Democracy is India's Achilles' heel

Democracy is India's Achilles' heel

We assume that democracy is what every country should have. But what has democracy done for India? Easy. It has stimulated corruption on a massive scale, and if you want to get rich in India the most direct way is to run for parliament and reap the payoffs businesses are obliged to make to the local MP. Caste, that Indian curse, becomes more entrenched as politicians exploit caste allegiances to win votes. Bombay may be booming but it’s hardly Shanghai. A country that is striving to be an economic powerhouse is being pulled down by its political system. Democracy is India’s Achilles’ heel. So say the pundits but what would they put in democracy’s place? Would they prefer India to be ruled by a Mubarak or an Indian version of the Beijing politburo? Democratic politics is always messy and often corrupt but it is the inevitable price of seeking the will of the people, which will always be preferable to the will of the dictator. Speaking in favour of the motion in this debate from September 2011 were Patrick... Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Avsnitt(1558)

Should You Be Talking To AI? with Jamie Bartlett

Should You Be Talking To AI? with Jamie Bartlett

Hundreds of millions of people now talk to AI, such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini every day. They organise their finances and holidays, ask advice, seek therapy and find love – via machines. Almost ove...

9 Apr 44min

Who Are Renoir’s Mystery Girls? With Catherine Ostler

Who Are Renoir’s Mystery Girls? With Catherine Ostler

Could one of Renoir’s most iconic paintings conceal one of the most astonishing true stories of scandal and tragedy in Golden Age Paris? In 1881, Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted two young sisters from ...

7 Apr 42min

Stalin vs Trotsky: The Assassination That Changed History, with Josh Ireland

Stalin vs Trotsky: The Assassination That Changed History, with Josh Ireland

On August 20, 1940, in a quiet study in Mexico, one of the 20th century’s most consequential political exiles was assassinated with an ice pick. The killing of Leon Trotsky marked the culmination of a...

5 Apr 38min

Can Discomfort Be the Key to a Better Life? With Ken Rideout

Can Discomfort Be the Key to a Better Life? With Ken Rideout

Dr Radha Modgil is joined by endurance athlete, investor and author Ken Rideout for an inspiring Intelligence Squared conversation on what it really takes to transform your life. Drawing on the ideas ...

4 Apr 36min

How and Why did Sexual Reproduction Evolve on our Planet? With Dr Lixing Sun

How and Why did Sexual Reproduction Evolve on our Planet? With Dr Lixing Sun

Before sex evolved on our planet, two billion years ago, all reproduction happened asexually. So why and how did sexual reproduction evolve? Dr Lixing Sun is Distinguished Research Professor in behav...

2 Apr 39min

Hungry for Life! An Evening with Prue Leith (Part Two)

Hungry for Life! An Evening with Prue Leith (Part Two)

According to Great British Bake Off judge and national treasure Prue Leith the secret to a happy life lies in embracing everyday with joy while accepting our inevitable end. Prue has had an exhilarat...

31 Mars 33min

Hungry for Life! An Evening with Prue Leith (Part One)

Hungry for Life! An Evening with Prue Leith (Part One)

According to Great British Bake Off judge and national treasure Prue Leith the secret to a happy life lies in embracing everyday with joy while accepting our inevitable end. Prue has had an exhilarat...

30 Mars 34min

How deeply was the British Crown involved in the transatlantic slave trade? With author of The Crown’s Silence, Brooke Newman

How deeply was the British Crown involved in the transatlantic slave trade? With author of The Crown’s Silence, Brooke Newman

How deeply was the British Crown involved in the transatlantic slave trade? New research by historian Brooke Newman argues that, from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, until well into the 19th century, ...

29 Mars 47min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

svenska-fall
aftonbladet-krim
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
flashback-forever
politiken
blenda-2
rss-sanning-konsekvens
aftonbladet-daily
spar
rss-vad-fan-hande
motiv
rss-krimreportrarna
dagens-eko
svd-ledarredaktionen
rss-frandfors-horna
olyckan-inifran
spotlight
rss-flodet
grans