On November 26, 2021, I had the opportunity to deliver a lecture at the London School of Economics (LSE) Department of International Development as part of their “Cutting Edge Issues in Development Thinking and Practice” series.

November 26 is Constitution day in India. The day we commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of free, independent India by our Constituent Assembly in 1949. It was an opportune moment to reflect on the state of our democracy and, in particular, the situation in which India's civil society finds itself 72 years after that day.

LSE invited me to flesh out my remarks into a working paper for a series made up of contributions from their academic staff, PhD students and visiting fellows. In the paper, titled COVID-19, Corporatisation and Closing Space: The Triple Threat to Civil Society in India, I try to chronicle the origins and growing strengths of the forces ranged against civil society and point toward the actions necessary to confront them.

It's a long, detailed paper with copious endnotes but a relatively easy read nonetheless. I would love to get your comments and questions.