Democracy, Development, and Conflict in South Asia

4 credits

This class introduces core topics in the study of South Asian politics. It uses evidence from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to shed light on key questions in the study of comparative politics. We examine (a) why these nations’ regime trajectories have diverged; (b) violent civil conflict, as well as nuclear weapons’ contribution to regional stability; and (c) human and economic development, including corruption, caste, gender, poverty alleviation, liberalization, and growth.