Can social democratic development be reinvented? Törnquist This pioneering book by concerned scholars looks at experiences of & Harriss social democratic development in Scandinavia and India. By com- DEVELOPMENT SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC REINVENTING paring situations both in the North and South, they seek to explore the possibilities for the reinvention of social democracy in an age of REINVENTING uneven development in the South and growing inequality globally. ‘This book will excite everyone interested in the challenges of deepening SOCIAL democratic citizenship and achieving equitable economic growth in today’s world. The authors brilliantly link the experiences of social democracy in the global North (Sweden and Norway) and South (India), pointing to parallels with Latin America and Africa also. This is a pioneering contribu- DEMOCRATIC tion to understanding how mobilisation can achieve serious alternatives to neoliberalism.’ – Jeremy Seekings, University of Cape Town ‘Reinventing Social Democratic Development sheds new light on politics of DEVELOPMENT social democracy through a sustained comparative-historical analysis of development trajectories in Scandinavia and India. This is not only a bold and original contribution to comparative politics and development but also Insights from Indian and Scandinavian Comparisons indispensable reading for those interested in the revitalization of the social democratic project.’ – Patrick Heller, Brown University ‘This is an unusual and very important book. Its focus on reinventing a social democratic model after decades of neoliberal hegemony sharpens the global Edited by intellectual and political challenge to show if and how a democratic and anti-authoritarian model combining economic and social development is Olle Törnquist and John Harriss feasible.’ – Håkan A. Bengtsson, The Stockholm Arena Group with Neera Chandhoke and Fredrik Engelstad ‘In the absence of a political party openly committed to the idea, social democracy has not been a part of the popular public discourse in India. Combining historical and current accounts from India and Scandinavia, the book provides insights into its promise.’ – Reetika Khera, Indian Institute of Technology ‘In this crucial volume, an international team of noted scholars seek new insights from Indian and Scandinavian experiences, asking if some type of social democracy is a viable option in developing countries and if it would be in the interest of the North, too.’ – Sheri Berman, Colombia University www.niaspress.dk Tornquist-Harriss-pbk-cover.indd 1 08/09/2016 16:15 REINVENTING SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT Tornquist-Harriss-book.indd 1 08/09/2016 16:10 NIAS–Nordic Institute of Asian Studies NIAS Studies in Asian Topics 47 Saying the Unsayable: Monarchy and Democracy in Thailand d Søren Ivarsson and Lotte Isager (eds) 48 Plaited Arts from the Borneo Rainforest d Bernard Sellato (ed.) 49 Cambodia’s Economic Transformation d Caroline Hughes and Kheang Un (eds) 50 Ancestors in Borneo Societies: Death, Transformation and Social Immortality d Pascal Couderc and Kenneth Sillander (eds) 51 Creative Spaces: Seeking the Dynamics of Change in China d Denise Gimpel, Bent Nielsen and Paul Bailey (eds) 52 Red Stamps and Gold Stars: Fieldwork Dilemmas in Upland Socialist Asia d Sarah Turner (ed.) 53 On the Fringes of the Harmonious Society: Tibetans and Uyghurs in Socialist China d Trine Brox and Ildikó Bellér-Hann (eds) 54 Doing Fieldwork in China … with Kids! The Dynamics of Accompanied Fieldwork in the People’s Republic d Candice Cornet and Tami Blumenfield (eds) 55 UNESCO in Southeast Asia: World Heritage Sites in Comparative Perspective d Victor T. King (ed.) 56 War and Peace in the Borderlands of Myanmar: The Kachin Ceasefire, 1994–2011 d Mandy Sadan (ed.) 57 Charismatic Monks of Lanna Buddhism d Paul T. Cohen (ed.) 58 Reinventing Social Democratic Development: Insights from Indian and Scandinavian Comparisons d Olle Törnquist and John Harriss (eds) 59 Fieldwork in Timor-Leste: Understanding Social Change through Practice d Maj Nygaard-Christensen and Angie Bexley (eds) 60 Debating the East Asian Peace: What it is. How it came about. Will it last? d Elin Bjarnegård and Joakim Kreutz (eds) 61 Khaki Capital: The Political Economy of the Military in Southeast Asia d Paul Chambers and Napisa Waitoolkiat (eds) 62 Warring Societies of Pre-colonial Southeast Asia: Local Cultures of Conflict Within a Regional Context d Michael W. Charney and Kathryn Wellen(eds) NIAS Press is the autonomous publishing arm of NIAS – Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, a research institute located at the University of Copenhagen. NIAS is partially funded by the governments of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden via the Nordic Council of Ministers, and works to encourage and support Asian studies in the Nordic countries. In so doing, NIAS has been publishing books since 1969, with more than two hundred titles produced in the past few years. UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN Nordic Council of Ministers Tornquist-Harriss-book.indd 2 08/09/2016 16:10 REINVENTING SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT Insights from Indian and Scandinavian Comparisons edited by Olle Törnquist and John Harriss with Neera Chandhoke and Fredrik Engelstad Tornquist-Harriss-book.indd 3 08/09/2016 16:10 Reinventing Social Democratic Development Insights from Indian and Scandinavian Comparisons Edited by Olle Törnquist and John Harriss with Neera Chandhoke and Fredrik Engelstad Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Studies in Asian Topics, no. 58 First published in 2016 by NIAS Press NIAS – Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark Tel: +45 3532 9501 • Fax: +45 3532 9549 E-mail: [email protected] • Online: www.niaspress.dk © NIAS Press 2016 While copyright in the volume as a whole is vested in the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, copyright in the individual chapters belongs to their authors. No material may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-87-7694-198-7 (hbk) ISBN: 978-87-7694-200-7 (pbk) Typeset in Arno Pro 12/14.4 Typesetting by NIAS Press Cover design by NIAS Press, based on the artwork ‘Kvadrat’ (‘Square’) by Siw Lurås (copyright the artist) Printed and bound in Great Britain by Marston Book Services Limited, Oxfordshire Tornquist-Harriss-book.indd 4 08/09/2016 16:10 Contents Preface ix Notes on the Authors xi PART ONE: INTRODUCTION 1. Social Democratic Development 3 Olle Törnquist with John Harriss PART TWO: COMPARATIVE ANALYSES 2. Lineages of Democratic Development: India and Scandinavia 31 John Harriss and Olle Törnquist 3. Comparative Notes on Indian Experiments in Social Democracy: Kerala and West Bengal 53 John Harriss and Olle Törnquist PART THREE: POLITICAL COLLECTIVITIES 4. From Local Citizenship to the Politics of Universal Welfare: Scandinavian Insights 87 Hilde Sandvik 5. What are the Prospects for a Social Democratic Alliance in India Today? 106 John Harriss PART FOUR: LINKAGES BETWEEN STATE AND SOCIETY 6. Governance Reforms in India 131 N. C. Saxena 7. Strengthening Control or Fostering Trust? Indian Politics and Scandinavian Experiences 168 Torsten Svensson PART FIVE: RIGHTS AND WELFARE 8. The Chequered History of Social Rights in India 189 Neera Chandhoke Tornquist-Harriss-book.indd 5 08/09/2016 16:10 Reinventing Social Democratic Development 9. Welfare State – India and Scandinavia: Social Rights, Decommodification, Democracy 212 Fredrik Engelstad PART SIX: EQUITY AND GROWTH 10. Social Equality as a Development Strategy 241 Kalle Moene 11. Democratic Development in India: Reflections on Problems and Prospects 268 Pranab Bardhan PART SEVEN: CONCLUSIONS 12. Implications for Scandinavian Social Democracy and International Cooperation 283 Olle Törnquist 13. What Are the Prospects Now for Social Democratic Develop- ment? 308 Olle Törnquist and John Harriss Bibliography 328 Index 359 List of Tables 6.1 Central Plan outlay in billions of rupees 138 6.2 Percentage distribution of Central Plan outlay supported by the budget through the GOI’s ministries by Heads of Development 139 6.3 Transfer of funds to States 143 6.4 Total government employment in India 146 6.5 State government employees in Tamil Nadu and Bihar 147 9.1 Gross National Income, health care expenditure, and life expec- tancy, 2012 227 9.2 Inadequate nourishment and share of food expenditures of the poor, 1993–2010 230 10.1 Dispersion of total factor productivity 250 vi Tornquist-Harriss-book.indd 6 08/09/2016 16:10 Contents List of Figures 0.1 Map of India and Scandinavia xiv 6.1 Number of state government employees per 1,000 of popula- tion 148 6.2 Per cent of medical staff actually present at community health centres as a ratio of sanctioned and recruited strength 159 9.1 Varieties of commodification 215 List of Plates Demonstration in Ådalen, Sweden, 14 May 1931 2 E.M.S. Namboodiripad being sworn in as the first Communist Chief Minister of Kerala 2 Tage Erlander with Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957 28 Einar Gerhardsen meeting E.M.S. Nambodiripad in 1958 30 Aam Aadmi Party supporters campaigning for their leader, Arvind Kejriwal 84 Municipality meeting in Haninge Kommun, Sweden, possibly in the late 19th century 86 Meeting of a Gram Sabha 130 The Constitution of India in Hindi and English 188 School children in Kerala 238 1933 election poster for the Norwegian Labour Party 240 1934 election poster for the Social Democratic Party in Sweden 240 Domestic workers march in Stockholm the 1930s 280 Dr T.M. Thomas Isaac with the leaders of a factory run by women for women 280 Olof Palme joins North Vietnamese diplomats in a demonstration against the American war in Vietnam 282 vii Tornquist-Harriss-book.indd 7 08/09/2016 16:10 Tornquist-Harriss-book.indd 8 08/09/2016 16:10 Preface his is a collective book. It grows out of a joint commitment to ex- plore the possibility of reinventing social democracy, which has taken such a battering over the last forty years, while neoliberal- Tism has dominated public policy.