Home Democratization of Foreign Policy: India’s Experience with Paradiplomacy
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Democratization of Foreign Policy: India’s Experience with Paradiplomacy

  • Aishwarya Natarajan EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: June 22, 2019

Abstract

Since the economic reforms of the 1990s, Indian states have largely contributed to India’s foreign policy decision-making in two critical areas, namely, economic diplomacy and influencing India’s foreign policy with its neighbours. Given India’s growing importance in the world arena, one would assume that Indian states will continue to have an increased role in its foreign policy decisions. However, the Indian Constitution was framed with the idea of a strong union government and the power to drive foreign policy initiatives continues to remain under the exclusive purview of the union government. There is no institutional framework that facilitates the involvement of the Indian states’ in foreign policy decision-making. States’ involvement is usually on an ad hoc basis and often pushed through by strong state level leaders or by the coalition compulsions. The article examines the Indian paradiplomacy experience to note that paradiplomacy has the potential to democratize foreign policy decision-making only if it is supported by a strong institutional framework. A fragmented practice of paradiplomacy to suit immediate political needs neither promotes democratization of foreign policy nor does it allows for a meaningful engagement of Indian states in the global governance debate.

References

Basu, Partha Pratim, Federalism and Foreign Policy in India—Experiences of UPA and NDA-II Regimes, 72 India Quarterly (2016).10.1177/0974928416654367Search in Google Scholar

Chatterji, Rakhahari and Swagata Saha, Para-Diplomacy: Concept and the Context, 73 India Quarterly, no. 4 (2017).10.1177/0974928417731638Search in Google Scholar

Cheema, G. Shabbir and Dennis A. Rondinelli, “From Government Decentralization to Decentralized Governance,” in G. Shabbir Cheema and Dennis A. Rondinelli (eds.), Decentralizing Governance. Emerging Concepts and Practices (Washington DC: Brooking Institution Press, 2007).Search in Google Scholar

Cohn, Theodore H. and Patrick J. Smith, Subnational Governments as International Actors: Constituent Diplomacy in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, 110 BC Studies (1996).Search in Google Scholar

Cooper, Andrew F., Brian Hocking, and William Maley, “Introduction: Diplomacy and Global Governance: Locating Patterns of (Dis) Connection,” in Andrew F. Cooper, Brian Hocking, and William Maley (eds.), Global Governance and Diplomacy: Worlds Apart? (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008).10.1057/9780230227422Search in Google Scholar

Criekmans, David, Foreign Policy and Diplomacy of the Belgian Regions: Flanders and Wallonia (The Hague, Netherlands: Netherlands Institute of International Relations, 2010).Search in Google Scholar

Duran, Manuel, Paradiplomacy as a Diplomatic Broker: Between Separating Differences and Engaging Commonalities (Leiden: Brill, 2016).10.1163/9789004325951Search in Google Scholar

Haidar, Suhasini, “MEA to Oversee Foreign Investments in States,” The Hindu, October 25, 2014.Search in Google Scholar

Hazarika, Obja Borah, Evolving Dynamics of Federalism and Foreign Policy Engagement of Indian States in External Affairs, 9 Indian Foreign Affairs Journal, no. 1 (2014).Search in Google Scholar

“Inter-State Council Standing Committee Meeting after 11 Years,” The Economic Times, April 10, 2017.Search in Google Scholar

Jacob, Happymon, Putting the Periphery at the Center: Indian States’ Role in Foreign Policy, available at: <http://carnegieindia.org/2016/10/10/putting-periphery-at-center-indian-states-role-in-foreign-policy-pub-64724>, accessed April 8, 2019.Search in Google Scholar

Jain, Purnendra and Tridivesh Maini, Singh, India’s Subnational Governments Foray into the International Arena, 19 Japanese Journal of Political Science, no. 2 (2017).10.1017/S1468109917000032Search in Google Scholar

Jenkins, Rob, How Federalism Influences India’s Domestic Politics of WTO Engagement (And Is Itself Affected in the Process), 43 Asian Survey, no. 4 (2003).10.1525/as.2003.43.4.598Search in Google Scholar

Kulhari, Shraddha and Sujoy Chatterjee, Is India’s Federalism a Threat to Its WTO Obligations? through the Prism of Article 253, 1 Indian Law Review, no. 1 (2017).10.1080/24730580.2017.1354281Search in Google Scholar

Lecours, André, Political Issues of Paradiplomacy: Lessons from the Developed World (The Hague, Netherlands: Netherlands Institute of International Relations, 2008).Search in Google Scholar

Mahmood, Zaad, “Limits of the Political-Institutional Framework in India,” in Ayesha Khanyari (ed.), Federalism and Foreign Policy – Dynamics of Centre-State Dissensions in India (New Delhi: IPCS, 2014).Search in Google Scholar

Manning, Bayless, The Congress, the Executive and Intermestic Affairs: Three Proposals, 55 Foreign Affairs, no. 2 (1977).10.2307/20039647Search in Google Scholar

Mattoo, Amitabh and Happymon Jacob, “Foreign Relations of India: The Federal Challenge,” in Amitabh Mattoo and Happymon Jacob (eds.), Shaping India’s Foreign Policy: People, Politics and Places (New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications, 2010).Search in Google Scholar

Ministry of Home Affairs, Report of the Sakaria Commission, available at: <http://interstatecouncil.nic.in/report-of-the-sarkaria-commission/>, accessed April 9, 2019.Search in Google Scholar

Ministry of Home Affairs, Report of the Commission on Centre-State Relations, available at: <http://interstatecouncil.nic.in/punchhi-commission/>, accessed April 9, 2019.Search in Google Scholar

Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs, National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, available at: <http://lawmin.nic.in/ncrwc/finalreport/v1ch8.htm>, accessed April 16, 2019.Search in Google Scholar

Moore, Luke, A Place for Subnational Governments at the International Climate Negotiating Table (Johannesburg: South African Institute of International Affairs Policy Briefing, November 2016).Search in Google Scholar

Mukherji, Rahul, The State, Economic Growth, and Development in India, 8 India Review, no. 1 (2009).10.1080/14736480802665238Search in Google Scholar

“Narendra Modi Bats for Bold Foreign Policy with States’ Involvement,” The Economic Times, October 18, 2013.Search in Google Scholar

Nganje, Fritz, Paradiplomacy and the Democratisation of Foreign Policy in South Africa, 21 South African Journal of International Affairs, no. 1 (2014).10.1080/10220461.2014.895082Search in Google Scholar

Pietrasiak, Małgorzata, Grzegorz Bywalec, Tomasz Kaminski, Dominik Mierzejewski and Michał Słowikowski, Paradiplomacy in Asia. Case Studies of China, India and Russia (Lodz: Lodz University Press, 2018).Search in Google Scholar

Prime Minister’s Office, Text of Prime Minister’s Inaugural Address at Delhi Economics Conclave (Delhi, April 6, 2015), available at: <http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=130283>, accessed April 8, 2019.Search in Google Scholar

Saghal, Priya, “Manmohan’s Dhaka Visit: Mamata Banerjee’s Absence Sabotaged Teesta Treaty,” India Today, September 11, 2011.Search in Google Scholar

Sharma, Chanchal Kumar and Wilfried Swenden, Continuity and Change in Contemporary Indian Federalism, 16 India Review, no. 1 (2017).10.4324/9781351259729-1Search in Google Scholar

Singh, Nirvikar and T.N. Srinivasan, Federalism and Economic Development in India: An Assessment, Stanford Center for International Development, Working Paper Series 299, available at: <https://globalpoverty.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/299wp_0.pdf>, accessed April 10, 2019.Search in Google Scholar

Sridharan, Kripa, Federalism and Foreign Relations: The Nascent Role of the Indian States, 27 Asian Studies Review, no. 4 (2003).10.1080/10357820308713389Search in Google Scholar

The Global Task Force of Local and Regional Governments, About Us, available at: <https://www.global-taskforce.org/about-us>, accessed April 17, 2019.Search in Google Scholar

Wyatt, Andrew, Paradiplomacy of India’s Chief Ministers, 16 India Review, no. 1 (2017).10.4324/9781351259729-6Search in Google Scholar

Published Online: 2019-06-22
Published in Print: 2019-10-25

© 2019 Law and Development Review

Downloaded on 13.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/ldr-2019-0044/html
Scroll to top button