Rahul Verma

In recent years, international indices and rankings such as the Democracy Index and the V-Dem Index have downgraded India’s democracy. Although there are significant differences in the degrees of downgrading, most major indices suggest that Indian democracy is backsliding.Meanwhile, India is witnessing an increase in voter turnout, and people continue to participate actively and vociferously in politics. What is the reason for this disconnect between scholarly understandings of Indian democracy and ground realities?To help us make sense of this dichotomy, Rahul Verma joins Suyash Rai to discuss his recent essay titled “The Exaggerated Death of Indian Democracy.” In the essay, Dr. Verma argues that the claims of democratic backsliding in India are somewhat exaggerated.Episode ContributorsRahul Verma is a fellow at the Center for Policy Research and a visiting assistant professor at Ashoka University. His research interests include voting behavior, party politics, political violence, and the media. Dr. Verma has published papers in Asian Survey, Economic & Political Weekly, and Studies in Indian Politics. His book, co-authored with Professor Pradeep Chhibber, Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India, develops a new approach to defining the contours of what constitutes an ideology in multiethnic countries such as India. He has a PhD in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley.Suyash Rai is a deputy director and fellow at Carnegie India. His research focuses on the political economy of economic reforms and the performance of public institutions in India. His current research looks at the financial sector, the fiscal system, and the infrastructure sector.---Additional ReadingsThe Exaggerated Death of Indian Democracy by Rahul Verma“Symposium: Is India Still a Democracy?” Journal of Democracy, July 2023The Possibilities of Indian Electoral Politics by Suyash RaiUnderstanding the Debate on Democratic Backsliding Through Two Papers by Suyash RaiIdeology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India by Pradeep K. Chhibber and Rahul VermaThe Rise of the Second Dominant Party System in India: BJP’s New Social Coalition in 2019 by Pradeep K. Chhibber and Rahul VermaDalits in the New Millennium, edited by Sudha Pai, D. Shyam Babu, and Rahul VermaHow India’s Ruling Party Erodes Democracy by Ashutosh VarshneyThe Expanding Role of Majoritarianism in India by Suhas PalshikarUnderstanding the Nature of Party Competition and Politics of Majoritarianism by Suhas PalshikarFor India, ‘Middle’ Democracy Works by Subrata K. Mitra---Key Moments(00:00); Intro(4:24); Chapter 1: Why Rahul Wrote the Essay(9:53); Chapter 2: Paradoxes in Indian Polity (12:14); Chapter 3: Biases in Ranking Measures(18:53); Chapter 4: Comparing the Present with the Past(21:22); Chapter 5: Conflating Other Phenomena for Backsliding(29:20); Chapter 6: Party Dominance and Partisanship(35:03); Chapter 7: Unpacking Mass Polarization(41:00); Chapter 8: The Frequency of Protests in Past Years(49:22); Chapter 9: The Pew Survey on Religion in India(50:53); Chapter 10: Scholarly Discourse vs. Public Opinion(55:38); Chapter 11: The Current State of Indian Democracy(1:04:47); Chapter 12: Remaining Hopeful About Indian Democracy(1:08:18); Chapter 13: Closing Remarks by Suyash(1:11:52); Outro--Carnegie India Socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carnegieindia/ (@CarnegieIndia)Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarnegieIndiaWebsite: https://carnegieindia.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CarnegieIndia/ Every two weeks, Interpreting India brings you diverse voices from India and around the world to explore the critical questions shaping the nation's future. We delve into how technology, the economy, and foreign policy intertwine to influence India's relationship with the global stage.As a Carnegie India production, hosted by Carnegie scholars, Interpreting India, a Carnegie India production, provides insightful perspectives and cutting-edge by tackling the defining questions that chart India's course through the next decade.Stay tuned for thought-provoking discussions, expert insights, and a deeper understanding of India's place in the world.Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to join the conversation and be part of Interpreting India's journey.

India should be understood as a test case of democracy outside the Western world.Rahul VermaAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Rahul Verma is a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. He is also Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Ashoka University. Recently, he wrote “The Exaggerated Death of Indian Democracy” in the recent Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:44India's Democracy Paradox - 2:24Reconciling Illiberalism - 15:54Sources of Indian Democratic Deficits - 20:02Overstating and Understating Indian Democracy - 30:50Key Links"The Exaggerated Death of Indian Democracy" in Journal of Democracy by Rahul VermaCentre for Policy Research Follow Rahul Verma on Twitter @rahul_tvermaDemocracy Paradox PodcastAshutosh Varshney on India. Democracy in Hard PlacesChristophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu NationalismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyLearn more about the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at https://kellogg.nd.edu/ Support the show