India

India has always been considered the poor cousin of China. In the 1980s, the Indian economy bumped along with a per annum growth rate below 4%. This slow economic growth led many forecasters, investors, and economists to deride India, and they assumed that its problems were due to cultural factors. Critics claimed India was stuck with a “Hindu growth rate” as if culture was related to economics.

Critics also saw a problem with India’s political system. India has the world’s largest democracy. It is vibrant, contentious, and often corrupt. In 2009, Indian citizens managed to elect 150 Members of Parliament (MPs) in the 15th Lok Sabha, the Indian parliament,¹ with criminal cases pending against them. This number represents 28% of the total number of 533 members.