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The Yes Minister Syndrome in India

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Abstract

This chapter purports to examine the Minister-civil servant relationship in India. While the spotlight is on the two principal actors on centre stage, namely the Minister and his Secretary, to understand their functioning in the governance of the state, it is necessary to paint a wider canvas in terms of democracy and bureaucracy in India. This will provide the necessary theoretical perspective, historical backdrop and above all, the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the Yes Minister Syndrome. Accordingly, the subject is not examined in an anecdotal fashion as perhaps the title of the paper would suggest, but is given all the seriousness it deserves.

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© 1996 the estate of the late Haile K. Asmerom

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Pinto, M. (1996). The Yes Minister Syndrome in India. In: Asmerom, H.K., Reis, E.P. (eds) Democratization and Bureaucratic Neutrality. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24808-7_13

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