About the Book: Democratic Dynasties State Party And Family In Contemporary
Indian Politics
Dynastic politics, usually presumed to be the antithesis of democracy, is a
routine aspect of politics in many modern democracies. This book introduces a
new theoretical perspective on dynasticism in democracies, using original data
on twenty-first-century Indian parliaments. It argues that the roots of dynastic
politics lie at least in part in modern democratic institutions - states and
parties - which give political families a leg-up in the electoral process. It
also proposes a rethinking of the view that dynastic politics is a violation of
democracy, showing that it can also reinforce some aspects of