2011/05/05 by Pradeep Chhibber · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies #Social and Economic Development in India
paper · doi:10.1177/1354068811406995
openalex publication_date 2011/05/05 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
In the aftermath of the 2009 national elections in India a number of commentators observed that Indian party politics is a dynastic affair. Why is this the case? This paper claims that absence of a party organization, independent civil society associations that mobilize support for the party, and centralized financing of elections has led to the emergence and sustenance of dynastic parties in India. The paper assesses the impact of dynastic parties and shows that not only are party systems more volatile when parties are dynastic but more important, dynastic parties serve to make the political system less representative.