An Uncertain Glory: India and Its Contradictions

When India became independent in 1947 after two centuries of colonial rule, it immediately adopted a firmly democratic political system, with multiple parties, freedom of speech, and extensive political rights. The famines of the British era disappeared, and steady economic growth replaced the economic stagnation of the Raj. The growth of the Indian economy quickened further over the last three decades and became the second fastest among large economies. Despite a recent dip, it is still one of the highest in the world.

Maintaining rapid as well as environmentally sustainable growth remains an important and achievable goal for India. In An Uncertain Glory, two of India's leading economists argue that the country's main problems lie in the lack of attention paid to the essential needs of the people, especially of the poor, and often of women. There have been major failures both to foster participatory growth and to make good use of the public resources generated by economic growth to enhance people's living conditions. There is also a continued inadequacy of social services such as schooling and medical care as well as of physical services such as safe water, electricity, drainage, transportation, and sanitation. In the long run, even the feasibility of high economic growth is threatened by the underdevelopment of social and physical infrastructure and the neglect of human capabilities, in contrast with the Asian approach of simultaneous pursuit of economic growth and human development, as pioneered by Japan, South Korea, and China.

In a democratic system, which India has great reason to value, addressing these failures requires not only significant policy rethinking by the government, but also a clearer public understanding of the abysmal extent of social and economic deprivations in the country. The deep inequalities in Indian society tend to constrict public discussion, confining it largely to the lives and concerns of the relatively affluent. Drze and Sen present a powerful analysis of these deprivations and inequalities as well as the possibility of change through democratic practice.

"India is a great success story of economic growth and poverty decline, but it remains the home of global poverty, and half of its children are profoundly malnourished. This paradox of poverty and plenty poses one of the great intellectual and moral challenges of the day. We can ask for no better guides to it than a philosopher and an activist, both distinguished economists, and both with unparalleled knowledge of India's glories and its shames."--Angus Deaton, author of The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality

"This important book provides a comprehensive and probing analysis of the Indian economy and its enormous potential. What makes this such an engaging book is that it is a deeply sympathetic and, for that very reason, a deeply critical evaluation of contemporary India. The book's combination of economics, politics, history, and law makes it a fascinating read."--Kaushik Basu, chief economist of the World Bank

"This important book provides a comprehensive and probing analysis of the Indian economy and its enormous potential. What makes this such an engaging book is that it is a deeply sympathetic and, for that very reason, a deeply critical evaluation of contemporary India. The book's combination of economics, politics, history, and law makes it a fascinating read."--Kaushik Basu, chief economist of the World Bank

Jean Drèze has lived in India since 1979 and became an Indian citizen in 2002. He has taught at the London School of Economics and the Delhi School of Economics, and he is now a visiting professor at Allahabad University. He is the coauthor (with Amartya Sen) of "Hunger and Public Action" and "India: Development and Participation". Amartya Sen is the Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University. He won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998. His many books include "Development as Freedom", "Rationality and Freedom", "The Argumentative Indian", "Identity and Violence", and "The Idea of Justice".

Preface vii

1 A New India? 1

2 Integrating Growth and Development 17

3 India in Comparative Perspective 45

4 Accountability and Corruption 81

5 The Centrality of Education 107

6 India's Health Care Crisis 143

7 Poverty and Social Support 182

8 The Grip of Inequality 213

9 Democracy, Inequality and Public Reasoning 243

10 The Need for Impatience 276

Statistical Appendix 289

Table A.1: E conomic and Social Indicators in India and Selected Asian Countries, 2011 292

Table A.2: India in Comparative Perspective, 2011 296

Table A.3: Selected Indicators for Major Indian States 298

Table A.4: Selected Indicators for the N orth-E astern States 330

Table A.5: Time Trends 332

Notes 337

References 373

Indexes 413