What makes populism both a threat and a corrective to democracy in India, setting it apart from other contexts? A Logic of Populism explores this question using a novel set-theoretic methodology and a comprehensive study of populist leaders across Indian states. It defines populists as those who draw boundaries dividing people, while democratic institutions shape these divisions' political significance. Populists create fractures, yet democratic engagement channels these conflicts toward the common good. This book is essential for those seeking to understand Indian democracy and populism's role in political modernization beyond Western perspectives. It is particularly valuable for researchers in qualitative methodologies and theory-building in the Social Sciences. By conceptualizing populism as a defining force in contemporary public affairs, the book offers crucial insights into democracy's evolving landscape in India, making it a significant contribution to political studies and governance discourse.

‘A Logic of Populism is a substantive and methodological masterpiece. Srikrishna Ayyangar expertly uses set-theoretic methods to identify the extent to which political leaders in India qualify as populists. Employing systematic comparative methods, he then uncovers the different pathways that they followed to become populists at the subnational and national levels. This book reveals the power of configurational analysis with fuzzy sets for conducting nuanced measurement and discovering general patterns in complex data. It offers a strikingly successful model for other scholars who seek to rigorously study populist politicians around the world.'

James Mahoney - Northwestern University

‘This book advances a provocative thesis about populism in India. Unlike western polities, where populism is seen as a threat to democracy, Ayyangar analyses Indian cases to show that populism may not be a form of democratic deviance, but may actually contribute to the articulation of a democratic political condition. Deploying an innovative methodological framework to study numerous political leaders at the state and national levels, he argues the distinctiveness of Indian populisms, and their diverse and contingent relationships to democracy.'

Niraja Gopal Jayal - Kings College London

‘Srikrishna Ayyangar's major contribution comes from understanding that populism wears several hats. India's populism debate was historically too fixated on fiscal handouts to the low-income groups. In the larger body of populism theory, this view is labelled ‘left-wing populism'. Another concept has a long tradition in Europe and the US, ‘right-wing populism', which covers majoritarianism based on race, ethnicity or religion. Ayyangar not only looks at right-wing populism and its impact on democracy, but also regional populisms of India (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and post-CPM Bengal), which do not, he argues, threaten democracy, often making it deeper instead. These arguments are made in elaborate detail, with methodological dexterity and felicitous prose. With the publication of this book, Ayyangar will become the leading scholar of populism in India.'

Ashutosh Varshney - Brown University