Welcome to "Some Perspective"

This interactive website presents comprehensive research on India's economic transformation from 2014 to 2025, examining how distinct political periods produced fundamentally different models of growth, governance, and democratic accountability.

Why This Research Matters

India stands at a critical juncture. While official narratives celebrate high GDP growth and global rankings, the reality for most Indians tells a different story. This research uses evidence-based analysis to reveal:

  • Employment Paradox: Employment elasticity improved from 0.01 to 1.11, but driven by informal gig work
  • Colonial-Era Inequality: The top 1% now control 22.6% of national income—higher than during British rule
  • Fiscal Centralization: States' effective tax share fell from 42% to 29.8% despite constitutional mandates
  • Statistical Suppression: 2021 Census postponed to 2027, critical surveys withheld
  • Democratic Erosion: Press freedom rank fell from 140 to 159, India classified as "electoral autocracy"

How to Use This Website

1. Choose Your Perspective

Select your audience type above. Content will adapt to provide relevant explanations and insights for your background.

2. Explore the Tabs

Each tab focuses on different aspects. Start with the Summary, explore Interactive Data, or dive into Methodology.

3. Export and Share

Download charts, data, and the full paper. Use dark mode for comfortable reading. Share findings with attribution.

Research Independence Statement

This is independent academic research based on publicly available data from government sources, international organizations, and peer-reviewed studies. It receives no funding from political parties, corporations, or advocacy groups. All data and methods are transparent and replicable.

Executive Summary

Key Economic Indicators Over Time

2014 Baseline

  • • GDP Growth: 7.4%
  • • Unemployment: 4.9%
  • • Top 1% Share: 15.0%
  • • Formal Employment: 13.0%
  • • Press Freedom: 140/180

2025 Current

  • • GDP Growth: 6.5%
  • • Unemployment: 3.1%
  • • Top 1% Share: 22.8%
  • • Formal Employment: 11.2%
  • • Press Freedom: 160/180

Five Core Findings

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Key Findings: Evidence of Transformation

1. Employment: The Jobs Mirage

Key Evidence:

  • • Employment Elasticity: Recovered from 0.01 (2011-16) to 1.11 (2017-23)
  • • Formal employment: Declined from 13% (2014) to 11.2% (2025)
  • • Youth unemployment: 28.5% for graduates, 12.5% overall
  • • Manufacturing jobs: Stagnant at 6% of workforce
  • • Agriculture share: Still 45.7% of employment

2. Inequality: Return to Colonial Extremes

22.8%

Top 1% Income Share

(2025)

57.3%

Top 10% Share

(2025)

13.0%

Bottom 50% Share

(2025)

3. Fiscal Federalism: Constitutional Subversion

Mechanisms of Centralization:

Cesses & Surcharges:
  • • Rose from 10.4% to 20% of gross tax
  • • Not shared with states per Constitution
  • • ₹2-3 lakh crore annual loss to states
Effective Devolution:
  • • States' share: 39.8% (promised 42%)
  • • Conditional transfers increased
  • • GST compensation ended 2022

4. Democratic Institutions: Systematic Erosion

159/180

Press Freedom Rank

(2024)

805

Internet Shutdowns

(2014-2025)

0.42

Democratic Quality

(DQI Score)

Interactive Data Explorer

Explore 11 years of economic data. Compare multiple indicators simultaneously. Export charts and data for your own analysis.

Data Table

Year GDP Growth Unemployment Top 1% Share Formal Emp. Press Rank

2014-2019 Average

2020-2025 Average

Three Indices: Measuring Institutional Change

To move beyond anecdotal evidence, we constructed three novel indices that quantify different dimensions of India's institutional transformation.

Statistical Suppression Index (SSI)

Key Events

  • • 2017-18 Consumption Survey: Withheld
  • • 2021 Census: Postponed to 2027
  • • PLFS Data: Delayed releases
  • • NSC Members: Resignations
  • • GDP Back-series: Controversial revisions

7.8

SSI Score (2023)

Peak suppression

Fiscal Centralization Index (FCI)

Components

  • • Cess share: 10.4% → 20%
  • • States' share: 42% → 39.8%
  • • GST compensation: Ended 2022
  • • Conditional borrowing: Increased
  • • Central schemes: 70.5% of spending

70.5%

Centralized Spending

(2025)

Democratic Quality Index (DQI)

Data Sources

  • • V-Dem: "Electoral autocracy"
  • • Freedom House: "Partly Free"
  • • RSF: Rank 159/180
  • • Internet shutdowns: 805 total
  • • NGO licenses: 12,580 cancelled

0.42

DQI Score (2024)

41% decline from 2014

Methodology: Triangulated Evidence

Data Sources

Government Sources

  • • National Statistical Office (NSO)
  • • Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
  • • Ministry of Finance
  • • EPFO/ESIC databases
  • • Census (when available)
  • • PLFS, ASI, NSSO surveys

Independent Sources

  • • CMIE Consumer Pyramids
  • • World Inequality Database
  • • V-Dem Institute
  • • Freedom House
  • • Reporters Without Borders
  • • IMF, World Bank, ILO

Index Construction

Statistical Suppression Index (SSI)

Event-based coding of government interference in statistics: 

SSI_t = Σ(severity_i × salience_i) / n

Where:
- severity: withheld(1.0), delayed(0.5), revised(0.3)
- salience: census(1.0), CES(0.8), PLFS(0.7), other(0.6)
- n: number of events in year t

Fiscal Centralization Index (FCI)

Composite of fiscal autonomy indicators: 

FCI = Average(C_norm, D_norm_inverted, B_norm)

Components:
- C: Cess/surcharge share (normalized)
- D: Actual devolution (inverted)
- B: Borrowing conditionality (0-1)

Democratic Quality Index (DQI)

Geometric mean of three international indices ensures weakness in any dimension reduces overall score. 

DQI = (V-Dem × FH × RSF)^(1/3)

Sources:
- V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index
- Freedom House Score
- RSF Press Freedom (inverted rank)

Validation & Robustness

Cross-Validation

Key findings verified across multiple independent datasets

Temporal Consistency

Trends robust to different base years and adjustments

International Standards

Methods align with global best practices

Implications: What This Means

Policy Recommendations

1. Statistical Independence

Immediate Actions:
  • • Conduct 2021 Census immediately
  • • Release withheld surveys
  • • Restore NSC autonomy
Institutional Reforms:
  • • Constitutional status for NSO
  • • Independent Statistics Act
  • • Parliamentary oversight

2. Fiscal Federalism

Revenue Sharing:
  • • Cap cesses at 5% of GTR
  • • Implement 16th FC recommendations
  • • GST Council voting reform
State Autonomy:
  • • Remove borrowing conditions
  • • Restore state tax powers
  • • Decentralize CSS schemes

3. Employment Strategy

Job Creation:
  • • Urban employment guarantee
  • • Manufacturing incentives
  • • MSME credit expansion
Worker Protection:
  • • Gig worker social security
  • • Minimum wage enforcement
  • • Skill development overhaul

4. Democratic Institutions

Media Freedom:
  • • Anti-monopoly enforcement
  • • Public media funding
  • • Journalist protection law
Electoral Reform:
  • • Campaign finance transparency
  • • Real-time disclosure
  • • ECI independence

International Comparisons

Turkey

Similar trajectory but more overt constitutional changes. India maintains democratic façade more effectively.

Hungary

Comparable media capture and fiscal centralization. India's federal structure provides more resistance.

Brazil

Shows how institutions can recover. Independent judiciary and civil society crucial.

The Cost of Inaction

Without reforms, India risks entrenching a model where democratic forms coexist with authoritarian substance. The window for course correction is narrowing as institutional capture deepens and inequality becomes structural.

What Next? Action and Accountability

For Researchers

  • ✓ Replicate findings with latest data
  • ✓ Extend indices to state level
  • ✓ Document informal economy dynamics
  • ✓ Study resistance mechanisms
  • ✓ Compare with other democracies

For Policy Makers

  • ✓ Review fiscal devolution formulas
  • ✓ Strengthen statistical institutions
  • ✓ Design inclusive growth policies
  • ✓ Protect democratic spaces
  • ✓ Enable transparency mechanisms

For Journalists

  • ✓ Use data for evidence-based reporting
  • ✓ Question official narratives
  • ✓ Highlight inequality impacts
  • ✓ Document institutional changes
  • ✓ Amplify marginalized voices

For Citizens

  • ✓ Demand data transparency
  • ✓ Question growth narratives
  • ✓ Support independent media
  • ✓ Engage in democratic processes
  • ✓ Share verified information

A Call for Truth and Transparency

Democracy thrives on information, debate, and accountability. When statistics are suppressed, institutions captured, and inequalities hidden, the social contract itself is at risk.

This research is a contribution to the essential democratic task of holding power accountable through evidence. It is not partisan but empirical, not ideological but factual.

India's future is not predetermined. The choice between continued concentration and inclusive renewal will be made by the actions we take today. This research provides the evidence. What happens next depends on all of us.