A Revolution of Rules The Regulatory Reform of India's Nonprofit Sector

"Erica Bornstein is one of the pioneers of the anthropology of nonprofit agencies, philanthropy and civil society. This sharp and innovative account offers a fresh perspective on how policy is constituted through negotiation and the vital role played by activists and staff in the face of an increasingly authoritarian Indian state. An important contribution."
-David Lewis, London School of Economics "Powerfully reframes the study of nonprofits, focusing not on the impact of their work but on the laws and rules that shape who they are and what they can and cannot do. In brilliantly analyzing the recent history of the legal regulation of NGOs and charitable purpose in India, this book speaks to an emergent global trend-the increasing surveillance of civil society groups and narrowing scope of political action-and is far-reaching in its implications. A must read for anyone interested in the NGO form, state power and governance, corporatized charity and welfare, judicialized activism, and democratic politics today."
-Aradhana Sharma, Wesleyan University