Democracy and Inequality in India: Political Economy of a Troubled Giant

Kohli and Murali, both political scientists, compellingly assert that India’s elite-driven economic growth has eroded the foundations of the country’s democracy. India may be one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but this expansion has been accompanied by deepening inequalities—both economic and social—and the growing dominance of a few conglomerates. The governing Bharatiya Janata Party has used these divisions to consolidate power, mobilizing India’s Hindus while winning over economic elites through pro-business policies. Kohli and Murali agree that the country still has democratic institutions, yet they suggest that civil society and the opposition are too weak to counter the combined force of capital and cultural majoritarianism. The authors may underestimate the breadth of the BJP’s base by emphasizing the role elites play in the party’s success. But they provide a sobering account of what concentrated economic power and an entrenched social hierarchy do to a democracy.