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Global Anome and India: A Conceptual
Approach
Stephanie Thiel*
INTRODUCTION
In thewake of MiltonFriedmanand otherscholars'work,researchagendasand
public policy have changed dramaticallyduringthe last threedecades. The
influenceof thisfree-market
ideologyextendedto transnational
institutions
like
the International
MonetaryFund (IMF), the WorldTrade Organization(WTO)
and the WorldBank (WB). Theirpolicies changedaccordingly(Kasper 2000;
Snowdon& Vane 2006; Wade 2002). Duringthelasttwodecades,an increasing
*
ofKonstanz,Germany
ResearchAssociate,University
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18 IndianJournalofAsianAffairs 2011
, June-December
THEORETICAL FRAME
A distinctfeatureheld to characteriseUS Americancultureis the so-called
AmericanDream. Accordingto Messnerand Rosenfeld,it is characterised by
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Thiel: GlobalAnomieandIndia 19
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20 IndianJournalofAsianAffairs 2011
, June-December
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Thiel:GlobalAnomieandIndia 21
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22 IndianJournalofAsianAffairs,
June-December
2011
WAYS OF INTRUSION
The trendtowardmarketlogics,materialvalues and consumerism is fuelledand
facilitated by several factors.A majorimpact can be traced back to themassive
influxof multinational companies (MNC) and theirbehaviour in the market.
From the earlyninetiesonwards,India was confronted withconditionalities by
the World Bank. This led to major amendments and changesin legislationin
areas likeindustry, labour,banking,foreignexchange,foreign capitaletc.(Indian
Economy Overview n.d.; Rigby 1997; South Asian Voice 1998). The openingof
thedomesticmarketbroughtforeigncapital.At thesametime,theMNCs played
a mostingloriousrole.Althoughbeingprovidedwithfairconditionsconcerning
tax relief,loweredtariff ratesand reducedimportduties,theywerenotprepared
to respondfairly.Theystartedengagingin anticompetitive behaviour, aggressive
and persistent lobbying,marketmanipulation andpriceriggingas well as bribery
(Konar2009; Pal and Ghosh2007; Roy 2000; SouthAsianVoice 1998; 1999). A
rangeof companiesviolatedincometax laws and/orevadedothertaxes.Among
thesecompanieswere"stockmarketdarlings"(SouthAsian Voice 2000; cf. Pal
and Ghosh 2007), as a commentator scathinglyremarked, includingProcterand
Gamble,andNestl4.Thereare numerousothercases, especiallythoserelatedto
societallyvital sectors like pharmacyor agricultureare highlyproblematic.
Monsantoand other"Seeds Buccaneers",as theyhave been called,have become
knownforfakingdata and circumventing thusseverelyendangering
jurisdiction,
sustainablefarming, biodiversityand food supply(Sharma2010; Shrivastava
2006).
This kindofmarketbehaviouris highlyproblematic forseveralreasons.First
of all, it leads to increasingly prohibitivepricesof commodities and foodwhich
in turnmostseverelyaffectthepoorestand weakestof thesociety.Secondly,this
way of dealingcan forcefair-playing competitors outof themarket. Thirdly,and
most importantly, this kind of behavioursets an example which can have
contagioneffects in themarket.Domesticcompetitors willfeelforcedto resortto
comparablemeans. In the long run,any sense of ethicalstandardserodes and
anomieensues.This stateof affairsalso findsitsway intosociety(or partsof it),
leading to a "moral economyof everydaycrime"(Karstedtand Farrall2006:
1011).
Moreover,those who take up a job in such a companywill soon be
confronted with the contemporary neoliberaloutput-oriented managementby
objectives,i.e. a managementwhich emphasisesends insteadof means. It is
characterised,among others, by decentralisation, an increase in personal
responsibility and accountability foroutcomesor pay forperformance-systems.
All this is intendedto set offexternaland/orinternalcompetition in orderto
enhance efficiency and innovation.Usually,the achievementof employeesis
assessed by theirrespectiveoutputas comparedto theirbenchmarksor as
comparedto others1 output.This is an inherentlydangerousway of management.
In its initialidea of increasingefficiency and innovation it may easily createa
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Thiel:GlobalAnomieandIndia 23
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24 IndianJournalofAsianAffairs,
June-December
2011
5
campaignIndia Shining is a striking exampleof thefactthatrecipients are not
passive receiversof messages. Yet when the largercontextchanges,specific
messages may accumulate while individualschoose, filterand alter them
accordingto theirrespectiveneeds and beliefs.This means thatany storyor
campaignwhichfitsin withpopulartaste,theindividualsituationin lifeor the
actualknowledgeaboutthegeneralsituationof thecountry or state,is amenable
to acceptanceby a recipientand whichworkson him or her.This way,goals,
interests,success, and referencegroupscan be altered,reframedand changed,
and imagescan establishnewreference groupswithwhichto compare.
While discussingthis,we have to keep in mind thatIndia is a booming
economy.This entailsthata growingnumberof people are surrounded by signs
of thisboom. Theyexperiencerealsuccessstorieswhichin turnmaytapfeelings
like "If he/shecan be successful,I can be (even more) successful".Knowinga
successfulpersonwitha comparablesocial backgroundincreasesthelikelihood
thatthispersonmay serve as a referencewith which to compareone's own
situation.Other signs of the boom include construction and the growthof
shopping malls exhibiting all kindsof hithertounknown and unavailablegoods.
The marketrespondsto thegrowingmiddleclass and theirwishesbyoffering the
appropriate goods. This further contributes
to an emergence of new desiresand
growingdemands.In a sense,we witnessa greatupheavalin Indiansociety.And
itmightbe exactlythiseconomicupheavaland changewhichpresentsIndiawith
somedireconsequences.
EMERGING PROBLEMS
In India,a hostof social and societalproblemsare emerging.Some ofthemseem
to have sprungup recently whilesome pre-existing ones have started
worsening.
These problemsare worthbeing viewed fromthe anomie lens. They may not
have much to do with each other at firstsight,yet all of them can be
conceptualisedas expressionsof anomic tendenciesin Indian society.In the
economicsector,we witnessincreasinglevels of corruption. Corporatefraudis
on therise as is "thenumberof scams spanningacrossthepublicas well as the
private sector" (KPMG 2011: 2; cf. KPMG 2010; Singh 2003). On the
communitylevel, there are growingtensions and violence (Heitzman and
Worden 1995; Rigby 1997). Societally,we are confrontedwith a surge in
suicidesamong specificsectorsof the population,namelyyoungpeople,men,
farmers(Gururajet al. 2004; Posani 2009). Alignedto the practiceof dowry,
bride-burning and the closely associatedphenomenaof femaleinfanticide and
female foeticideare risingand they increasinglycapturehithertounaffected
regions(Ahmed-Ghosh2004; Anderson2003; Geethadeviet al. 2000; Jhaet al.
2011).
The longperiodofthelicenceraj systemwithitsexcessiveregulations, petty
corruption and stifledcompetition spawnedthe so-calledHindu rateof growth
(Desai 2002). Withliberalisation, the Indianeconomyunderwent restructuring
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Thiel: GlobalAnomieandIndia 25
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26 IndianJournalofAsianAffairs, 2011
June-December
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Thiel:GlobalAnmieand India 27
CONCLUSION
Not all of the above mentionedphenomenahave been subjectedto the same
amountof scrutiny by researchers.Thisis partlyowingto thefactthatIndiais a
verycomplexand still (in parts) a highlytraditionalsociety,in whichsome
themesare not a topic of conversationand therefore much more difficult to
access and assess thanothers.It is heavilycontested,forexample,whetherthe
figuresof bride-burning have increasedsubstantially or if theyhave done so at
all. Underan anomie-theoreticalperspective,this is to be expected.Yet research
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28 IndianJournalofAsianAffairs
, June-December
2011
NOTES
1. Italicsin original
2. This refersto societallysharedconceptionsas regardsthekindof goals
whichare desirable.
3. Merton(1938) describeda fifth whichhe called
possiblereactionpattern
rebellion: "It representsa transitionalresponse which seeks to
new proceduresorientedtowardrevampedculturalgoals
institutionalize
sharedby themembersof thesociety.It thusinvolvesefforts to change
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Thiel: GlobalAnomieandIndia 29
REFERENCES
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30 IndianJournalofAsianAffairs, 2011
June-December
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Thiel: GlobalAnomieandIndia 31
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32 IndianJournalofAsianAffairs
, June-December
2011
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Thiel: GlobalAnomieandIndia 33
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34 IndianJournalofAsianAffairs, 2011
June-December
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