Courts as Entrepreneurs

The Case of the Indian Mid‐Day Meals Programme

Bibliographic Data

ID6040903
AuthorsJennifer Geist Rutledge (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume4
Issue4
Pages527-547
Publication date2012-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Politics & Policy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1943-0787 • E-ISSN: 1943-0779
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1943-0787.2012.01363.x
OpenAlexW1574125510
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited21

This article reconsiders the role of courts as policy entrepreneurs by presenting a detailed case study of India's Mid‐Day Meals Programme. In 2001, the Indian Supreme Court (SCI) passed a landmark decision, finding for the right to food and forcing the Indian government to implement a sweeping range of policies related to food consumption. Through an analysis of the court case orders for the school feeding program, this article argues that the SCI can be considered a policy entrepreneur as an advocate for the food consumption programs, but, more importantly, because their actions changed the social conditions in India. The article develops an alternative understanding of courts as policy makers that focuses on the interactive and iterative nature of the court process in order to detail how courts can act as policy entrepreneurs. It demonstrates the courts’ potential for creating real policy change

Business · Consumption (sociology · Economics · Government (linguistics · Sociology · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Legal Education and Practice Innovations

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