India, often called the “world’s largest democracy” with 800 million eligible voters, finds itself in a difficult transformation process. On the one hand, as an ambitious newly industrialized country, it stakes a claim to power in the global political field; on the other hand, a large part of the Indian population continues to suffer from exclusion and massive poverty.

But what actually defines Indian society, and which actors determine its policies? What changed after the election of the new Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and which political developments can be seen under his directive?

This Web dossier and the lecture series “Understanding India” (PDF) that started in April this year, strive to make this country in its diversity more tangible and especially after the parliamentary elections in May 2014 make room for a variety of socio-political and economic policy analyses and debate, and aims to define India’s foreign policy role. This dossier ended in February 2015.