Books in the Modern South Asia series

Civilian control over the military is widely hailed as one of the major successes of India''s democracy. Because it is so rare, especially among post-colonial states, this control is rightfully celebrated. But has this come at a cost? In The Absent Dialogue, Anit Mukherjee argues that the pattern of civil-military relations in India has hampered its military effectiveness. Diving deep into understanding the organization and internal processes within the Indian military, he explains how Indian politicians and bureaucrats have long been content with the formal and ritualistic exercise of civilian control, while the military continues to operate in institutional silos. Yet, there has been little substantive engagementbetween the two. To support this claim, Mukherjee closely examines the variables most closely associated with military effectiveness-weapons procurement, jointness (the ability of separate military services to operate together), officer education, promotion policies, and defense planning. Further, Mukherjeeshows how India''s pattern of civil-military relations-best characterized as an absent dialogue-adversely affects each of these processes. While the book focuses on India, it also highlights the importance of civilian expertise and institutional design in enhancing civilian control and military effectiveness in other democracies. Informed by more than a hundred and fifty interviews and recently available archival material, The Absent Dialogue sheds new light on India''s military and will reshape our understanding of both the history and contemporary dynamics of civil-military relations and recurring problems therein.

In The Other One Percent, Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur, and Nirvikar Singh provide the first authoritative and systematic overview of South Asians living in the United States.

What are long-term effects of India's extensive electoral quota systems? This book's insightful discussions, backed by rich empirical data, show how the quotas have shaped incentives for politicians, parties, and voters, and indicate the trade-offs inherent in how such policies of group inclusion are designed.

In Dispossession without Development, Michael Levien seeks to uncover the structural underpinnings of India's so-called "land wars." He examines how land dispossession changed with India's shift from state-led development to neoliberalism and the consequences of these changes for dispossessed farmers in contemporary India.

Over the last few decades, politics in India has moved steadily in a pro-business direction. This volume analyzes the growing power of business groups in India and the consequences of this process on key issue areas. The questions and concerns analyzed in this volume have both normative and scholarly significance.

Over the last few decades, politics in India has moved steadily in a pro-business direction. This volume analyzes the growing power of business groups in India and the consequences of this process on key issue areas. The questions and concerns analyzed in this volume have both normative and scholarly significance.

In Mobilizing the Marginalized, Amit Ahuja shows how social movements by marginalized ethnic groups - those who are stigmatized by others and disproportionately poor - undermine bloc voting to generate competition for marginalized citizens' votes across political parties.

This is the first analysis of India-U.S. foreign policy during the formative period of their relations to be able to use the Nehru Papers, the seminal source for understanding the worldview of India's first Prime Minister and Minister of External Affairs, 1947-1964. Nehru established the twin pillars of Non-Alignment and Asianism as the foundation of India's foreign policy. Read alongside declassified U.S. documents and available declassified Chinese documents, theyprovide the foundational understanding of U.S.-India suspicion and India-China rivalry.