India has been catapulted to the centre of world attention. Its rapidly growing economy, new geo-political confidence, and global cultural influence have ensured that people across the world recognise India as one of the main sites of social dynamism in the early twenty-first century.

In this book, research leaders John Harriss, Craig Jeffrey and Trent Brown explore in depth the economic, social, and political changes occurring in India today, and their implications for the people of India and the world. Each of the books fourteen chapters seeks to answer a key question: Is Indias democracy under threat? Can Indias Growth be sustained? How are youth changing India? Drawing on a wealth of scholarly and popular material as well as their own experience researching the country during this period of major transformation, the authors draw the reader into key debates about economic growth, poverty, environmental justice, the character of Indian democracy, rights and social movements, gender, caste, education, and foreign policy. India, they conclude, has undergone some extraordinary and positive changes since the early 1990s but deeply worrying threats remain: increasing authoritarianism, growing inequality, entrenched poverty, and environmental vulnerability. How India responds to these crucial challenges will shape the worlds largest democracy for years to come.

John Harris is Professor Emeritus of International Studies at Simon Fraser University.

Craig Jeffrey is Director of the Australia India Institute and Professor of Geography at the University of Melbourne.

Trent Brown is DECRA Research Fellow in the School of Geography at the University of Melbourne.