This book comprises papers on underexplored topics and approaches in analysing Indian politics, political economy, and political sociology on the one hand, and India’s international relations and foreign policy on the other, applying to the latter aspects of international relations theory to explain policies and developments as well as conflicts and deadlocks.

The subjects covered include the breakdown of the Congress-dominant party system; democracy and diversity within political parties; the pros and cons of a possible proportional representation system; whether 2014 marks the end of the coalition era; cross-state policy borrowing in Indian federalism; and the implications of middle-class growth for politics and economic reform.

Regarding international relations, the themes include India's rise and its constraints; linkages between economic co-operation and security in India–Pakistan relations; India–Sri Lanka relations driven by geopolitics, domestic politics, and identity politics; and the strategic consequences of China-centric Asian economic integration in the absence of an Asian security consensus.

This book will interest every serious student of India's politics and international relations.

Eswaran Sridharan is Academic Director and Chief Executive, University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advanced Study of India, in Delhi. He is the author or editor of eleven books on Indian and international politics, has published over ninety papers and is Editor-in-Chief of the refereed Routledge journal India Review.