Few democracies have managed to sustain electoral responsiveness within a framework of order when facing challenges as deep as those of India. Subrata Mitra's remarkable new book digs beneath the surface into official archives and personal accounts to analyze the efforts of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs to manage "maximum order with minimum force" over more than half a century-often, but not always, successfully. What he reveals about politics and policymaking
is relevant to every democracy, especially in today's challenging times.
- Professor G. Bingham Powell, University of Rochester, NY
Subrata K. Mitra is Emeritus Professor of Political Science, Heidelberg University, Germany.