Economic Policy in a Liberalising Economy

Indian Reform in this Century

verfasst von: Yoginder Kumar Alagh

Verlag: Springer Singapore

Buchreihe : SpringerBriefs in Economics

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" , Springer Professional "Technik"

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Über dieses Buch

This book follows up on the author’s popular previous volume on Indian development planning and policy, published under the UNU WIDER series in development economics. It first introduces an evaluation of the newly mandated policy body of India, National Institution for Transforming India (also called the NITI Aayog), which replaced the erstwhile Planning Commission. As per the government site, NITI Aayog is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs. While designing strategic and long term policies and programmes for the Government of India, NITI Aayog also provides relevant technical advice to the Centre and States.The book goes on to critically describe and analyse the think tank’s policies in sectors like population, demographics and poverty; agriculture and industry; and infrastructure. Lastly, the concluding chapter discusses appropriate future policies. The approach is to analyse the policy stance of the present Government in India as stated in recent official documents and to see if it has any relationship with past plans in terms of concepts or program details. In addition to the policy makers, the book is a must have resource for students of development economics, particularly of India, and provides a critical account of policies for emerging economies.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. Introduction

Abstract

As an invited fellow at the World Institute of Development Economics at Helsinki in 1991, the author had written a book on Indian development planning during The Nineties of the last century. It was reasonably well received, running into a reprint and a paper back, so much so that there was pressure to revise it. The Planning Commission of India has since been abolished (It was replaced by the NITI Aayog.). It seemed more appropriate to write a book on Indian economic policy for the current generation of students to prepare them for work in the economy as it unfolds. The approach here is to analyse the policy stance of the present NDA Government in India, as stated in recent official documents and to see if it has any relationship with past plans in terms of concepts or program details. The Government has released after considerable examination the NITI Aayog’s Vision Statement up to 2020 (NITI Aayog 2017). This perspective is examined from the planning angle and for its sectoral perspective for agriculture, rural development and the manufacturing sector. The story in the main is that ‘Everything Changes; Nothing Really Does’; well, almost. But politics does matter. This is discussed in the last chapter.

Yoginder Kumar Alagh

Chapter 2. Population, Demographics and Poverty

Abstract

It has been a long journey from the ‘Population Problem’ to the ‘Demographic Dividend’ and from ‘Surplus Labor’ to ‘Skill Development’. Some of us have not changed the vision and always held that mouths are also born with hands and capabilities latent to be developed. But it would be naïve to pretend that the problematique is not severe any more. Dividends can become losses and there is nothing more frustrating than unrequited skills. The fact that planning has been abolished means that population studies are on the back burner.

Yoginder Kumar Alagh

Chapter 3. The Agricultural Economy

Abstract

This chapter documents our approach to the development of India’s agricultural economy. It is a fascinating story of moving from shortages and a fixation for grain in the ship to mouth period to diversification and policy reform in a WTO trade dominated economy. It is a story of average growth, many policy experiments and persistence of poverty and regional inequality in the face of considerable technological strengths and a hard working peasantry exploited through the millennia.

Yoginder Kumar Alagh

Chapter 4. Industry

Abstract

Towards the mid-eighties of the last century, there was considerable discomfort in India with the then received plan models and awareness that newer tools of strategic policy making were required. The received models were of closed economies, prices were not a part, the intervention variables were largely quantitative and more generally behavioral relations were not a part of the arguments (see Alagh in Indian development planning and policy. WIDER Studies in Development Economics, Helsinki, Delhi, Vikas, 1991, Ch. 4 for a description, also Alagh in Enterprise linkages and quality jobs. International Labor Organization, 2008).

Yoginder Kumar Alagh

Chapter 5. Policy and Future

Abstract

This provocative byline as a starting point is to stress the political dimension of policy in an open democratic structure. Elections as Ken Galbraith said are ‘The Liberal Hour’ and yet in spite of all the cacophony the direction in which the agenda would be pushed by actors becomes transparent to a degree. These problems cut across party lines. We would therefore like to start with the previous UPA Government and its statements before the elections it lost. We will follow it up with the NDA Governments political stance.

Yoginder Kumar Alagh

Titel: Economic Policy in a Liberalising Economy
verfasst von: Yoginder Kumar Alagh
Verlag: Springer Singapore
Electronic ISBN: 978-981-13-2817-6
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-2816-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2817-6