Drawing on a study of variation in the performance of four ethnic parties in
India, this book develops a theory of ethnic party performance in "patronage
democracies"--a family of democracies with distinct patterns of political
behavior as well as a new interpretation of Indian democracy. Demonstrating the
connection between India's state-dominated economy and the behavior of its
voters and politicians, it includes an extensive study of the Bahujan Samaj
Party and contemporary ethnic politics in India.