Ebook: India Today: Economy, Politics and Society

Twenty years ago India was still generally thought of as an archetypal developing country, home to the largest number of poor people of any country in the world, and beset by problems of low economic growth, casteism and violent religious conflict. Now India is being feted as an economic power-house which might well become the second largest economy in the world before the middle of this century. Its democratic traditions, moreover, remain broadly intact. How and why has this historic transformation come about? And what are its implications for the people of India, for Indian society and pol.;Cover; Copyright; Contents; Figures and Tables; Abbreviations; Preface and Acknowledgements; 1 Making Sense of India Today; PART I ECONOMY; 2 When and Why Did India Take Off?; 3 How Have the Poor Fared (and Others Too)?; 4 Why Hasn't Economic Growth Delivered More for Indian Workers?; 5 Is the Indian State Delivering on Promises of 'Inclusive Growth' and Social Justice?; PART II POLITICS; 6 How Did a 'Weak' State Promote Audacious Reform?; 7 Has India's Democracy Been a Success?; 8 Is Government in India Becoming More Responsive?; 9 Has the Rise of Hindu Nationalism Halted?