India and the mistrust economy.

Countries with strong governments often end up with weak economies, and India, after years of impressive growth, risks becoming one of them.

The World Bank recently released its annual report comparing the ease of doing business in 190 countries, and India's ranking improved to 63rd, up from 77th last year. India - along with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and China - was among the 10 states that made the most progress. Yet major indicators show that its economy is slowing down sharply.

Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 on the back of the promise that if elected, he would make of India an economic powerhouse that would rival China. This year, after being re-elected, he pledged to turn India into a $5 trillion economy, nearly twice its current size, by 2024.

According to...