In this episode, distinguished sociologist, Salvatore Babones help us understand Indian democracy’s complexities. This conversation spans the positive aspects and challenges within India’s democratic framework, voter influence through media and political campaigns, and the significant role of religious politics. Salvatore provides a balanced critique on the potential risks to India's democratic integrity, highlighting the impact of biased information sources and the contentious nature of religious and political narratives. From dissecting how elections are swayed to discussing the potential erosion of democratic values amidst rising communal tensions, this episode offers a panoramic view of the forces shaping India’s future.

Salvatore Babones is an associate professor at the University of Sydney and executive director of the Indian Century Roundtable. 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. He is currently researching a book on Indian democracy.

SHOWNOTES - 

00:00:00  - Episode and Guest Introduction

00:01:35 - Prof. Salvatore’s fascination with Indian democracy

00:05:55 -  Role of English in India & impact on political & social structures

00:13:45 - Biggest challenges facing the Indian democracy

00:17:35 - Economic Leadership: Manmohan Singh vs Narendra Modi

00:19:45 - BJP’s anti-democratic moves and should we be concerned?

00:23:55 - How voters are influenced

00:28:00 - Dispelling the myth of rising communal violence

00:38:50 - Understanding the vote bank politics

00:43:00 - What drives voting behaviour

00:46:20 - Resources for understanding Indian political & social dynamics

00:49:30 - The media and academia bias 

00:55:00 - Handling combative interviews with grace

00:58:50 - Democratic integrity in a global context

RESOURCES RECOMMENDED -

Modi And India: 2024 and the Battle for Bharat by Rahul Shivshankar  - https://www.amazon.in/Modi-India-2024-Battle-Bharat/dp/0670098612

DHARMIC NATION: Freeing Bharat, Remaking India by Raghavan Jagannatha - https://www.amazon.in/DHARMIC-NATION-Freeing-Bharat-Remaking/dp/9355209762

Bharat Rising (Dharma, Democracy, Diplomacy) by Utpal Kumar - https://www.amazon.in/Bharat-Rising-Dharma-Democracy-Diplomacy/dp/9392209762

The Great Hindu Civilisation: Achievement, Neglect, Bias and the Way by Pavan K. Varma - https://www.amazon.in/Great-Hindu-Civilisation-Achievement-Neglect/dp/9390679966

Bhārat: India 2.0 by Gautam R. Desiraju - https://www.amazon.in/Bh%C4%81rat-India-Gautam-R-Desiraju/dp/9390961157  

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