Liberalization, growth and regional disparities in India

Abstract

Upon the backdrop of impressive progress made by the Indian economy during the last two decades after the large-scale economic reforms in the early 1990s, this book evaluates the performance of the economy on some income and non-income dimensions of development at the national, state and sectoral levels. It examines regional economic growth and inequality in income originating from agriculture, industry and services. In view of the importance of the agricultural sector, despite its declining share in gross domestic product, it evaluates the performance of agricultural production and the impact of agricultural reforms on spatial integration of food grain markets. It studies rural poverty, analyzing the trend in employment, the trickle-down process and the inclusiveness of growth in rural India. It also evaluates the impact of microfinance, as an instrument of financial inclusion, on the socio-economic conditions of rural households. Lastly, it examines the relative performance of fifteen major states of India in terms of education, health and human development. An important feature of the book is that it approaches these issues, applying rigorously advanced econometric methods, and focusing primarily on their regional disparities during the post-reform period vis-à-vis the pre-reform period. It offers important results to guide policies for future development.