Browsing by Author "Dr. Sushmita Pati, - Supervisor"

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Citizen Participation and Good Governance at Ward-Level : Micro-political Study of Two Wards in Bengaluru
(National Law School of India University, Bangalore, 2022-11-26) Panchanathan, Bala; Dr. Sushmita Pati, - Supervisor
Urban local governance is the level of government closest to citizens. The quality of governance at this level has a direct bearing on the quality of life of the citizen (Bhide 2018). Citizen participation at this level, when meaningful and engaging can reap wondrous benefits for the community. The neo-liberal paradigm of ‘good governance’ and theoretical engagement with deliberative democracy and participatory governance (Sorenson and Sagaris 2010) has impacted how policymakers think about participatory governance policies. The 1990s legitimated policy action to facilitate decentralisation and deliberative participatory modes of governance at the local level (Chottray and Stoker 2009). Subsequently, the 74th Constitutional Amendment, of 1992 was legislated and citizen participation in urban governance was formally mandated through Ward Committees (WCs). While the potential of WCs has largely gone unrealised for a variety of reasons, citizen participation has occurred/has been occurring through non-institutionalized networks. The 1990s also witnessed Civil Society Organisations (CSO) steadily gain influence in deciding policy outcomes with respect to local governance. The formal and non-formal mechanisms of participation have thus worked parallely or in tandem with one another. While either mode of participation is not perfect due to concerns ranging from patronage politics, elite dominance, corruption and lack of funds, they hold great promise in engendering an empowered urban citizenry and ensuring quality governance (Sivaramakrishnan 2014). The scholarly literature on participatory urban local governance at the ward-level is heavily understudied. This study is located in Bengaluru and specifically studies two Wards, Ward 65 and 68. It hopes to bring out the nuances of citizen participation, through the framework of micro-politics, at the lowest operant level of urban governance as well as inform future policy. Key Words: Urban Governance, Citizen Participation, Ward Committees, Civil Society Organisation, Deliberative Democracy, Good Governance, Facilitator
Extending Rights and Social Protection to Refugees : Navigating the Consequences of an Absent Refugee Law
(National Law School of India University, Bangalore, 2022-11-26) Ashraf, Anikha; Dr. Sushmita Pati, - Supervisor
Representation of Marginalised Castes in Rural Credit Co-operative Institutions of Maharashtra Analysis of Jalgaon District Rural Credit Co-operative Network
(National Law School of India University, Bangalore, 2022-11-27) Ramkrishna, Chavan Tanmay; Dr. Sushmita Pati, - Supervisor
Social protection in the absence of mid-day meal scheme : a study among school children in Bengaluru
(National Law School of India University, Bangalore, 2022-12-02) Joshi, Srushti; Dr. Sushmita Pati, - Supervisor
The Mid Day Meal Scheme is the largest school-feeding programme in the world, which had to be temporarily suspended as a result of the closure of educational institutions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the suspension of this social protection measure, schoolchildren had to resort to other alternative measures in order to fill the lacuna. The research aims at three objectives—to understand how social protection received by schoolchildren is affected in absence of the scheme, to ascertain the adequacy of alternative social protection measures adopted in lieu of the scheme, and to determine whether there is scope to make the scheme more resilient to shocks such as the pandemic. In order to answer these questions, the study utilised primary and secondary data to understand the response taken by three concerned actors-government, schoolchildren, and non-governmental organisations. Concepts from the Social Risk Management Framework (Holzmann and Jorgensen 2001) have been adopted as a theoretical lens to understand the implication of responses. The research hopes to contribute to a better understanding of how social protection for schoolchildren can be bolstered in the absence of the Mid Day Meal Scheme as well as suggest how the scheme may be made strengthened against catastrophic events in the future. Keywords: social protection, mid day meal scheme, social risk management, alternative social protection measures
Status of refugees in India : a study exploring the role of non-governmental organizations in facilitating access to necessary resources
(National Law School of India University, Bangalore, 2022-12-02) Bhaskar, Vaishnavi; Dr. Sushmita Pati, - Supervisor
The most commonly accepted definition of a refugee appears in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. The internationally-recognised general definition is supported by regional treaties such as the OAU (Organisation of African Unity) Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, adopted in 1959 and the Cartagena Declaration of 1984. The mandate of the convention extends to all persons who, “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and being outside the country of former habitual residence as a result of such events is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or; owing to such fear is unwilling to return to it.”. The reliance on non-state actors in matters of temporary and permanent rehabilitation of refugees is unlike any other rights and recourse-seeking efforts by minority communities. What uniquely differentiates refugees from other marginalized groups is the state’s supposed absence of commitment to their welfare. Humanitarian law expert B.S. Chimni (248: 2013) argues that since refugees do not feature in the matrix of political legitimacy (limited to the State and its people), there is an almost universal rejection of responsibility towards those seeking aid and asylum. This can be witnessed in two ways, the first is the systemic absence of India’s South-Asian neighbours, from the signatory list of the UN Refugee Convention from 1951 and the Protocol from 1967. The second is the overwhelming preference for voluntary repatriation. The purpose of this research is to firstly, fill the literature gap by tracing the interaction of mandated and non-mandated refugees with non-governmental organisations as they facilitate access to resources which qualify as necessities. Secondarily, this study aims to explore the dynamic shared by these organisations with the government and the UNHCR.