Costs of Democracy

Abstract

Elections are the procedural foundations of democracy. We cannot conceive of democracy without elections, but it is equally impossible to imagine elections without money. This book is the first in-depth investigation of the role money plays in Indian politics. Drawing on extensive fieldwork on political campaigns, unique surveys, and creative and innovative data analysis, this book opens readers’ eyes to the opaque and enigmatic ways in which money flows through the political heart of the world’s largest democracy. The contributions in this volume are structured around five central questions: What is the institutional and regulatory context governing the flow of money in politics? What are the sources of political finance? What do campaigns spend on and why do they spend such vast sums? How does money operate at, and interact with, different levels of government? And what are the substantive implications for democracy itself?