The phenomenal growth and liberalisation of the Indian economy has been the subject of extensive scholarly documentation and competing interpretations. This book examines the key period of liberalisation in India from 1991 to 2008. It analyses the relationship between growth and liberalisation and, in particular, the recent ‘miracle growth rate’ and considers its sustainability in the current Indian economic environment. The book explores and re-evaluates the historical experience of planning in India between 1950 and 1980 as an alternative model of state-led economic development, discusses how far current rapid growth is the result of liberalisation, and how strong the case is for continued liberalisation today. The book is a significant contribution to the growing debate on economic growth and liberalisation, and the broader subject of economic development in India and other developing countries. It will appeal to students, researchers, lecturers and all those interested in South Asia in general and, India, in particular. It is also an essential resource for the study of international political economy and development economics.

The phenomenal growth and liberalisation of the Indian economy has been the subject of extensive scholarly documentation and competing interpretations. This book examines the key period of liberalisation in India from 1991 to 2008. It analyses the relationship between growth and liberalisation and, in particular, the recent ‘miracle growth rate’ and considers its sustainability in the current Indian economic environment. The book explores and re-evaluates the historical experience of planning in India between 1950 and 1980 as an alternative model of state-led economic development, discusses how far current rapid growth is the result of liberalisation, and how strong the case is for continued liberalisation today. The book is a significant contribution to the growing debate on economic growth and liberalisation, and the broader subject of economic development in India and other developing countries. It will appeal to students, researchers, lecturers and all those interested in South Asia in general and, India, in particular. It is also an essential resource for the study of international political economy and development economics.

July 1991 was a momentous month in the contemporary economic history of India, when a market-friendly set of policies shifted the centre of country's political economy more rightward than ever before. This book examines the 1990-91 reforms from different ideological perspectives. Authors from diverse backgrounds track the origins and continuation of liberal policies, dissecting the role of the state over the last 25 years in addressing issues like poverty, nutrition, and income inequality. It argues that neo-liberal globalisation, global capitalism and inclusive development have come to constitute the new order of things in the Indian economy, and examines the economic and social outcomes of the non-interventionist state. Explaining why there is still widespread dissatisfaction with the progress and outcome of reforms, the book elaborates on India's tumultuous start in the new millennium.

‘This book is different from most other attempts to understand the politics of Indian economic development. Breaking down the last 65+ years of Indian development into several episodes of growth, it provides a rich set of insights into the political economy of the Indian development process and is a valuable addition to the literature.’ –Pranab Bardham, University of California, Berkeley, USA ‘Sustained economic growth in the world's largest democracy is critically important to human well-being, but the ups and downs of growth in India are not well-understood. This book provides a fresh and insightful approach to understanding what drives the starts of booms and the onset of slowdowns.’ –Lant Pritchett, Harvard University, USA ‘This is a little book with big arguments. The authors' explanation of the changing character of the deals done between political and business elites makes for the most original contribution to studies of the political economy of Indian development since Pranab Bardhan's seminal work of the early 1980s’ –John Harriss, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada This book moves beyond the usual economic analysis of the Indian growth story and provides a fresh perspective on the determinants of growth episodes in post-independence India, based on its political economy. Using a robust and novel technique, the authors identify four such episodes during this period. The first, running from the 1950s to 1992, was mostly characterized by economic stagnation, with a nascent recovery in the eighties. The second, covering the period 1993 to 2001, witnessed the first growth acceleration in the economy. A second acceleration ran from 2002 to 2010. The fourth and final episode started with the slowdown in 2010 and continues to this day. The book provides a theoretical framework that focuses on rent-structures, institutions and the polity, and demonstrates how changes in these can explain the four growth episodes. Kar and Sen argue that the transitions from one growth episode to another can be explained by the bi-directional relationship between growth outcomes and institutional arrangements, and by the manner in which institutional arrangements and their transitions are determined by the political bargains struck between the elite groups in Indian society.

In 1984, Pranab Bardhan published his classic work The Political Economy of Development in India. It went on to become one of the most influential references on the political economy of development in the pre-reform period of independent India. Class and Conflict reflects on the enduring influence of Bardhan’s original publication in the context of post-liberalization developments in India. Drawing on their own world-leading research, the contributors to this volume engage with a wide range of issues, such as whether big business dominates India today, how subsidies retard economic growth, and how the middle classes are transforming politics. Together they try to answer the big question: what has really changed in the political and economic climate of the country over the last 30 years? Exploring the continuities and changes that have characterized India’s political economy since 1984, this volume takes stock of the main challenges of India’s economic development today. It contributes to current debates on economic growth, crony capitalism, agrarian crisis, the politics of class and caste, and the role of the state in a liberalizing economy.

Six Years Have Passed Since The Fast Process Of Liberalisation And Globalisation Was Started In India In July 1991. The Book Examines The Achievements And Failures Of The Process Of Economic Reforms During This Period. It Makes Useful Suggestions To Make The Economic Reforms More Successful And Human. The Role Which The State Has To Play In Accelerating The Process Of Economic Development And In Lessening Social Tensions Involved In Rapid Economic Reforms Has Been Clearly Laid Down In Detail.The Book Studies The Experience Of Economic Reforms In Other Countries And The Lessons Which India Can Draw From That. It Also Examines The Role Which Multinationals Can Play In The Economic Development Of The Country.The Book Analyses The Impact Of Economic Reforms On The Agricultural Economy And The Cottage And Small Scale Sector. It Emphasises The Need For Greater Attention To These Sectors On Which Depends The Well Being Of An Overwhelming Portion Of The Population.A Host Of Issues Concerning The Process Of Liberalisation And Globalisation Have Been Examined By Fortyseven Economists Spread Over The Entire Country.The First Volume Was Published In 1995 And The Response Of Readers Was So Heavy That It Had To Be Reprinted Again. The Encouraging Response To The First Volume Has Led To The Publication Of The Second Volume.