Democracy is decaying in a growing number of Asian polities
Elected autocrats are undermining checks and balances
MOST DEMOCRACIES would struggle to match the productivity of India’s Parliament. During its “monsoon” session, which ended on August 11th, a score of bills covering everything from coconuts to bankruptcy have passed the upper or lower house, or both.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Autocratic for the people”
Asia August 14th 2021
From the August 14th 2021 edition
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The Adani scandal takes the shine off Modi’s electoral success
The tycoon’s indictment clouds the prime minister’s prospects
Priyanka Gandhi: dynastic scion, and hope of India’s opposition
Poised to enter parliament, she may have bigger ambitions than that
The Caspian Sea is shrinking rapidly
This has big implications for Russia, which has come to rely on Central Asian ports
Racial tensions boil over in New Zealand
A controversial bill regarding Maori people punctures its relative harmony
Once a free-market pioneer, Sri Lanka takes a leap to the left
A new president with Marxist roots now dominates parliament too
The mystery of India’s female labour-force participation rate
A good news story? Maybe