Combating Corruption: The Indian Case

Combating Corruption: The Indian Case documents the popular upsurge that was witnessed in India during 2011 12 in the wake of major scams like 2G Spectrum, Commonwealth Games and Adarsh.

The book provides a perspective for viewing the increasing levels of corruption in the higher echelons of politics and bureaucracy in post-Independence India. It looks at the limits of popular struggles and legislative/administrative measures to combat it. Tracing the roots of anti-corruption movements to the JP Movement of the 1970s, it presents an in-depth coverage of the recent protests led by Anna Hazare and Ramdev, and the emergence of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party.

The book focuses on cases of large-scale embezzlement, and the popular reaction against it, and shows how corruption manifests itself in the Indian social, economic and political contexts. It underlines the crucial role of state institutions and a vigilant civil society in tackling this problem.

The book provides the most detailed account of the massive popular anti-corruption movements that rocked the country during the years 2011 12, the largest ever witnessed since the JP Movement of the 1970s. In doing so, it provides a backdrop for understanding the recent developments in Indian politics like the spectacular rise of the Aam Aadmi Party in late 2013.

The book fills a major lacuna in our sociological understanding of corruption, as exemplified by cases of grand embezzlement, and the popular opposition to it.

As an interdisciplinary work, it is indispensable for political analysts, sociologists, journalists, and general readers keen to understand the political economy of contemporary India.

Yogesh Atal was Principal Director of Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO from 1974 to 1997. He has written extensively on development-related issues, political processes and the Indian social structure.

Sunil K. Choudhary is Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Shyam Lal College (Evening), University of Delhi.