Development and Democracy in India

Book Details

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Author: Shalendra D. Sharma

• Language: English

• ISBN: 9788170337539

• Pages: 292

• Cover: Hardcover

• Sale Territory: India

About the Book
Development and Democracy in India offers a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between democratic governance and economic development in post-independence India (1947-1998). This study delves into the paradox of India's political economy: despite five decades of democracy-driven strategies, the country has struggled to reconcile economic growth with redistribution and to address the severe poverty that affects 350 to 400 million people—over 40% of the population.

Drawing from an extensive empirical review of India's rural development and reform policies, Sharma highlights the significant disparities between development goals and actual outcomes. The study emphasizes the role of India's democratic polity and its interactions with rural society in shaping these outcomes. Sharma challenges conventional understandings of democracy and development, offering fresh insights into their complex relationship.

Contents

• Introduction

• Chapter 1: Democracy and Development: The State-Society Approach

• Chapter 2: Nationalism, Democracy, and Development: The Making of a “Weak-Strong State”

• Chapter 3: Rural Development During the Nehru Era: Limits to Reform and Redistribution

• Chapter 4: The State, Public Policy, and Agricultural Modernization

• Chapter 5: Contradictions of the Green Revolution: Growth Without Redistribution

• Chapter 6: The New Agrarianism and Rural Development

• Chapter 7: Democracy, Neoliberalism, and Development with Equity: India in Comparative Perspective

About the Author
Shalendra D. Sharma is an Associate Professor of Politics and the Director of the Master of Arts in Asia-Pacific Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. His research focuses on the intersection of politics, democracy, and economic development in Asia.