num_pages: 440
description: The first thorough study of the co-existence of crime and democratic processes in Indian politics In India the worlds largest democracy the symbiotic relationship between crime and politics raises complex questions. For instance how can free and fair democratic processes exist alongside rampant criminality? Why do political parties recruit candidates with reputations for wrongdoing? Why are one-third of state and national legislators electedand often re-electedin spite of criminal charges pending against them? In this eye-opening study political scientist Milan Vaishnav mines a rich array of sources including fieldwork on political campaigns and interviews with candidates party workers and voters large surveys and an original database on politicians backgrounds to offer the first comprehensive study of an issue that has implications for the study of democracy both within and beyond Indias borders. 
language: English
title: When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics
publisher: Yale University Press