People Empowerment: Emerging Practices (Hardbound - 2009)

The emerging practices resulting from globalization in social, cultural, political, and public administration domains empower people. People are empowered as individuals, society and nation when they are healthy and educated, enjoy higher level of employment and use technology and ICTs to improve the quality of life. All these put together create economic growth and prosperity and all-round development for the people.

The four new models of people empowerment have been presented in the book. First is the ‘Loop Model’ that interconnects people and governance. Second is the ‘Interdependency Model’ with three I’s of Interdependency Loop in its wider connotation, i.e. inter-reliance, inter-collaboration and inter-operability. Third is ‘Learned Dependency Model’ suggesting that such practices of depending on government would disempower people and people must wean away from it and focus on
self-reliance. In the fourth category are included ‘Business Model’ for special segment consumer markets such as rural markets, ‘Co-Creation Business Model’ for poor and ‘Bottom of the Pyramid Model’. Besides, Microfinance Practices also attempt to empower people.

The book focuses on the emerging practices in social and political domains, and analyses how changeover has empowered leaders, people, governments and NGOs—locally and globally—in different domains of life through the best and emerging practices. It will prove extremely useful to business managers, economists, administrators and political scientists. The common readers will find it interesting and informative.

Uma Narula is Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA. At present she is Director/Communication Consultant (Research & Training) with Communication Networks (CNET), New Delhi, India. She regularly conducts social and development research on national and international issues and provides communication training to corporate and academic groups. She is visiting teaching and research faculty to a number of Communication and Management Institutes in India and abroad.

She is a prolific writer and has authored many books which include: Mass Communication: Theory and Practice; Development Communication: Theory and Practice; Mass Communication Technologies: New Perspectives; Communication Perspectives: Cultural Diffusion, Dynamics and Challenges; Indian Women Across Generations; Business Communication Practices: Modern Trends; Indian Economy: Visions, Reality, Challenges; Handbook of Communication Models, Perspectives, Strategies; Dynamics of Mass Communications: Theory and Practice; and Communication Models.

She has co-authored three books: Development as Communication; Culture, Politics and Research Programs; and New Communication Technologies in Developing Countries.

Besides, she has a number of research publications and articles to her credit. She has also been associated with a number of national and international research projects apart from teaching, and training since 1958.