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University of Chicago Press The Limited Elite Politics and Government in Two Indian Cities by Donald B Rosentha
In the case of national politics, a study of leading politicians may have important policy implications even if these are not directly verbalized; when one comes to research on Indian urban politics, however, the justifications are less readily translated into policy terms. At a time when demands for "relevant" research are growing, a study of politics in two Indian cities which merely attempts to describe and understand the situation as it is may appear to be of limited value. However, as previous studies of Indian politics have suggested, a proper understanding of what happens at the national or state levels in India depends upon adequate consideration of the economic, social and political arrangements which prevail at the local level. The success of Indian democracy in penetrating into the lower status groups of the city and countryside has made such an emphasis important; a reciprocal tendency toward localism in the larger political system has made it a subject of central concern t