Namaste India, It's been Amazing!

 My last day in Delhi was bittersweet.  I was ready to see more of the city, but I was also ready to start the journey back home.  I packed early in the day so I would have the rest of the day to go sight seeing and shopping.  The last sights I wanted to see were India Gate, Parliament and the Presidential Palace and do a little more shopping at Jan Path.  

Diane, Sarah Stephen and myself took an auto rickshaw up to India Gate where we saw the Indian version of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  The monument was very beautiful and the arch has the names of all the soldiers who lost their lives inscribed on it.  Below the arch there is a monument, covered in marigolds where the eternal flame is lit and a solider watches over it.  However, since we were the only westerners at India gate that day, we soon gathered a crowd of locals selling souvenirs and young girls waiting to draw henna tattoos on our hands.  Although we were used to the attention by now, this situation became uncomfortable because the girls doing henna started grabbing us so we decided to leave to go see Parliament.    Parliament was within sight, so we decided to walk there.  Although it was a nice day in Delhi and we were glad to walk because a 29-hour flight was in the near future, Parliament was a little further away than what we expected so we caught another rickshaw.  Our driver turned out to be a tour guide as well, which was fabulous!  He took us by Parliament and the Presidential Palace, making stops along the way to take our pictures in front of the buildings.  All the while he was telling us what the other buildings were and describing the inside of the Presidential Palace to us.  After we had seen everything we could, he offered to take us to Jan Path for a very good price, so we accepted.  


  Once at Jan Path, we did our last minute shopping for scarves and suitcases to bring back souvenirs.  However, we didn't stay at Jan Path long because a couple of us need to get back to the hotel to get massages.   Well at least I thought I was going to get a massage…it turned out the spa was booked so I opted to take a nice shower instead.  Yes, I did pay about $10 to take a real shower!  After my lovely shower, I went back to Pamposh for the last time.   


 At Pamposh, I started thinking about how weird it was going to be to be back in the states.  Over my three weeks in India, this world had become my reality.  The crazy traffic, the colorful streets and people, the sheer number of people everywhere, the music and honking and cows and other farm animals gracing the streets had all become normal.  I guess the saying "it only takes 21 days to start a habit" applies to reality as well.  Needless to say, I'm going to miss this place, but hopefully I'll be back to see the rest of incredible India!      


  -Sarah Broussard MPSA 2011          

Jamghat Family

Namaste!  Today was our final day of class with very interesting discussion topics!  After class we had the opportunity to visit an NGO called Jamghat.  Jamghat has three different programs designed to educate and help children who would otherwise have nothing.  The first program we visited was a girls home.  The home housed 10 beautiful young girls and also served as their school.  These girls receive education, counseling, theatre experience, and the opportunity to live life like a child!  Growing up in the United States I had always had my own bedroom and everything that I ever needed.  I walked into the room where these 10 girls slept and shared their dreams and it broke my heart.  The facility was great but the realization that these girls feel like princesses because they have their own bed under a roof humbled me.  They are so thankful with so little that they have been dealt with in life.  I intruded on their class time and had them tell me what they were working on and what they found the most exciting thing to do everyday.  I expected them to say their favorite thing was their theatre group or playtime yet they responded that they love to study!  It was so encouraging to see everything that this organization has done and the lives that they have changed.   Three of the girls wanted to dance with me so I hummed "Waka Waka" by Shakira and we did the recognizable dance from the music video.  


Next we drove to the boys center that was created for the same purpose.  The boys were in a more formal class setting and had many books in English scattered on the table.  I glanced into another room where I found 5 young boys all under the age of 6 years old.  They were playing a popular board game in India and they quickly taught me how to play.  These boys were full of energy and loved to demonstrate yoga stances and karate kicks for my camera.  The other center that the organization has is a day-time play center.  Fifty kids attend this center while their parents go to work. These children live in the street as well but return to their parents at the end of the day.  We asked the workers of the organization how they choose the children that they have to live in the foster centers.  They replied that the students they have were the most extreme situations out of the daytime center and many of them asked them to live there.  Some children their parents have died while others their parents have simply given them up for hopes of a better life.  


Dr. Gawande very wisely asked how much it would cost every month to house and teach one child.  He did this so we would realize the comparison of how we live our life everyday.  The figure was surprisingly higher than I imagined.  For $1,000 a month a child is housed, fed, and educated.  They responded that they insist on providing quality service for these children and is reflected in their extremely high success rate.  The organization is completely amazing and inspiring.  


 There are still millions of children in India who are homeless and in need of an education and their childhood.  


http://www.jamghatfamily.blogspot.com   


-Sarah Saunders

Developing at the Grassroots

Namaste!  Today was our final day of class with very interesting discussion topics! After class we had the opportunity to visit an NGO called Jamghat.  Jamghat has three different programs designed to educate and help children who would otherwise have nothing.  The first program we visited was a girls home.  The home housed 10 beautiful young girls and also served as their school.  These girls receive education, counseling, theatre experience, and the opportunity to live life like a child!  Growing up in the United States I had always had my own bedroom and everything that I ever needed.  I walked into the room where these 10 girls slept and shared their dreams and it broke my heart.  The facility was great but the realization that these girls feel like princesses because they have their own bed under a roof humbled me.  They are so thankful with so little that they have been dealt with in life.  I intruded on their class time and had them tell me what they were working on and what they found the most exciting thing to do everyday.  I expected them to say their favorite thing was their theatre group or playtime yet they responded that they love to study!  It was so encouraging to see everything that this organization has done and the lives that they have changed.   Three of the girls wanted to dance with me so I hummed “Waka Waka” by Shakira and we did the recognizable dance from the music video. 

Next we drove to the boys center that was created for the same purpose.  The boys were in a more formal class setting and had many books in English scattered on the table.  I glanced into another room where I found 5 young boys all under the age of 6 years old.  They were playing a popular board game in India and they quickly taught me how to play.  These boys were full of energy and loved to demonstrate yoga stances and karate kicks for my camera. 

The other center that the organization has is a day-time play center.  Fifty kids attend this center while their parents go to work.  These children live in the street as well but return to their parents at the end of the day.  We asked the workers of the organization how they choose the children that they have to live in the foster centers.  They replied that the students they have were the most extreme situations out of the daytime center and many of them asked them to live there.  Some children their parents have died while others their parents have simply given them up for hopes of a better life. 

Dr. Gawande very wisely asked how much it would cost every month to house and teach one child.  He did this so we would realize the comparison of how we live our life everyday.  The figure was surprisingly higher than I imagined.  For $1,000 a month a child is housed, fed, and educated.  They responded that they insist on providing quality service for these children and is reflected in their extremely high success rate. The organization is completely amazing and inspiring.   There are still millions of children in India who are homeless and in need of an education and their childhood. 

http://www.jamghatfamily.blogspot.com 

Sarah Saunders, MPIA 2012 and Sarah Broussard, MPSA 2011

A New World Order...?

A global government to solve and prevent all conflicts?  Vegetarianism and yoga to make a more peaceful world order?

No way.

Our last lecturer, a former World Bank employee, had views on restructuring world order that basically required a suspension of rational thinking.  I’ve heard the argument before: a single world government would be better suited to mediate conflicts between states.  Now, I don’t want to put out the energy of idealists, but we should not assume dictators and autocrats will suddenly start behaving if we give the UN more authority.  The practicality of a global government ends as soon as one asks, well, practical questions: how are decisions made? who leads? one state, one vote?  votes based on national population? votes on economic strength? what would stop tyrants from consolidating their votes to endanger the security of free nations? etc.  

These are not the only reasons, of course.  Most importantly, why would the United States ever submit itself to a degradation of its sovereignty?  We will act in our interest as would any other country that enjoyed our relative power in the international system.  

Of course, I don’t mean to oversimplify the multiple arguments against international institutions and agreements.  I am certainly not in the camp of reactionary ideologues and hyper-political extremists who wish to suggest that truly beneficial treaties--those that help us improve our economic interests and get closer to a more peaceful, predictable world order--are somehow harming our national sovereignty.  There’s a reason that both Democratic and Republican administrations have sought free trade agreements and arms treaties.  However, what our lecturer spoke of is whole different ball game: the idea that world order can be better enforced from some vague idea of a global government is absurd.  Free and prosperous (i.e. market economy) states which are responsive to their people’s needs and work toward just societies must not sacrifice their independence to the whims of unstable authoritarian or totalitarian regimes.  Quite frankly, I just can’t imagine South Korea giving Kim Jong-Il a vote on security issues, or the Saudis letting the Iranians do the same.  

In some regards, the UN can be an important arena of discussion and creating the politically beneficial perception of legitimacy on certain actions, but by no means should it be a serious constraint to US security interests, as our lecturer would prefer.  The model example I can think of a legitimate American use of the UN is in the run-up to the Gulf War (1990-91, not 2002-2003).  UN Article 51 probably gave the US the right to intervene on Kuwait’s behalf without UNSC approval, but George HW Bush and his team thought it wise to seek international validation through diplomacy and the UNSC.  That being said, not being able to secure UNSC approval probably would not have stopped Bush 41. (Allow me to note right now my opposition to the way that Bush 43 went to war in Iraq, the belief that it would be easier than he thought, and his disregard of the need for broad allied support--and many more reasons.  I’m simply commenting that, in comparing the two cases of seeking international agreement, 41 did a much better job than 43.)

Back to India, though.  I generally think that undeveloped and weak countries perceive the UN as an outlet to voice their opposition to more powerful states.  What surprises me most about a well educated man giving a lecture in favor of global governance is that India is on the rise.  So why would he advocate that India should submit itself to a constraining power?  One would think that only declining powers and the weak states would find more benefits in stronger global institutions that could curb rising powers.  

Then again, this guy also said that worldwide adoption of vegetarianism and yoga would contribute world peace.  That was the point in the lecture when I checked out and realized an active Q&A with this guy was not worth my time.  I know other classmates agreed.  

(One final note: please don’t count me in the crowd of extremists who actively seek to sabotage institutions like the UN.  International organizations do have their purpose and can be a positive force for change in certain areas.  Working toward an ideal world is laudable, but depending on unrealistic hyper-idealism that ignores fundamental aspects of national behavior (i.e. pursuing interests) and human nature is just a step too far.  That being said, a thorough and apolitical discussion of international institutions cannot take place in just one blog post.)

By Steven S., MPIA

Desperate for Right to Information

My favorite lecture in India was about the Right to Information. The Right to Information Act is one of the primary laws that deepen democracy in India.

A democratic country needs governance that keeps wishes of people. But only until 2005, it becomes clear that the India’s 1.2 billion citizens have been newly empowered by the far-reaching law granting them the right to demand almost any information from the government. The law is backed by stiff fines for bureaucrats who withhold information, a penalty that appears to be ensuring speedy compliance. The law has given the people the feeling that the government is accountable to them.

I think the Right to Information Act has given the poor a powerful tool to ensure their benefits from the economic development. Previously, Indian citizens had few means to know what their government is doing for them and people in the government also try to withhold information from them. But now, with the law, it had a significant effect in combating graft and corruption and it is a good deterrence to future scalawags in government. The introduction of the Right to Information has critically transformed the way citizens can seek transparency in decision making and implementation of policies, programs, legislations in any given sector or particular project. At the same time the Act allows one to demand for disclosure of information which an authority or department has failed to put in the public domain.

Right to Information achieved great successes in the past few years, it not only promotes transparency and accountability in government, but it also minimizes corruption and inefficiency in public offices therefore ensures people’s participation in governance and decision making. Rajiv Gandhi, a former prime minister, once said that only 15% of spending on the poor actually reached them-the rest was wasted or siphoned off. Same as India, millions of money is allocated to the poorest areas by Chinese central government every year, however, the living standard of people there still remains the same.

What I am jealous of India is that their media enjoys a relatively free press and the Government of India is also making headway in as far as supporting people’s freedom of expression and access to free media. Undoubtedly, media plays an active role in the promotion of Right to Information. Media informs people how important is their Right to Information; what the benefits of Right to information are and how people can present their petitions about Right to Information. As long as people are aware of the significance of Right to Information, they will put pressures on the government therefore it is more likely for the government to serve them better. On the contrary, Chinese government controls the media. People have no other sources of information except absorbing monotonous information from the state-owned TV stations or newspapers every day. The media speaks for the government and fools the public for most of the time. For example, since the Sichuan earthquake hit on May 12, the Chinese public has been deluges with rumors and misinformation. Chinese authorities have on several occasions stepped forward to discredit the latter and appeal for the public to access information from authoritative sources. The phenomenon demonstrates how only when information in China is more transparent the public will have the confidence to turn away from rumors. Even though China subsequently promulgated Regulation on Information Publishing of People’s Republic of China in January 2007, without a free press, none of these laws are meaningful. Plus, from the legal status perspective, India’s Act has a higher standing than China’s because it is a law enacted by the country’s National Congress. China’s ,on the other hand, is a regulation put forth by the Chinese Council, who’s regulations are less powerful than those framed by the Chinese government’s legislative organs-the National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee.

-Bei Chen MPIA 2012

If You Educate a Child

Educating a child can lead to a future that is brighter for the entire world.  We started out talking about child labor but I think the conclusion found in this lecture - that all children need to be educated - relates to everything that was talked about today.  Kishore always tells people that we meet with that we will be the policy makers in a few years.  When we are gone there will be a generation behind us.  Every child has the potential to be a leader in world affairs and planting the seed for a child's success in the future can start the moment they are born and someone gives them the opportunity to learn.

Our day started with a lecture on child labor and continued with a lecture on gender in India.  Unfortunately, another event was happening during the gender lecture that I wanted to attend so I was not able to sit in on the talk.  I did ask someone to take notes on the subject though, and was able in the end to learn a little about what was talked about.  Instead of the lecture I went to lunch with a few of my classmates and some representatives from a micro-lending institution.  We then went to meet the rest of the class at the Observatory Research Foundation (ORF) and a few of us went to a law firm after that.  The night ended with a JNU dinner and a suit fitting that could have been better.

Our first speaker was an advocate for children's rights and talked on child labor.  She said that 40% of forced labor comes from children.  She started working on a program to ID children who were bonded to get them released and in school because if a child is in school they are not able to be at work (with this program adults are also targeted and have a livelihood program).  Through this program, alliances were built with the police and labor departments and leaders in different communities. There was also a bridge program for the children to catch them up to their appropriate grade level so they could then be integrated with children their own age.  However, with all of this girls were left out because the girls were often locked in their houses cleaning, fetching water, etc.  This would be their routine for their entire life and as they grew older they would have children who would receive the same fate.  After this was realized, the program started focusing on all children, not just forced labor, saying all children have a right to childhood. Families would say their children had to work because they were too poor and needed the extra income but when children were taken out of the workforce, wages of women increased three times and men's wages doubled.  She, therefore, made the argument that because children work there is poverty and this is helped by the fact that children are forced to work long hours and are cheap.  The program helped deepen democracy by giving rights to children and led to the Right to Education Act allowing greater access to education.  Our speaker concluded with some comments on the ILO 138 & 132 (India is still not a signatory of either) which say that the most extreme forms of child labor need to be abolished (illegal drugs, sex, forced, etc) but this invests in only some children and once you take one child out of one of these positions there is another child waiting to go in so it doesn't prevent anything. There is an enormous demand for education today and parents are willing to sacrifice to get their children into schools but they don't know how to do it. 

I often wonder what a child thinks.  They are too young to defend themselves and if this is the only life they have known, do they even know it is wrong?  If a child worker has known nothing but labor, I would think they would just think of it as a way of life.  Just as in poverty and other cruelties that exist, there needs to be a way to break the cycle.  A future policy makers I think we can help with this but I am skeptical that it will be enough, especially if we are not on the ground seeing what is happening.  Our speaker also said that bonded labor is the first access to credit.  People can't pay their loans back so they do it with labor.  I do think that it is great that people can be lifted out of poverty with credit but I am also hesitant at times because it had caused bonded labor and suicides.  Is there something else that could allow others to increase their well being?

Gender is something I find highly interesting.  Despite which country I am in this is something that is always important.  In India it seems as though there are many gods portrayed as women and yet it is a very patriarchal society.  Even in the US, though we claim all are equal, this is not true and I believe gender does play a role in decision making and there are still some discrimination that exist.  Women bare children, take care of their families, and contribute immensely to their communities and homes and yet men still rule the world (I know this is exaggerated in most cases, but in some places all the traditional "gender roles" are still in place).  I was told that this talk included information on a dowry law.  To attempt to make things better, a dowry law was put into place so that women did not have to be "sold" for a certain amount.  However, when gifts were given by the women's family and something went wrong in the marriage, it was claimed that these gifts were a dowry...another law that was put in place and did not have the intended outcome.  My sister told me that in India women are burned ("bride burning") if they have an insufficient dowry or if a man wants to get remarried and one of my professors said this was true.  It is hard to find a law or policy that will prevent such occurrences and also have a positive outcome without any backlash.  I also talked to some fellows at JNU and they were asking how I felt about the metro having a car for women and one for men.  This segregation was also in the metros in Mexico when I visited.  I said in that case I thought it was good because the reason for the segregation in Mexico was because women were getting assaulted and raped.  In India I didn't know if it was for the same reason or if it was a cultural thing.   The men I was talking to seemed to think the segregation made situations worse because if a woman gets on the train and enters the men's cabin, the men automatically think it is ok to rub up on her because she had the option to go into her own cabin and decided not to. It was a very interesting conversation. 

For lunch we met with some representatives from Basix, which is an institution that deals with microfinance.  The entire class had visited the institution and some sites of clients but I had not arrived in India so I was very thankful for the opportunity to talk to people about about the program and learn what Basix had to offer and what the model was all about.  I think it is more intriguing for me because I wrote my economics thesis on microfinance and joint liability.  I am very interested in seeing how different countries form their models and if their programs are successful. I talked a lot with one of the men about group lending.  He said that they assist with larger groups and help them get connected with banks to take out loans but they do not deal with large groups.  At Basix there are groups of 4-5 and they self select to be in the groups.  This helps because the (mostly) women know the characteristics of the other women and therefore will not let someone in their group unless they have reasonable certainty that this woman will not default on her loan.  He said that there is a very good repayment rate, except for in one area where a Maoist group is telling the women not to repay their loans and offering them alternatives with lower interest rates.  Other than this, the repayment rate is excellent.  He also said that they work with households who are already involved in economic activity and are not working with the "ultra poor."  I was able to see that what I found in my case study, that was a case study on Ayacucho, Peru, was also true in this case.  Unless there are other outside factors, in an infinite game where women need to pay their loan back to be able to get another loan, they will pay their loan back because it is better to pay it back than to default and have nothing.  It was very exciting to talk to someone involved in the field and to see what I have researched has been successful in India.

Adding to the excitement of this busy day, we got to visit a think tank, the Observatory Research Foundation, and talk to a former ambassador and his his senior staff.  We were allowed to ask any question we wanted and talked to them about energy, security, the economy, liberalization, the foreign service, and politics.  It was an extremely unique and enriching opportunity. 

After visiting with the ambassador, a small group of us went to talk to Dr.Goswamni's cousin, Lira Goswami, at her law firm.  This was also a very enriching experience for all of us interested in law and the economy.  She talked about how the law and business are, of course, intertwined.  We talked about companies setting up different branches - as liaisons, trading offices, and subsidiaries and how research needs to be done on the industry, regulatory framework and the most effective way to structure taxes.  There are also different treaties for different countries regarding taxes.  Of course the US is always worried about corruption, which there is a lot of in India.  I know in some interviews and classes we have talked about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and some firms will not enter into a business contract unless the other party also abides by this.  Lira said that in addition to India being extremely corrupt, this problem has also been getting worse.  However, India does have an integrity clause/contract. 

In 1992-93 there was a lot of liberalization and almost every sector can have investment without government approval.  There are still some sectors like defense, media, etc. where the government thinks it is important, from a national security view, to keep control of.  The impact MNEs have in GDP is minuscule because India is not dependent on foreign investment but she said they benefit in terms of perception and ability to do business.  India is a large emerging market and there is a huge potential for growth.  It needs to maintain a 9% growth rate to help with employment so it is important to open up to foreign investment.  India has a large middle class, English, good educational institutions, skilled labor and a democracy.  This gives them a leg up.  One thing they need to work on is certainty in tax laws and avoiding frequent change in the laws.  I think there is definitely room for growth, especially since there is such little foreign investment in India and business have only just begun to enter into the market.  I am also determined to find out how much MNEs help with growth and what this potential could be.  I also think that India being a democracy could have a play in investment in the long term.  With both India and China growing, if more certainty and rights are seen in India they may have a huge advantage.

Our night and semi wrap up for India included a party at JNU.  There were a bunch of JNU professors there including some fellows.  I spent most of my night talking to two fellows - one was originally from Canada but has been teaching in London for the past 10 years and the other was originally from the UK but has been working in South Africa.  It was a pretty fun night

Democracy as a Means not a Value

Is democracy an outcome?

India has had many triumphs and Indians have much to boast. We have noticed our lecturers are proud of their country’s democracy. As any good patriot is wont to do, they argue that India’s political system surpasses its peers; its achievement of democracy through nonviolent, widespread, grassroots political movement was an end in and of itself.

While this perspective is natural and grounded in academic dialogue, we couldn’t help but take issue with the notion of democracy as a value. Rather than an ideal or an outcome, democracy is a means or a tool by which we achieve other outcomes. It’s a system of governance that facilitates participation and self-determination (and a good one!). It’s an institution that allows the voice of the people to be expressed through free and fair elections and representation in decision-making bodies.

We find democracy to be a means to an end. It is a way that people can live together in community so that the best possible decisions are made in the fairest way possible. While not the most efficient means of organizing people, it seems to be the best system out there for protecting people’s rights—but therein lies the distinction. Democracy is a way to achieve the more important outcome of upholding freedoms and supporting the general welfare.

These other values supersede the notion of democracy as an absolute value. People require the right to make choices about their livelihood, the ability to participate in decisions made regarding their fate, to have informed consent when one of their liberties might be withdrawn or exchanged. But what good is democracy if it doesn’t deliver? Why have a government if not to protect citizens from external powers and realize the will of the people?

Does democracy deliver?

Government, which has been around in some form or fashion just as long as humanity, has appropriately evolved along with human civilization. Whereas civilization used to be nomadic tribes, government used to be a tool of the powerful; civilization has become increasingly complex and now consists of modern societies. Government too has changed: constitutions the world over currently acknowledge that government ought to be of the people, by the people, and for the people. India, of course, embodies these ideals best of all developing nations, thanks to its democratic institutions and values. And yet, for many people in India, this striking achievement means little.

If the point of modern government is to serve the people—as in, actually give them services such as education, security, and justice—then it is by these criteria that government should be judged. When people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake, simply being a democracy is not good enough. India urgently needs to deliver infrastructure, education, and health care to its people, regardless what kind of government it has. Indeed, for Indians living in the slum, education is their definition of freedom; thus they are not free, despite the fact that they live in the middle of a country which has adopted the world’s most best and free system of governance.

The power of a democracy is that every citizen can use his voice to be heard, to choose, and to enact change if it is needed. But if the government continually fails, then choice becomes worthless; if one regime after another cannot deliver, then votes become meaningless. And there is nothing that democracy by itself can do about this, because democracy is only a method of government; it is only a tool. What India needs is a development strategy which will translate their ideals and values into reality—and it absolutely needs to realize that democracy is not that strategy—at least in the form it is today.

Do other forms of government deliver?

We have also noticed that while many of our professors expound upon India’s democracy, they simultaneously criticize the Chinese method (aka “Market-Leninism.”) Much of what we hear sounds almost condescending, as though India is automatically superior to China because of its political system. But our generation, which has watched China rise, may not believe a country is successful just because it’s a democracy.

While the professors constantly refer to the many problems that come with the Chinese system (and we readily admit that there are many problems—the least of which, human rights.) But there is no talk of the many benefits that the Chinese government has provided for its people – benefits that the Indian government has not provided. For example, the literacy rate in China is close to 90% while in India it’s only 65%; the PRC government has made primary education a priority. And the Chinese government has invested billions of dollars in the country’s infrastructure, and in combating issues like water shortages and climate change.

Also, the argument that the Chinese government does not provide for its people because they are not elected is misguided. The CCP’s number one priority is staying in power. If they did not make any effort to better the life of China’s citizens or to keep the country’s growth rate steady, they would not remain in power for very long. The economic growth of the country is the CCP’s lifeline. This is not to say that we agree with authoritarianism—quite the contrary. But to write off China as a lesser country because it is authoritarian is too simplistic. A government should be judged by how much it provides to its citizens, not just on the fact that it is voted into office. And in the Indian system, it seems to us that many officials are voted into office, and then fail to live up to many promises.

Pushing democracy

No democracy is perfect. We can point out flaws in every state claiming to be democratic—India and the U.S. notwithstanding—just as we can point out flaws in every state across the globe. However, that doesn’t mean that we should be complacent about their shortcomings. Each citizenry should push its elected officials (no matter how corrupt) to look and act more like textbook democracy and to live out the desired outcomes of democratic rule: free and fair elections, clean drinking water, access to primary education, self determination, informed consent, participation, and the freedom to support one’s own livelihood.

It is these values that must be protected and lauded. Democracy exists to make sure states protect people’s fundamental rights. Without a just system of governance like democracy, people may not be able to satisfy the needs of the human condition. Winston Churchill reminds us that “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all other forms of government.”

While we are discussing these issues of democracy, we learn that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has been shot in Tucson. This has brought up new problems in regards to how democracy can flourish. How can elected officials remain in touch with their constituents if they fear for their safety? The US system of democracy should clearly be affected by this event. Our work as a citizenry is to respond to the brokenness we find in our system—to the safety of elected officials in the US, for example, to the corruption that detracts from public goods in India.

All this said, we would like to point out that we are patriots. We love America. But what kind of citizens would we be if we didn’t grapple with democracy as a governance structure and participate in making it better? After all, Gandhi reminds us to be the change we wish to see in the world. So we question the idea of democracy as a value, and push democracy further to be the means to fulfilling greater goals—of human dignity, the ability to make choices, and the freedom of self determination.




Dori Enderle, MPIA 2011; Elizabeth Solch, MPIA 2012; Joy Jauer, MPSA 2012