Democratic Dynasties
State, Party, and Family in Contemporary Indian Politics

A comprehensive study of dynasticism in modern democracies, providing a new perspective on where dynasties come from and why they matter.

Kanchan Chandra (Edited by)

9781107123441, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 April 2016

302 pages, 27 b/w illus. 43 tables
23.6 x 16 x 2.3 cm, 0.58 kg

'This volume makes an important and timely contribution to an emerging literature on dynasties in democracies. Using new data on the family ties of politicians, the chapters offer a range of fresh insights into how dynasties shape contemporary Indian politics.' Daniel M. Smith, Harvard University, Massachusetts

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.

Prologue Kanchan Chandra
1. Democratic dynasties: state, party and family in contemporary Indian politics Kanchan Chandra
2. The 'old regime' confronts democracy Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne H. Rudolph
3. A sign of backwardness? Where dynastic leaders are elected in India Francesca Jensenius
4. Dynasticism across Indian political parties Adam Ziegfeld
5. Women, dynasties and democracy in India Amrita Basu
6. Reservations and dynastic politics Simon Chauchard
7. Why forward castes have a dynastic advantage: dynasty, party and co-ethnic favouritism Kanchan Chandra
8. Dynastic path to power Anjali Thomas Bohlken
Appendix
Index.

Subject Areas: Political structures: democracy [JPHV], Comparative politics [JPB]