Public Health and Federalism in India: Dissonant Discourses

The interface of public health and federalism are increasingly gaining scholarly attention in the fields of comparative federalism and welfare state studies. This volume looks into various facets of public health and governance in India from a legal, institutional and policy perspective. The volume explores the regulatory architecture around healthcare in federal systems of governance; public finance and insurance; private sector in medical care and the tussle for power between the union and the states. A multidisciplinary volume with essays from scholars working in public health, economics, political science and legal studies, the book critically evaluates India’s public policy apparatus dealing with health crises, inequity and the lack of health infrastructure and resources among other challenges. It also looks at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on federalism and democratic structures as well as the role of institutions such as the NITI Aayog and other central agencies in policy formulation and implementation within the broader framework of intergovernmental relations in a federal system. The book will be of interest to students and researchers of public health, public policy, health administration, medical sociology, constitutional law and political science, as well as of federalism.