Quotas hold the country back, even as China’s meritocracy fuels its economic advancement.
“The biggest challenge for 21st-century India is how to go forward with democracy and merit,” Mr. Das said. He pointed out that India could learn from China’s “remarkable success” in recent decades at dramatically reducing poverty and becoming “a middle-class nation.” Mr. Das argued that China’s embrace of the principle of merit—in both education and leadership selection—played a large role in the country’s transformation.
How India handles affirmative action could determine whether the country emerges as a significant world power or remains a perpetual also-ran. It also matters outside India’s borders. No other country has imposed such wide-ranging quotas for as long as India has. For the U.S., where liberal politicians espouse a mix of identity politics and ever-expanding racial preferences, the Indian experiment should be a cautionary tale.
In his 2004 book, “Affirmative Action Around the World,” economist Thomas Sowell highlighted the dangers of poorly conceptualized affirmative-action policies in India and other countries. He pointed out that such policies, often sold as a temporary redress to right a historical wrong, end up becoming almost impossible to reverse. They lead to a loss of national competitiveness, breed resentment among disfavored groups, and sap the self-confidence of beneficiaries.
India’s policies have also contributed to talent flight toward countries viewed as more likely to give the gifted and ambitious a chance to maximize their potential. Silicon Valley investor Deedy Das recently analyzed the career paths of 87 Indians who as students won medals at the International Physics Olympiad between 2001 and 2019. Of the 69 people whose career data Mr. Das was able to locate, 70% live in the U.S. and only 25% in India.
If India is lucky, China’s success will discredit India’s affirmative-action system—much like the collapse of the Soviet Union discredited state-led economic planning—and prompt a move toward meritocracy. If India is unlucky, domestic politics will continue to trump common sense.
This article is included as an enlightening example of policies that are very obviously quite harmful to the general welfare but are pursued by politicians for political advantage.