Medha Majumdar

Medha Majumdar is a PhD candidate in the School of Politics and International Relations, at the Australian National University. The central question of her doctoral research is: why are democracies deteriorating in South Asia, despite the region’s rapid economic growth and improved socioeconomic development? Medha examines the relationship between citizens’ values and democratic backsliding. She focuses on how inequality and uneven socioeconomic modernization has weakened citizens’ attitudes towards democracy and supported democratic deterioration in South Asia. In her doctoral research, Medha conducts a quantitative, comparative study of political development in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Medha received the prestigious Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship in support of her doctoral research. Prior to commencing her studies, Medha held roles in criminal justice policy in Australia, and political and economic development research in India. She is committed to community service and has worked extensively with organizations in the areas of education accessibility and migrant support. Medha holds a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics (Honours) from the Australian National University.