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alexisrt's review against another edition
5.0
This is an interesting and detailed examination of India's failure to turn GDP growth into developmental progress for large segments of its population. India has dropped behind other developing nations on major indicators of development such as health and education.
Drèze and Sen focus largely on government efforts, which they criticize as insufficient and largely badly organized, though they highlight regional successes such as Tamil Nadu. They are critical of pushes to see the private sector as a solution to the needs of India's poorest and advocate vigorous efforts in the public sector. Despite this, anyone who wishes to characterize their approach as Marxist (for better or for worse) is overstating the case and probably hasn't read Sen very much. The focus is on government as a driver of progress for basic improvements in education, health, and welfare. They acknowledge that the private sector has a role to play. They are passionate about the role of government, but strongly critical of how it has operated in the past and present.
There is attention paid to social factors, particularly the role of women in anti-poverty work, as well as caste and regional variation within India.
The only weakness of the book is that it does not look at how the private sector--which the authors, based on previous writings and which they imply here, believe has a large role to play in India--does fit in in the larger scheme. While I agree that the private sector will not solve the problem of inadequate primary education, the question of how economic development will be harnessed for the benefit of larger numbers of Indians is not addressed. In addition (a minor point), I would have liked to see them address some of the other economic criticisms of direct food aid, such as potential market distortion, which they advocate with reservations rather than cash transfers.
The material may not be (probably is not) revolutionary to people who are well read in the field, but it was informative and readable for the non-expert.
Drèze and Sen focus largely on government efforts, which they criticize as insufficient and largely badly organized, though they highlight regional successes such as Tamil Nadu. They are critical of pushes to see the private sector as a solution to the needs of India's poorest and advocate vigorous efforts in the public sector. Despite this, anyone who wishes to characterize their approach as Marxist (for better or for worse) is overstating the case and probably hasn't read Sen very much. The focus is on government as a driver of progress for basic improvements in education, health, and welfare. They acknowledge that the private sector has a role to play. They are passionate about the role of government, but strongly critical of how it has operated in the past and present.
There is attention paid to social factors, particularly the role of women in anti-poverty work, as well as caste and regional variation within India.
The only weakness of the book is that it does not look at how the private sector--which the authors, based on previous writings and which they imply here, believe has a large role to play in India--does fit in in the larger scheme. While I agree that the private sector will not solve the problem of inadequate primary education, the question of how economic development will be harnessed for the benefit of larger numbers of Indians is not addressed. In addition (a minor point), I would have liked to see them address some of the other economic criticisms of direct food aid, such as potential market distortion, which they advocate with reservations rather than cash transfers.
The material may not be (probably is not) revolutionary to people who are well read in the field, but it was informative and readable for the non-expert.
shwetakamath's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely insightful, organized and well thought out. While the depth of data is likely necessary to grasp the magnitude of the issue at hand, had the book been less esoteric, it might have been able to generate the much needed public discussion it speaks of.
rhythimashinde's review against another edition
4.0
Hope and fears grounded in not just logic, but well-understood history and culture of India. Period.
I missed on writing the major relevant points down in the first read and thus I want to read it again.
I missed on writing the major relevant points down in the first read and thus I want to read it again.
readingkeepsalive's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Reading Amartya Sen is such a privilege and pleasure. He breaks the chapter into small fractions, keeping the language easy but weighty to create the precise sense. Authored by two powerful writers the book focuses on India and It's problems. The problems are fractioned into small parts and talks almost exhaustively about the subjects covered. I loved the book but mostly I loved the last two chapters about 'The Grip of Inequality' and 'Democracy, Inequality and Public Reasoning'. These chapters retained the focus on the truths about discrimination and political disparity that needed highlighting which it got.
torvosaur's review against another edition
5.0
I think every Indian, irrespective of their political inclination must definitely read this book. Most Indians want India to be a economic powerhouse with high economic growth. However, this itself is an extremely warped perspective as no more than a fifth of the country's population actually sees the benefits of this. Should growth not be more equitable?
As the authors explain - there is a huge imbalance between economic growth and the slow progress in living standards - think healthcare, education, public services such as PDS/electricity etc. You don't need to look further than the coronavirus pandemic and the effects of the lockdown on Indians to see this skewed imbalance.
Written during UPA-II, the excoriating criticism still applies, eight years on. Aside a few states, there are extreme imbalances and our HDI remains abysmal. The authors use Amartya Sen's welfare economics and human capability approach and combine it with social justice, environmental protection and an evidence based approach. This makes for a great reading on what precisely ails India right now.
Higher growth must be accompanied by demands for participatory growth, say the authors, and the resources created by it must be used to remedy the deplorable lack of public services and basic amenities that are holding India back. Contrary to public perception - the government's excessive spending is on ill-thought out subsidies rather than on public services like healthcare. There needs to be a rethinking of where our budgets are going and who they are serving. Simple.
Despite the authors being a little too appreciative of MNREGA and the like (for obvious reasons), I think even those programmes can be reformed or salvaged in one way or the other. I wonder how they would feel about UBI, which has gained large traction these past few years.
This is sure to become a classic on development economics in India, and is a must read for anyone who cares about the state of India's people, and want to know how to make them better.
As the authors explain - there is a huge imbalance between economic growth and the slow progress in living standards - think healthcare, education, public services such as PDS/electricity etc. You don't need to look further than the coronavirus pandemic and the effects of the lockdown on Indians to see this skewed imbalance.
Written during UPA-II, the excoriating criticism still applies, eight years on. Aside a few states, there are extreme imbalances and our HDI remains abysmal. The authors use Amartya Sen's welfare economics and human capability approach and combine it with social justice, environmental protection and an evidence based approach. This makes for a great reading on what precisely ails India right now.
Higher growth must be accompanied by demands for participatory growth, say the authors, and the resources created by it must be used to remedy the deplorable lack of public services and basic amenities that are holding India back. Contrary to public perception - the government's excessive spending is on ill-thought out subsidies rather than on public services like healthcare. There needs to be a rethinking of where our budgets are going and who they are serving. Simple.
Despite the authors being a little too appreciative of MNREGA and the like (for obvious reasons), I think even those programmes can be reformed or salvaged in one way or the other. I wonder how they would feel about UBI, which has gained large traction these past few years.
This is sure to become a classic on development economics in India, and is a must read for anyone who cares about the state of India's people, and want to know how to make them better.
ipsitadas's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
"India is full of inequalities of various kinds. Some Indians are comparatively rich; most are not. Some are fairly well educated; others are illiterate. Some lead easy lives; others toil hard for little reward. Some are politically powerful; others cannot influence anything outside their immediate sphere. Some have substantial opportunities for advancement in life; others lack them altogether. Some are treated with respect by police no matter what they have done; others are treated like dirt at the slightest suspicion of transgression. These diverse contrasts reflect different kinds of inequality, and each of them individually requires serious attention."
("An Uncertain Glory: India and Its Contradiction.")
"An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradiction" speaks of growing India's inequality across states, despite the growing figures of India's per capita GDP. The book was published dated back in 2014. When India's GDP growth rate was surging at a very steady pace, and it was bagging the title of being the "second fastest-growing economy in the world." Even India's record in pioneering democratic governance in the non-Western world is a widely acknowledged accomplishment, as its success in maintaining a secular state, despite the challenges originating from its thoroughly multi-religious population and the hugely disturbing history of violence around the ending days of British colonial rule. Although, these remarkable achievements are the glories of today's India, albeit they are deeply uncertain.
Sen and Dreze thus try to address and evaluate both the achievements and failures that characterize India today. They narrate to what extent India's old problems have been eradicated and what remains to be done. And are there new problems that India has to address?
The authors have drawn a vivid picture of where India stands today in terms of socio-economic indicators, gender and caste-based discrimination, democratic rights, and so on.
"India is not doing well at all in many respects even in comparison with some of the poorest countries in the world."
Outside of sub-Saharan Africa and even in South Asia, though India is performing much better concerning per capita income, its developmental indicators stand only ahead of Pakistan, a country with a perpetually disturbed political situation. The author has repeatedly pointed out the reason behind the abysmal state of India's socio-economic and living standards is the lack of accountability and credibility. They urged this requires a change sooner or later to embark on the journey of a much-balanced society. And, if required we can look into the progress report of states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh for reference sake!
I would highly recommend this well-researched, thought-provoking text to anyone remotely concerned with India's development journey.
("An Uncertain Glory: India and Its Contradiction.")
"An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradiction" speaks of growing India's inequality across states, despite the growing figures of India's per capita GDP. The book was published dated back in 2014. When India's GDP growth rate was surging at a very steady pace, and it was bagging the title of being the "second fastest-growing economy in the world." Even India's record in pioneering democratic governance in the non-Western world is a widely acknowledged accomplishment, as its success in maintaining a secular state, despite the challenges originating from its thoroughly multi-religious population and the hugely disturbing history of violence around the ending days of British colonial rule. Although, these remarkable achievements are the glories of today's India, albeit they are deeply uncertain.
Sen and Dreze thus try to address and evaluate both the achievements and failures that characterize India today. They narrate to what extent India's old problems have been eradicated and what remains to be done. And are there new problems that India has to address?
The authors have drawn a vivid picture of where India stands today in terms of socio-economic indicators, gender and caste-based discrimination, democratic rights, and so on.
"India is not doing well at all in many respects even in comparison with some of the poorest countries in the world."
Outside of sub-Saharan Africa and even in South Asia, though India is performing much better concerning per capita income, its developmental indicators stand only ahead of Pakistan, a country with a perpetually disturbed political situation. The author has repeatedly pointed out the reason behind the abysmal state of India's socio-economic and living standards is the lack of accountability and credibility. They urged this requires a change sooner or later to embark on the journey of a much-balanced society. And, if required we can look into the progress report of states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh for reference sake!
I would highly recommend this well-researched, thought-provoking text to anyone remotely concerned with India's development journey.
venkyloquist's review against another edition
2.0
Although the underpinning intentions are noble, the execution seems to be surprisingly lukewarm and at times, even insipid. However, this is a provocative offering that makes one sit up, speculate and simmer over the many probable avenues, employing which raging cultural, social and economic disparities plaguing the largest democracy in the world can not just be addressed, but alleviated.
akashamallige's review against another edition
5.0
Very easy language. They know how to make boring subject interesting!
harshb's review against another edition
4.0
A great book highlighting the problems that face India which are somewhat overlooked by the Indian media as a whole. The goes into details explaining different parameters where we lag behind compared other south Asian countries, especially when comparing with China. A must look for anyone who wants to look at Indian growth story beyond the GDP, FDI inflows numbers.