Democracy and Successful National Economic Performance: India Case
There is a strong tie between the political regime of the country and its national economic performance while these elements tend to be interdependent. This assumption implies that one will cause the development or stagnation of another and vice versa. Consequently, in the first place, it is essential to discuss the impact of the political organization on the successful national economic performance that implies a well-balanced development of the country in all economic spheres with a positive effect on the overall financial growth. In this case, India cannot be referred to as a politically stable nation that focuses on ensuring the integrity of the existent political structure. The primary reasons for this matter are regular revolutions and conflicts between the representatives of different castes (O’Neill 450). In the context of India, the caste system was established historically and had a strong influence on other segments such as politics, culture, and economics.
The first concepts of democracy that implied giving the citizens power to elect a governor while cherishing the equality of people of all races, ages, genders, and socioeconomic statuses were stated in Buddhism by emphasizing paramount importance of benevolence (O’Neill 451). Subsequently, these ideas were developed with the help of colonization that increased the levels of trade and private property and caused the rise of Indian entrepreneurship (O’Neill 453). These political changes contributed to the economic development of India while supporting the idea that democracy and economic performance were interdependent. Nonetheless, apart from the positive intentions of the governors and diversity, “asymmetric federalism” continues to exist while causing difficulties in decision-making and economic problems (O’Neill 459).
As was indicated previously, the ideas of politics and economics tended to interfere. Consequently, it is also critical to review the effect of economics on the level of democracy in the context of India. One cannot underestimate the role of India’s independence in becoming a democratic state with a stable economic system (O’Neill 454). However, the changes in the political regime and territorial borders of the country were accompanied by financial problems. These economic issues and gaps between different federal entities caused the development of intercultural conflicts and, as a consequence, political tensions (O’Neill 458). In this instance, economic instability affected politics adversely. The described situation portrays a purely negative example.
Nonetheless, economic stability can have a positive impact on society and support the dogmas of democracy. For example, today, social mobility is highly important, as it gives an opportunity for people to change their position in the society and socioeconomic status with the help of various instruments such as pursuing a particular career path. This trend was impossible in India in the recent past due to a substantial role of the castes system in the society and its effect on other spheres (O’Neill 450). The elements of the caste framework continue to exist today, but successful national economic performance gives an opportunity to fill in this gap. For example, now, with the help of technological development, the representatives of lower castes have their identity protected and have access to their bank accounts online (O’Neill 489). It could be said that this example clearly shows that these dependence and influence tend to exist from both sides, and one cannot underestimate the significance of the phenomena of economics and democracy and has to consider them as equally critical.
Work Cited
O’Neill, Patrick, et al. Cases in Comparative Politics. W.W. Norton & Company, 2015.