Graduation Year

Spring 2013

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

International Relations

Reader 1

Aseema Sinha

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© 2013 Annie Jalota

Abstract

India does not fit easily into existing models of thought on the nature of a state and defies ease of understanding. Though India is most often considered to be a subsidy state, I show in this thesis the notion of the subsidy state does not capture the true nature of the Indian state. Chapter two of the paper looks at various models of understanding the nature of the Indian state and draw out three essential features: competing interest groups, how economic liberalization facilitates corruption and works against India’s aim of equalizing the capabilities and freedoms of all its citizens, and the role of the Indian state in development and how the failure to engage its citizens in the process has resulted in the current system. Chapter three looks at subsidies and cash transfers, discussing the problem of targeting and the design of programs. The fourth chapter, I share the methodology I used to categorize 581 centrally sponsored schemes. I did this to be able to disaggregate centrally sponsored schemes. For each scheme, I identified the state associated with each scheme, the target groups (intended beneficiaries) of each scheme, the types of benefits delivered, whether the receipt of the benefits were conditional or not, and the relevant policy areas of each scheme. I concluded that a closer look at the Indian state reveals that India may actually be more accurately identified as a developmental state which facilitates the enhancement of its citizens’ capabilities and freedoms.

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