATTIIOONNSS FFOORR

DDEEMMOOCCRRAACCYY IINN IINNDDIIAA

Abstract of Presentation Prepared for Conference on Comparing the State of Democracy in India and East Asia : An Asian Barometer Survey Conference – 7

November 2013

1

GO

VE

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AN

CE

AN

D I

TS

IM

PLIC

ATIO

NS

FO

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EM

OC

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IN

IN

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| 1

1/7

/2

01

3

GOVERNANCE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR

DEMOCRACY IN INDIA

Abstract of Presentation Prepared for Conference on Comparing the

State of Democracy in India and East Asia : An Asian Barometer

Survey Conference – 7 November 2013

This paper is based on the second round of the India Component of the State of Democracy

in South Asia (South Asia Barometer) study. It attempts to capture the public perceptions on

Issues of Governance and its wider implications for the democratic processes in India. The

paper is rooted in the basic premise that governance is about `access` to the resources of the

state. The paper attempts to look at `access from below ` - mounting its academic telescope,

in the terrain of the `common public`. Citizen perceptions on the delivery of a select range

of public services is assessed based on their response to specific questions in the survey. The

range of services were carefully selected to be included in the survey based on past

experience and a extensive dialogue on which services are perceived to be important. The

public services identified include : a) Government Schools; b) Medical Facilities; c) Delivery

of select Government Services; and d) Interaction with the Police and Local courts.

What are the implications of citizen response to the delivery of public services to the wider

debate on the quality and capacities of Indian democracy are discussed at length.

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omet

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licat

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tate

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dia

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ange

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th A

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omet

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Hig

h S

ES

55

53

58

48

69

50

77

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en

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h t

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me

nt

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oo

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n t

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vate

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oo

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omet

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ay m

ore

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%

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at w

as t

he

reas

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omet

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–G

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66

69

57

49

68

65

58

48

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52

39

57

Gen

eral

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blic

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ree

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ent

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omet

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tes

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ore

like

ly t

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at t

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en

th

osp

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y ch

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ther

th

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g th

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nly

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oic

e a

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ble

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lain

ing

this

tre

nd

Acc

ess

ing

Me

dic

al F

acili

ties

in G

ove

rnm

en

t H

osp

ital

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o t

hir

ds

resp

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ts fe

lt t

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it w

as e

asy

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cces

s m

edic

al t

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go

vern

men

t h

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ital

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49

53

61

45

68

50

66

44

73

54

Acc

ess

ed

go

vern

me

nt

ho

spit

als

by

cho

ice

SDSA

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(Sou

th A

sia

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omet

er):

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IA S

TU

DY

–G

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ER

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NC

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WH

Y A

CC

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ITA

LSW

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DID

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ESS

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ALS

52

%

12

%

10

%

26

%

Aff

ord

able

Geo

grap

hic

al P

roxi

mit

y

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cto

rs a

nd

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ff A

vaila

ble

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er

33

%

16

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5%

10

%

26

%

Qu

alit

y o

f Tr

eat

me

nt

no

t go

od

Lack

of

faci

litie

s

Do

cto

rs a

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ff n

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avai

lab

leSt

aff

no

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ten

tive

an

d c

arin

g

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er

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th A

sia

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omet

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NC

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Two

th

ird

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f t

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resp

on

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ts f

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me

•Ge

ne

ral P

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lic M

ust

Get

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e M

ed

ical

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Go

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me

nt

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spit

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ed

ule

d C

asteO

ther

sN

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du

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on

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du

ate

and

ab

ove

18

-34

Ab

ove

60

Ru

ral

Urb

anLo

w S

ESH

igh

SES

Ave

rage

76

60

74

57

63

70

67

63

74

50

66

SDSA

II

(Sou

th A

sia

Bar

omet

er):

IND

IA S

TU

DY

–G

OV

ER

NA

NC

E

Bat

tery

of

five

qu

est

ion

s

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suri

ng

Spe

ed

y D

eliv

ery

of

Go

vern

me

nt

Serv

ice

Giv

ing

Extr

a M

on

ey

Usi

ng

Infl

uen

tial

peo

ple

's r

efer

ence

Ap

pro

ach

ing

po

litic

ian

s

Ap

pro

ach

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mid

dle

me

n/a

gen

ts

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win

g e

sta

blis

hed

ru

les

and

pro

ced

ure

s

87

79

74

71

54

SDSA

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(Sou

th A

sia

Bar

omet

er):

IND

IA S

TU

DY

–G

OV

ER

NA

NC

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•R

ole

of

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ney

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ole

of

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uen

ce

Spee

dy

De

live

ry

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ho

is a

ble

to

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rage

go

vern

men

t b

enef

its

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cep

tio

n o

f

gove

rnm

en

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adm

inis

trat

ion

Are

th

ere

crit

ical

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iati

on

s ?

Low

SES

Mid

dle

SES

Hig

h S

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86

87

91

Extr

a M

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ey

Hig

h S

ES

Low

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an

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ral

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ard

Cas

te

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ed

ule

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81

69

80

72

77

69

Infl

ue

nce

of

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l Po

litic

ian

80

66

77

68

77

69

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dle

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/ A

gen

ts5

8

49

55

46

Follo

w e

stab

lish

ed

ru

les/

pro

ced

ure

s

82

74

86

77

Usi

ng

infl

ue

nti

al p

eo

ple

's r

efe

ren

ce

SDSA

II

(Sou

th A

sia

Bar

omet

er):

IND

IA S

TU

DY

–G

OV

ER

NA

NC

E

WH

Y A

VO

ID P

OLI

CE

WH

Y A

VO

ID C

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RTS

Inte

ract

ion

wit

h P

olic

e a

nd

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urt

sEi

ght

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eve

ry t

en

did

no

t go

to

th

e p

olic

e o

r co

urt

s

26

%

21

%

19

%

13

%

21

%

Invo

lve

me

nt

of

Po

lice

wo

uld

co

mp

lica

te m

atte

rs

Po

lice

wo

uld

ext

ract

mo

ne

y

Po

lice

wo

uld

no

t b

e f

air

Co

mm

un

ity

lead

ers

can

re

solv

e th

e is

sue

Oth

er

reas

on

s

35

%

29

%

22

%

14

%

Exp

ensi

ve

Too

len

gth

y a

pro

cess

Co

mm

un

ity

lead

ers

can

res

olv

e th

e is

sue

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er r

eas

on

s

SDSA

II

(Sou

th A

sia

Bar

omet

er):

IND

IA S

TU

DY

–G

OV

ER

NA

NC

E

WIL

L P

OLI

CE

BE

IMPA

RTI

AL

CR

ITIC

AL

VA

RIA

BLE

S

Do

pe

op

le s

ee

th

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olic

e a

s im

par

tial

Dif

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ate

bet

wee

n r

ich

an

d p

oo

r

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fere

nti

ate

bet

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nU

pp

er C

aste

and

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its

Dif

fere

nti

ate

on

gro

un

ds

of

gen

de

r

Dif

fere

nti

ate

bet

wee

n f

ollo

wer

s o

fm

ajo

rity

an

d m

ino

rity

rel

igio

n

84

63

59

51

Cas

te B

ase

d -

Dal

its

Cas

te b

ase

d O

BC

's

Cas

te b

ase

d -

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rwar

d C

aste

s

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ligio

n -

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du

s

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slim

s

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ligio

n -

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an

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ligio

n -

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ral

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nd

er

- M

en

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nd

er

- W

om

en

71

61

60

515

660

48

576

2

SDSA

II

(Sou

th A

sia

Bar

omet

er):

IND

IA S

TU

DY

–G

OV

ER

NA

NC

E

To s

um

up

The

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nte

xt

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itiz

en p

erce

pti

on

of

Serv

ice

del

iver

y

Issu

es

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po

rtan

t va

riat

ion

s ac

ross

dif

fere

nt

gro

up

s

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on

tin

ued

fo

cus

on

th

e ro

le o

f th

e st

ate

Imp

licat

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s

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e va

rian

ce b

etw

een

th

e p

rom

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and

pra

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e o

f d

emo

crac

y

SDSA

II

(Sou

th A

sia

Bar

omet

er):

IND

IA S

TU

DY

–G

OV

ER

NA

NC

E