India's competitive authoritarian turn

India's competitive authoritarian turn

This lecture will argue that India has regressed in the direction of what comparative politics scholars call a 'competitive authoritarian' regime. Competitive authoritarian regimes signify an 'in-between' situation between democracy and authoritarianism. They are competitive in the sense that the democratic opposition can win elections.

On the other hand, they are authoritarian because incumbents have created an uneven playing field that makes it more difficult for the democratic opposition to rise. The lecture will detail how civil society organisations in the non-communal space have been attacked.

Furthermore, it seeks to explore the question: Is there a relationship between the identity of an organisation and the nature of attacks, pointing towards the consolidation of a certain vision of the idea of India?

About the speaker

Dr. Rahul Mukherji is Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science at the South Asia Institute in Heidelberg University in Germany. His current research interests include democratic recession, welfare and environmental politics, and emerging powers. Dr. Mukherji has taught at the National University of Singapore (Singapore), the Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi), Hunter College (New York) and the University of Vermont (Burlington).

He is a Visiting Professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Mumbai) and an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Global Public Policy at Fudan University (Shanghai). Dr Mukherji edits Indian Politics and Policy and serves on the board of journals such as India Review, Pacific Affairs and Governance. He also co-edits the Oxford Institutions and Development in South Asia book series.

This is an in-person only event.

Registration is essential.