Despite Modi, India Has Not Yet Become a Hindu Authoritarian State
India’s constitution guarantees democracy, civil liberties, and secularism. But fears of India becoming a Hindu authoritarian state have been voiced after Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in New Delhi in 2014. In a new paper, Cato scholar Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar says that these fears are overblown: “India is not currently a Hindu state, but it is becoming less secular; while it is far from becoming authoritarian, it is becoming a more illiberal democracy.”
- “Despite Modi, India Has Not Yet Become a Hindu Authoritarian State,” by Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar
Government in a Pandemic
Americans and their political leaders are understandably worried about COVID-19 and its effects, both on human health and the economy. That worry may lead some people to reflexively demand broad government intervention. But in a new paper, Cato scholar Thomas A. Firey argues that government can respond effectively to the historic COVID-19 crisis while following the principles of limited government.
- “Government in a Pandemic,” by Thomas A. Firey
Reforming the Immigration System: A Brief Outline
With the election of a new president, Congress has the opportunity to correct the two fundamental flaws that plague the current U.S. system. First, the system is too restrictive, which leads to violations of the law by immigrants who fail to qualify, lengthy wait times for immigrants who do qualify, and lost benefits to Americans who wish to interact with both. Second, the system is too inflexible to adapt to new economic or social conditions, allowing initially small or local problems to build into national crises. A new paper from Cato scholar David J. Bier offers 52 reform ideas to correct these two major flaws.
- “Reforming the Immigration System: A Brief Outline,” by David J. Bier
Some Ideas for President‐elect Biden
When President‐elect Biden is sworn in January 20, 2021, he will inherit the pandemic and surrounding crises. Our Pandemics and Policy series provides an actionable guide to policies that can harness American ingenuity and foster a resilient society capable of meeting the challenges ahead — with ideas that appeal across the political divide.
- Pandemics and Policy, a Cato Institute series