Social Democracy and Good Governance

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Good Governance in India. 3. Indian social Democracy. 4. Decentralisation and good  governance. 5. Decentralisation of Governance and development. 6. Good Governance state and Democracy. 7. Social empowerment for Democracy and good Governance. 8. Civil society and Indian Democracy. 9. Challenges or the Democratic model and Democracy promotion. 10. Role of judiciary in Good Governance. 11. Democracy, Good Governance and economic development. Bibliography. Index.

How important is good governance for democracy and economic growth? Can we think of economic growth without good governance? All this have been discussed in this book in a simple and flawless language. Democracy has really moved beyond periodic elections towards good governance. Good governance helps create an environment in which sustained economic growth becomes achievable. It does not occur by chance, but must be demanded by citizens and nourished explicitly and consciously by the nation state. Good governance has many characteristics. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective, efficient, equitable, and inclusive and follows the rule of law. European style social democracy is seen as a safety net where individuals are protected from an array of risks. Social programmes which interact with individuals are transaction-intensive and hard to implement, particularly in the contemporary Indian governance environment. (jacket)