Behold the Leviathan: The Unusual Rise of Modern India

In defiance of the stereotypes trotted out by yesterday’s pundits, modern India’s rise is both unusual and unexpected. It is unusual because some of the sharpest economic improvements are being observed in those sections of Indian society which were thought to be the most disadvantaged: women, oppressed castes and rural India. It is unexpected because of the widespread view. Until a couple of years ago, India’s democratic construct was inferior to China’s single-party state.

In Behold the Le...