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. India should be a model for how democracy can work in the developing world.
Yet many Western journalists, parliamentarians, and business leaders have an impression of India that is 100 years out of date, if it was ever correct at all. Indian democracy is routinely tarred with labels like "authoritarian" and "fascist." These allegations are wildly inaccurate, but they are nonetheless influential.
As India grows in economic and strategic importance, the world needs objective information on India and its democratic model. We intend to provide that information on a "facts not feelings" basis. The Indian Century Roundtable is dedicated to providing detailed, objective research on India and its liberal democratic institutions that is free from political leanings or ideological interference. We aspire to be the world's most trusted source of information about India.
Salvatore Babones is an associate professor at the University of Sydney. He is a quantitative comparative sociologist whose current research focuses on the political sociology of democracy. In the past he has also published on economic development in post-socialist transition economies and quantitative methods for cross-national comparisons.
He is the author or editor of fourteen books and several dozen academic research articles. He earned his MS (statistics) and PhD (sociology) from the Johns Hopkins University. His 2018 book The New Authoritarianism was named among the 'Best on Politics' by the Wall Street Journal. Salvatore is currently researching a book on Indian democracy.
“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.
