E37 Professor Patrick Heller

It was an honor speaking with Professor Patrick Heller, Lyn Crost Professor of Social Sciences, Professor of International and Public Affairs and Sociology, and the newly appointed Director of the Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia at Brown University. He is one of the world’s leading experts on social inequality, democracy, and civil societies, with groundbreaking research spanning India, Brazil, and South Africa. Our conversation began with Professor Heller’s work on democracy, drawing on “Deliberation and Development: Rethinking the Role of Voice and Collective Action in Unequal Societies.” We discussed democracy beyond elections, the intrinsic value of participation, and how structured participation builds effective citizenship, particularly for marginalized voices. We then transitioned to participatory budgeting (PB), drawing on Professor Heller’s “Bootstrapping Democracy: Transforming Local Governance and Civil Society in Brazil” to investigate why PB succeeded in Brazil, what this model reveals about deepening democratic practices even in contexts of immense inequality, and the possible institutional designs that can mitigate growth machine politics. Our conversation then diverged into Professor Heller’s incredible work on the Cities of Delhi and Citizenship, Inequality, and Urban Governance (CIUG) projects, focusing on the concept of differentiated citizenship and the specific mechanisms through which inequality shapes urban democracy. To conclude, we discussed the impact of entrenched colonial legacies still shaping urban life today across Brazil, South Africa, and India, as well as how the fate of democratic deepening depends on the intricate balance between political parties and civil society. Stay until the end to hear about Professor Heller’s favourite memories in India, along with his recommended Indian cuisine! P.S. A huge thank you to Professor Heller for surviving a fire drill with us! :)