Democratic Dynasties
State, Party, and Family in Contemporary Indian Politics
Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, Foreign Legal Systems
| Author: | ISBN: | 9781316591611 | |
| Publisher: | Cambridge University Press | Publication: | April 28, 2016 |
| Imprint: | Cambridge University Press | Language: | English |
| Author: | |
| ISBN: | 9781316591611 |
| Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
| Publication: | April 28, 2016 |
| Imprint: | Cambridge University Press |
| Language: | English |
Dynastic politics, usually presumed to be the antithesis of democracy, is a routine aspect of politics in many modern democracies. This book introduces a new theoretical perspective on dynasticism in democracies, using original data on twenty-first-century Indian parliaments. It argues that the roots of dynastic politics lie at least in part in modern democratic institutions - states and parties - which give political families a leg-up in the electoral process. It also proposes a rethinking of the view that dynastic politics is a violation of democracy, showing that it can also reinforce some aspects of democracy while violating others. Finally, this book suggests that both reinforcement and violation are the products, not of some property intrinsic to political dynasties, but of the institutional environment from which those dynasties emerge.
Dynastic politics, usually presumed to be the antithesis of democracy, is a routine aspect of politics in many modern democracies. This book introduces a new theoretical perspective on dynasticism in democracies, using original data on twenty-first-century Indian parliaments. It argues that the roots of dynastic politics lie at least in part in modern democratic institutions - states and parties - which give political families a leg-up in the electoral process. It also proposes a rethinking of the view that dynastic politics is a violation of democracy, showing that it can also reinforce some aspects of democracy while violating others. Finally, this book suggests that both reinforcement and violation are the products, not of some property intrinsic to political dynasties, but of the institutional environment from which those dynasties emerge.
