Paper Details

Why are some nations rich while others remain poor? Why do some achieve growth, development, and prosperity while others lag? Scholars have debated this for decades, citing factors like history, culture, geography, institutions, and political systems. This analysis also depends on time—nations wealthy in the 16th and 17th centuries, like India and China, are relatively poorer in the 20th and 21st centuries. No single factor determines a nation’s fate; multiple elements must be considered. This paper compares the political, social, and economic trajectories of two ancient civilizations and modern giants: India and China. It focuses on their political systems—democratic and authoritarian—and their impact on economic policies, particularly in manufacturing, services, and agriculture. Since the 1980s, India and China have followed divergent development paths, with China leading in GDP, literacy, healthcare, living conditions, military power, and global influence. Is this primarily due to their political systems? India, a multi-party democracy with fundamental rights, rule of law, and free elections, trails China in various indicators. Meanwhile, China, an authoritarian one-party state with political repression, has witnessed unprecedented economic growth. This paper contrasts governance in India and China, examining the role of political structures alongside other factors and their consequences on economic and social development.

India, China, Inclusive, Extractive, Democracy, Authoritarianism, Development