Suchergebnisse

India is in the throes of a massive demographic turn. People born and brought up after 1986 constitute the bulk of the population. Studies elsewhere show that generational replacement transforms societies and can play a key role in changing the political attitudes and behaviour of the electorate. Over the last few general elections the Indian National Congress has witnessed a steady decline in support, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has seen a surge in support. This article examines whether the decline of the Congress party is linked to a demographic shift that is taking place. The study demonstrates that generations as socio-historical space helps us nuance party-choice explanations.

Niraja Gopal Jayal and Pratap Bhanu Mehta, eds, The Oxford Companion to Politics in India.Student Edition, New Delhi: Oxford University Press. 2011. 644 pages. ₹ 495.

This paper examines "no opinion" and "don't know" responses in the National Election Study 2004. Comparing responses on social and political questions, it finds that the marginalized sectors of society are more likely to be socially opinionated than to express substantive political opinions. This paradox might explain why the so-called "democratic upsurge" did not produce radical political transformation in India.