Democracy, Civil Society and Health in India [Hardcover]

India's health failures remain visible and pronounced despite high rates of economic growth since the 1980s and more than six decades of democratic rule. The authors address the key issues that emerge from the country's health situation, speculating on what it will take for low-income groups to begin claiming for better social services1. Introduction: India's Health Puzzle 2. Democracy, Civil Society, and Claims-making in India 3. Why are India's poor not making claims for health? 4. What will it take for the poor to demand health services? 5. Conclusion: Democracy, Civil Society and Claims-making for Public Services

'In this plain-spoken book Gupta and Pushkar argue that India's 'citizen elites' must do more to enable the poor in making sustained demands for health-related services. Their insightful and rigorous argument draws on a remarkable range of evidence, from field research in low-income communities in New Delhi to reflections on citizen activism in Brazil.' - James McGuire, author of Wealth, Health, and Democracy in East Asia and Latin America

'Democracy, Civil Society and Health in India is a compelling and well-researched book in which the authors highlight a crucial linkage between civil society capacity and provision of basic health services and provide a convincing demonstration of how sustained claims-making can impact on human development outcomes in the most direct way possible.' - Antonia Maioni, McGill University, Canada

'Gupta and Pushkar expand our understanding of the reasons and processes that hinder a robust demand for greater and deeper public policy intervention in health by examining a broad range of relevant factors that impede the emergence of a more engaged civil society in this sector.' - Amit Prakash, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

'India's resilient democracy has resulted in many positive outcomes. However, millions in the country lack access to social services, includlãå