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Effective Policy Choices for Democracies a Study of India’S Bharatiya Janata Party and Austria’S Freedom Party

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Effective Policy Choices for Democracies a Study of India’S Bharatiya Janata Party and Austria’S Freedom Party ANTI-SYSTEM PARTIES: EFFECTIVE POLICY CHOICES FOR DEMOCRACIES A STUDY OF INDIA’S BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY AND AUSTRIA’S FREEDOM PARTY A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, International-Comparative Politics By Kristina M. Teater B.A, Milligan College, 1992 2006 Wright State University WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES November 10, 2006 I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION BY Kristina M. Teater ENTITLED Anti-System Parties: Effective Policy Choices for Democracies. A Study of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party and Austria’s Freedom Party BE ACCEPTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL-COMPARATIVE POLITICS. ____________________________ Liam D. Anderson, Ph.D. Thesis Director ____________________________ Laura M. Luehrmann, Ph.D. Director, Master of Arts International-Comparative Politics Program Committee on Final Examination _______________________________ Donna Schlagheck, Ph.D. Department Chair, Political Science _______________________________ Pramod Kantha, Ph.D. Thesis Committee Member _______________________________ Joseph Thomas, Ph.D. Dean, School of Graduate Studies ABSTRACT Teater, Kristina M. M.A., Department of Political Science, Wright State University, 2006. Anti-System Parties: Effective Policy Choices for Democracies. A study of India’s Bharatiya Janata party and Austria’s Freedom Party In the decades following WWII, countries across the globe witnessed the rise of anti- system parties. Political scientists have attributed their success to economic conditions, electoral systems, party systems and the electorate’s disaffection with mainstream parties. This analysis also suggests the influence of global factors. While the causes for success have been examined, effective policy choices for democracies have not been equally explored. This study makes the argument that by including anti-system parties in government, states are able to lessen the threat they pose to democracy. The analysis of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party and Austria’s Freedom party suggest that anti-system parties loose their allure when they come to power. The analysis also suggests that democracies by adopting the contrary policy of exclusion, in fact create conditions that foster support for anti-system parties. Lastly, this study suggests that the international community in response to anti-system parties in power should adopt a policy of cautious engagement. iii Table of Contents I. Introduction ................................................................................................................ vi Definition of Anti-System Party .................................................................... 3 II. Methodology ................................................................................................................ 6 The Hypothesis .............................................................................................. 7 Government by Cartel.................................................................................... 7 Unrealizable Campaign Promises.................................................................. 8 Participants in Government............................................................................ 9 III. Trends in Literature .................................................................................................. 11 Electoral Systems......................................................................................... 11 Economic Conditions................................................................................... 14 Politics of Resentment ................................................................................. 16 Party Systems............................................................................................... 17 Disaffection with Political System: The electorate as “outsiders ................ 20 Anti-system party elites as the “redeeming hero”........................................ 20 Mainstream Parties inability to solve Problems........................................... 21 IV. India and the Bharatiya Janata Party ........................................................................ 22 Historical Background of the BJP................................................................ 23 Critical Events - Babri Masjid at Ayodhya.................................................. 27 Critical Events – The Shah Bano Case ........................................................ 28 Strategic Alliances ....................................................................................... 29 Charismatic Leadership ............................................................................... 30 Global Influence........................................................................................... 31 V. The Rise of the Freedom Party ................................................................................. 33 Historical Background of the Freedom Party .............................................. 33 Charismatic Leadership of Jorg Haider ....................................................... 36 Critical Events – Rethinking Identity .......................................................... 38 Reunification of Germany............................................................................ 39 The fall of the Iron Curtain.......................................................................... 39 Global Influences – Changing Austria - Changing Europe ......................... 41 The European Union.................................................................................... 41 VI. AS Parties Performance in Government................................................................... 44 Performance in Government – Bharatiya Janata Party................................ 44 Corruption.................................................................................................... 44 iv Minority Relations ....................................................................................... 48 The Gujarat Riots......................................................................................... 50 Social Justice and Human Welfare – Was India Shining?........................... 51 The Freedom Party- Performance in Government....................................... 55 The Coalition and the European Union ....................................................... 56 Social Welfare Policy .................................................................................. 58 Immigration.................................................................................................. 59 VII. Politics of Exclusion.................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. Exclusion via Electoral Systems.................................................................. 64 Majoritarian System – Plurality................................................................... 64 Proportional Representation Systems .......................................................... 65 Consequences of Exclusion - Political Cartel and Particracy...................... 65 Political Cartel - Managed Competition……….………..…………....... 67 Particracy ..................................................................................................... 66 Italian politics after WWII........................................................................... 67 Consequences of Communist Exclusion – High Level Corruption............. 68 Terrorism: Another Consequence of Exclusi............................................... 71 The ‘Vicious Cycle’ of Exclusion................................................................ 71 VIII. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 72 IX. Appendix A............................................................................................................ 791 The 1999 National Democratic Alliance agenda......................................... 79 X. Appendix B…………………………………………………. …………………… 93 Program of the Austrian Freedom Party……………………………...…...93 XI. Bibliography.…………………………………………………………… ……….124 v List of Tables Table Page 1. Electoral Success of the BJP – 1984-1999 …………………………. 28 2. BJP Electoral Alliances with Regional Parties ………......…. …….. 32 3. Election Results of OVP, SPO and FPO form 1986- 99…………….. 37 4. Social Demographic Profile of FPO Voter 1986-99 (%) …………… 42 5. Motives of Voting for the FPO (most frequent mentions)………….. 43 6. NDA Govt: the voter report over the last five years ………………. 49 7. NDA Manifesto (1999) Commitments to ………………………….. 54 ST’s, SC’s and OBC’s 8. NDA (1999) Charter of Commitments……………………………… 55 9. Voter Perception of NDA Performance …………………………… 56 10. Policy Competency of the FPO …………………………………… 58 11. ‘Austria First’ ……………………………………………………… 62 12. Election Results of the FPO and BJP ………………………………. 64 vi Introduction In 1977, the Australian Democrats entered the political stage using the slogan “keep the bastards honest”. According to party founder Don Chipp, the catchy slogan was in fact one of the main goals of the new party. For the next two decades, the party boasted being the strongest anti-system party in Australia, and their dominance continued until Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party, emerged as a contender in the 1998 federal election. It was in this election that the combined support of all Australian anti-system parties reached a record 16.2
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