Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science - Revisiting the Economic Development Thesis: The Impact of Globalized Foreign Direct Investment on India's Democracy

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

Primary Investigators: Leslie Anderson and Jonathan Jones Title: Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Impact of Economic Globalization on Political Participation in India 0718756 Abstract This study examines the impact of economic globalization on political participation in India. Since 1991, India's 28 states have implemented economic liberalization policies in widely different degrees. The research will capitalize on this diversity within India and will proceed in two stages. The first stage will be to ascertain whether state exposure to the global economy is in fact related to an eroding social welfare environment, as the research suggests. Time series data will be collected on all of India's 28 states, covering the period before the 1991 reforms to 2006. Independent variables will capture exposure to the global economy at the state level (such as foreign direct investment inflows, and % GDP attributed to exports). Dependent variables will include typical social redistribution indicators, such as trends in minimum wage. Much of this data will be collected at various government offices in Delhi. The second stage of the project will consist of an in depth study of two Indian states: Gujarat and Kerala. The former has undertaken extensive "market signaling" initiatives to facilitate foreign investment, and the latter has largely kept their border closed to the global economy. Interviews will be conducted with laborers in special economic zones (SEZs) in Gujarat to ascertain how exposure to the global economy has effected working class political participation (such as ability to strike or unionize). Interviews in Kerala will add an element of control over the research. This project has broad intellectual and social implications. Intellectually, the project will lead to a broader understanding of the impacts of economic globalization on lower class political participation in developing countries overall. The reality today is that most low and middle income countries are developing within a highly globalized economy. Understanding how such development impacts political participation is important to advancing our knowledge on how economic globalization affects the effectiveness and sustainability of democracy. By aligning with civil society organizations in India, the research will also contribute to a further understanding within India of the implications of economic globalization on Indian politics. Given that increased exposure to the global economy has very real life and death consequences for everyday Indians and citizens in developing countries across the globe, this project is timely and important.