Democracy and sustainability in emerging economies: India as a case study

India is leading the world in the rapidity and extent of development in a democratic polity. What are the essential conditions which need to be in place ensure that this development is sustainable, from the level of local communities through to the international community, and how can those be democratically determined?

Salzburg Global Seminar and 21st Century Trust in collaboration with The Environment Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and in association with TERI’s 2009 Delhi Sustainable Development Summit announce a conference on

Democracy and sustainability in emerging economies: India as a case study
The Habitat Centre, New Delhi, 2-4 February 2009

India is leading the world in the rapidity and extent of development in a democratic polity. What are the essential conditions which need to be in place ensure that this development is sustainable, from the level of local communities through to the international community, and how can those be democratically determined? How can emerging economies such as India minimize the environmental degradation and social dislocations evident in the paths to development followed previously in Western economies? In what ways can innovation in science and technology be encouraged to achieve this? What can be learned from comparisons with other emerging economies, especially China and its authoritarian model? How can different sectors - government at various levels, business, civil society - best co-operate, or push each other, to ensure a sustainable future?

In an era of globalization and climate change, the answers to these questions matter not just to India but the whole world and will be one of the great tests of democracy in action. The aim of this conference will be to bring to bear on these problems the ‘networked knowledge’ of emerging leaders from India and other parts of the globe, and from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.

Specific themes would include:

* Environment: how effectively is democratic politics in India responding to the threat of climate change? Case study: how can water resources best be secured?

* Energy: what are the options for policy-makers in managing the burgeoning energy requirements of an emerging economy?

* Communities: what are the main challenges to community involvement as India's development quickens, and what best practice is emerging in response to them?

* Comparison: how do other democracies or more authoritarian systems compare with India in securing sustainable development?

* SWOT analysis of democracy as facilitator of sustainable development

For further details about arrangements and costs, please contact:

John Lotherington,
21st Century Trust,
25 Museum Street,
London WC1A 1JT, UK
E: [email protected]
T: +44 (0)20 7323 2099

From 02 Feb 2009
Until 04 Feb 2009
The Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India
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