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THE PROCESSES OF POLICY MAKING IN INDIA Kuldeep Mathur, Public Policy and Politics in India: How Institutions Matter, New Delhi: OUP, 2013, Rs.795, pp. 344, ISBN 978-019-807759-6.
Research on public policy making in India has grown in importance over the years. Though studies on public policy making have been the concern of researchers all through there is a renewed concern on studying different aspects of policy making in the present context. Much of the research and publication on policy studies concentrated on the policy objectives and the impact assessment aspect and less on the policy processes. However, in a country so heterogeneous with diverse socio-economic conditions, public policy making has become increasingly complex to cater to the needs of all. Therefore, in the process of policy making for growth and development, we have moved away from the conventional approach. In the new policy making apparatus, apart from the governmental mechanisms, non-governmental and non-state actors are increasingly playing an important role in policy making in India. Much of our policy researches so far do not seem to have given enough attention to this aspect of policy making in India.
The book precisely discusses some of these issues in public policy making India. Taking examples from different sectors, the author explains how the corporate sector and the civil society are playing an important role in policy making in India. Though non-state actors have been playing their role in policy making, however in the present context slowly their role in public policy making is being institutionalised through diverse kind of partnerships.
Public Policy and Politics in India contains 11 chapters. The Introduction chapter (Chapter 1) discusses that much of policy studies in India are concentrated on policy goals and its evaluation. Citing illustrations from diverse literature on policy studies and periods ranging from Nehruvian era to the implementation of liberalisation policy, the chapter states policy studies in India is largely...