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  • February 2016 (Revised April 2020)
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In the Name of Democracy? The Rise and Decline of India's Congress Party

By: Akshay Mangla and Jonathan Schlefer
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:30
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Abstract

In 1950 it looked highly doubtful that Indian democracy would hold—typical family income was $6 a month, only about 15% of the population was literate, there were deep religious and ethnic differences, and more than a dozen national languages were spoken. But after a half a century, India had proved to be the first democracy anywhere near so poor to survive. Why? As well, in 1950 India's economic prospects looked bright for a developing country—it had a well-trained government bureaucracy bequeathed by the British, a secure legal system, national railroads, and more advanced industry than, for example, China. Why did the economy do so poorly?

Keywords

Congress Party; Economic Development; Democratization; Economic Reform; Economic Systems; Government and Politics; Developing Countries and Economies; Development Economics; India

Citation

Mangla, Akshay, and Jonathan Schlefer. "In the Name of Democracy? The Rise and Decline of India's Congress Party." Harvard Business School Case 716-068, February 2016. (Revised April 2020.)
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Related Work

    • March 2017 (Revised January 2018)
    • Faculty Research

    In the Name of Democracy? The Rise and Decline of India's Congress Party

    By: Akshay Mangla
    • February 2016 (Revised April 2020)
    • Faculty Research

    In the Name of Democracy? The Rise and Decline of India's Congress Party

    By: Akshay Mangla and Jonathan Schlefer
Related Work
  • In the Name of Democracy? The Rise and Decline of India's Congress Party By: Akshay Mangla
  • In the Name of Democracy? The Rise and Decline of India's Congress Party By: Akshay Mangla and Jonathan Schlefer
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