India is unlikely to be a superpower, nor should it strive to be one. That is the conclusion of a report published this week by the London School of Economics.
In 'India: The next super power,' a collection of essays, the authors weigh India's changing role over the decades in a number of fields from economic, political, environmental and military. While its rise on many of these counts has been "impressive", the authors conclude that factors such as the prevalence of the caste system, growing wealth inequalities and environmental costs, as well as "embedded corruption" and domestic conflicts prevent it "and will continue to stop it" from becoming a counterweight to China.
Mr Ramachandra Guha, the Philippe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs at the LSE, argues that India has enough domestic problems to contend with.
"We need to repair one by one the institutions that have safeguarded our unity amid diversity, and to forge, also one by one the new institutions that can help us meet the fresh challenges of the 21st century."
India's attempts to increase its "soft power" will only translate into something meaningful if it uses this power in a more systematic and planned way, improving its economic performance, suggests author Mr Nicholas Blarel.
"India will need to become more efficient, frugal, and technological innovative in its use and disposal of natural resources," contends Mr Sandeep Sengupta, warning that without addressing its growing environmental footprint, superpowerdom will remain a "futile dream".
On the economic front, Mr Rajeev Sibal argues India must address the pressing issue of adequately regulating the economy, as it attempts to shed the legacy of state-managed capitalism. "As long as the state maintains a focus on managing the economy, inefficient allocation of resources will continue," he argues.
"Without institutional change and an enhancement of India's regulatory capacity, increased liberalisation will simply perpetuate corruption and further inequality."
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