Battles Half Won : The Political Economy of India's Growth and Economic Policy since Independence
Rapid growth since 1980 has transformed India from the world's 50th ranked economy in nominal U.S. dollars to the 10th largest in 2005. The growth of per capita income has helped reduce poverty. At the same time, evidence suggests that income...
Main Authors: | , |
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Format: | Working Paper |
Language: | English en_US |
Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/891731468330971811/Battles-half-won-the-political-economy-of-Indias-growth-and-economic-policy-since-independence http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28048 |
Summary: | Rapid growth since 1980 has transformed
India from the world's 50th ranked economy in nominal
U.S. dollars to the 10th largest in 2005. The growth of per
capita income has helped reduce poverty. At the same time,
evidence suggests that income inequality is rising and that
the gap in average per capita income between the rich and
poor states is growing. This paper reviews India's long
term growth experience with a view to understanding the
determinants of growth and the underlying political economy.
The paper looks specifically at the political economy of
India's growth transformation from a low-growth
environment (pre-1980s) to a rapid-growth environment (post
1980s) and asks how sustainable is this transformation in
view of concerns about regional disparity and income
inequality. The paper concludes that the pledge that
India's post-independence leadership had undertaken to
abolish mass poverty remains only partially redeemed. Half
the battle still lies ahead. Many more would like the fruits
of the economic boom to come to them. The greatest challenge
for India's policy makers today is to balance the
growth momentum with inclusionary policies. |
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