India: Government and Politics in a Developing Nation

An ideal case study for comparative government classes as well as classes on the government and politics of South Asia. India focuses on the problems of building a new nation, especially in terms of the major worldwide issue of ethnic conflict. Analysis focuses on conflicts generated by social change in a heterogeneous nation: caste system, quotas, religious tension between Hindus and Muslims, urban vs rural, peasant vs labor. The book provides up-to-date, coverage of govenment institutions, interest groups, political parties, and electoral behavior. It examines economic policy, foreign policy, and international relations as well as recent electrons and policy development.

Robert L. Hardgrave, Jr. is the Louann and Larry Temple Centennial Professor Emeritus in the Humanities, Departments of Government and Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a specialist in comparative politics, with an area focus on the domestic and international politics of South Asia. Working principally in India, he has conducted research on a wide range of topics, including ethnic/linguistic conflict, social movements, and politics and social change. In addition INDIA: GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS IN A DEVELOPING NATION, first published in 1970, his books include THE DRAVIDIAN MOVEMENT; THE NADARS OF TAMILNAD: THE POLITICAL CULTURE OF A COMMUNITY IN CHANGE; INDIA UNDER PRESSURE: PROSPECTS FOR POLITICAL STABILITY; AND ESSAYS IN THE POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY OF SOUTH INDIA. His most recent book, though not in political science, addresses his long interest in India: A PORTRAIT OF THE HINDUS: BALTHAZAR SOLVYNS & THE EUROPEAN IMAGE OF INDIA 1760-1824. Professor Hardgrave is senior policy adviser on South Asia for Political Risk Services, Inc., and has served as a consultant on South Asia for the U.S. Department of State.