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WiSe 19/20: Environmental Policy in India

Kirsten Jörgensen-Ullmann

Kommentar

This class provides an introduction to environmental policy in India. Historically, we will distinguish between different phases of environmental policy-making in India: from the 1970s onwards, when environmental policy institutions started to diffuse globally for the first time, and the diversification of environmental policy after India’s liberalization since 1991. Domestic and international actors and institutions, focusing events, such as environmental catastrophes and policy learning, have shaped environmental policy objectives, regulation, and implementation. Key features of Indian environmental politics include: the basic constitutional structure of India’s federal political system; social movements, ranging from grassroots to think tanks; attributes of environmental challenges, such as India’s dramatic air and water pollution; socio-economic conditions, including high poverty rates, social inequality and rapid industrialization; and the colonial legacy have played out differently. In the class sessions we will study and analyse these issues in a number of selected policy subsystems which are of utmost importance for the country’s environmental performance. Water is essential for life, forests are indispensable livelihoods; rapid urbanization challenges sustainable city development; rising energy demands and lacking access to electricity for large numbers of people hamper clean air policies and climate protection. We will study and analyse change and explore the causes: The role of India’s centralized state as main facilitator of environmental protection changes vis-à-vis India’s vibrant civil society and lower levels of government in India’s federal states, cities and rural areas; the modification of policy paradigms from ‘growth first’ towards a more ecological and socially inclusive development is significant; the emergence and diffusion of eco-efficient technologies opens a window of opportunity for low carbon development. Schließen