Democracy, Civil Society, and Claims-Making in India

Abstract

The chapter discusses two main causal mechanisms believed to activate a virtuous relationship between democracy and human development, including health outcomes:

• 1. Political competition and

• 2. Civil society activism.

The focus is especially on the latter with particular reference to India. It is argued that India’s long democratic life has empowered subordinate social groups, especially lower castes, in varying degrees. However, despite the passage of time, there has only been a slow spread of a “culture of equality.” Ethnic and other divides remain pronounced. Associational life is still largely organized around ethnicity and particularistic forms of claims-making focused on narrow identity issues are the norm. This hinders the emergence of broader class coalitions that could make effective demands on the state for better health services.