Join us this January for a lecture that asks a question many democracies are struggling to answer: Why does democracy still matter, and what does it demand of us now?
About the Lecture
Across the world, democracies are under strain. Voter disengagement, institutional erosion, and the rise of transactional politics have made democratic participation feel hollow or purely procedural. India is no exception.
This lecture examines democracy not as an abstract ideal, but as a lived political and economic system, shaped by incentives, institutions, and everyday governance. Through a deep dive into India’s political economy, the session explores how democratic practice is sustained, distorted, and sometimes deliberately weakened.
Rather than romanticising democracy or declaring its decline inevitable, this session asks what citizenship looks like when democracy is treated as ongoing work, something that must be understood, defended, and actively practised.
About the Speaker
Yamini Aiyar is President of the Centre for Policy Research, and one of India’s leading scholars of governance, state capacity, and political economy.
Her work sits at the intersection of research and practice. From founding CPR’s Accountability Initiative to leading programmes on state capacity and politics, she has been central to shaping how India understands governance, welfare delivery, and federalism in practice. Beyond CPR, she serves on the boards and advisory committees of several leading research institutions and non-profits, bringing rigorous policy thinking into spaces where it can have real-world impact.
PS: Your ticket includes a 250/- coupon for coffee (or a croissant!)
About unLecture
unLecture brings experts out of classrooms and into cafés, bars and neighbourhood spaces across Delhi. Created by three friends from St. Stephen’s, Delhi who wanted learning to feel warm, social and alive. unLecture turns an otherwise ordinary evening into a conversation you may think about long after it ends.
Where it is
Address : Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters | Panchsheel Park, Basement, Ground floor and First floor Building no. 12, Panchsheel Community Centre, Shahpur Jat, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi, Delhi 110017, India
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