India, Oct. 4 -- The Modi era can certainly be read as a catalogue of schemes or infrastructural projects. But it is better seen as a continuous attempt to extend the boundaries of what is possible by developing a series of state capacities that remove the constraints on individual agency and action.

This month marks 25 years of Narendra Modi as head of government-from Chief Minister to Prime Minister. Few Indian leaders have had the opportunity to test their governance philosophy across two levels of the system for so long. While the durability of his political career is discussed often, the durability of his governing ideas do not get much attention. In January 2012, writing on Narendra Modi's Panchamrut governance model in The Sunday ...