Giving Agency to Political Parties

Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India by Pradeep K Chhibber and Rahul Verma, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2018; pp xii  + 320, ₹ 895.

Pradeep Chhibber is amongst the foremost intellectual “entrepreneurs” (to borrow a term from party politics’ literature) of our times. Intellectual entrepreneurs stand out for a couple of reasons. First, they exhibit an extraordinary level of intellectual curiosity that pushes them to explore and identify issues that are missed by the conventional. Second, they innovate and give a fresh perspective to an existing issue, and thus enrich the discipline by challenging the status quo, and asking us to think in new ways. Alongside, they mentor, encourage and inspire a new generation of scholars by generously sharing their experience and expertise.