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HSS-NIAS Roundtable Conference
Understanding the Indo-German Perspectives on Federalism and Decentralised Governance

India and Germany share a long history of strategic partnership in key areas, from trade to security. What brings them together is their shared vision to promote democratic values, global peace, and security for all.

On 26 September 2024, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in partnership with Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) India organised the roundtable conference on ‘Cooperative Federalism and Decentralized Governance in India and Germany’, to enable deeper analysis of the India’s federal practices, especially in the domain of decentralised governance at the local level. The Conference brought together scholars, policymakers, and subject experts from India and Germany to exchange ideas and best practices on federalism and local governance. The conference not only examined the intersections of democracy, governance, and federal structures in India, but also added the German perspective to draw a comparative analysis of the working of the two federal systems. 

Governance reforms is a big agenda for a democratic country with federal setup. International exchange of learnings and best practices in the realm of federalism and decentralised governance provides policy insights for such reforms. The conference emphasised on the need for enhanced Indo-German cooperation in governance and institutional reforms. It underscored the value of sustained dialogue among scholars and experts from both the countries to learn from each other’s federal practices and decentralized governance.

The following were the key takeaways: 

  • Federalism must adapt to the local realities and specific needs of a society. India, often described as quasi-federal, exemplifies the complexities of balancing centralized and decentralized governance within a diverse democracy.

  • In German experience, Cooperative Federalism refers to the substantial need between the Federal Level and the German Länder (states) to coordinate, cooperate and work together.

  • Cooperative Federalism compels the federal level to engage and involve the Länder (even in constitutional changes), but it also limits the Länder’s autonomy in some areas due to the strict requirements for cooperation.

  • The pandemic underscored the limitations of centralised governance and emphasized the principle of subsidiarity, which advocates for decision-making by the lowest competent authority.

  • There is a critical need for resource mapping and the involvement of civil society to support the devolution of power to the local bodies.

  • Strengthening local governance structures is pivotal in bridging the gap between policy and practice, ensuring the inclusion of marginalized communities and other weaker sections of society.