Federalism and India #3: Why is it so?

Karthik Muralidharan next looks at why India so centralized in Accelerating India’s Development. Turns out it is rooted in the Constitution itself. There were 3 reasons for why the constitution was framed this way. The first one was political – at Independence, there was a strong (and justified) fear that the nation would disintegrate. After all, 500 erstwhile princely states had come under the union, not always happily. And Partition had only aggravated those fears. Hence the center was given a lot of powers, including the infamous Article 356 to dismiss state governments.

 

The second reason was economic. Centralized planning and investment was deemed necessary for economic growth. In addition, a strong center was necessary to accomplish “geographically balanced development”.

 

Third, social reasons. Nehru and Ambedkar did not trust the local elites to promote reforms like eradicating untouchability and enabling women’s rights. Ambedkar famously said:

“What is the village but a sink of localism, a den of ignorance, narrow-mindedness, and communalism?”

That view translated itself into a strong, paternalistic center.

 

Once something is baked into the constitution, it is hard to change. On this topic, it’s even more unlikely because the center (no matter which party is in power) is not exactly incentivized to reduce its own powers.

 

Muralidharan then looks at why the US is so federal. Like India’s over-centralization is due to its situation at Independence, so too is America’s federalism. America’s states were well-functioning units that joined the union demanding that their autonomy be retained. And America prioritized individual rights and freedoms over social reform or justice. This explains why later day reforms like the abolishment of slavery, end of segregation and universal voting rights faced such stiff resistance in the US.

 

How is the check about the US relevant? Because it shows the importance of history in what goes into a constitution. Each choice has its pros and cons. We know the cons of India’s choices all too well, but we would do well to remember that several of America’s federalist choices that resonate even today are not always in positive or admirable ways.

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