Publications
Publications
- February 2019 (Revised March 2021)
- HBS Case Collection
India: State Capacity and Unity in Diversity
By: Alberto Cavallo, Matthew Weinzierl and Robert Scherf
Abstract
As 2018 drew to a close, India prepared to once again carry out the largest democratic exercise in human history, as in less than six months more than 850 million eligible voters would have the chance to choose their representatives to the Lok Sabha—the country’s lower house of parliament—and, thus, their country’s Prime Minister and cabinet. The election would pit the ruling party—the Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People’s Party, known as the BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—against a collection of parties that included the once-dominant Indian National Congress party (Congress). The 2019 elections would serve as a referendum on Modi’s first term in office and, therefore, on a high stakes question: had India’s implausibly robust democracy produced the right leader for the right moment, or had it taken the wrong path?
Keywords
Citation
Cavallo, Alberto, Matthew Weinzierl, and Robert Scherf. "India: State Capacity and Unity in Diversity." Harvard Business School Case 719-061, February 2019. (Revised March 2021.)