As India grows in economic and strategic importance, the world needs objective information on India, its institutions, and its democracy. Everyone knows that India is the world's largest democracy. Few realize that it is by far the world's poorest well-institutionalized democracy — and the only post-colonial country to have remained a democracy throughout its entire history. The Indian Century Roundtable is dedicated to providing detailed, fact-based research on India and its liberal democratic institutions.
The V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index is the primary democracy evaluation published by Sweden's Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute. In its 2022 report (based on 2021 data), V-Dem ranked India 100th in the world for Electoral Democracy, down from 65th in 2014.
This report examines the methodology that underlies the democracy evaluations published by the Varieties of Democracy Institute (the "V-Dem" rankings), using India as a case study.
download“India is the world’s biggest democratic success story. It is the only post-colonial well-institutional democracy,” sociologist A/Prof Salvatore Babones said at the India Today Conclave in Mumbai on Saturday.
A/Prof Salvatore Babones also talked about press freedom in India and said it is safer to be a journalist in India than in the rest of the world.