Kerala S Economic Development

Focusing on current economic problems, Kerala's Economic Development: Emerging Issues and Challenges provides an in-depth analysis of the major development issues and challenges faced by the state. Kerala’s development experience has attracted worldwide attention due to its paradoxical development: attaining higher quality of life of people on the one hand and continuation of the backward productive sectors on the other. The state’s economy remained backward in many respects and relied heavily on the remittance of Keralite emigrants. The implementation of liberalisation and globalisation policies since 1991 radically altered the growth process and Kerala achieved higher rates of investment and growth and greater technological change. These policies, however, have not only provided enormous opportunities, but also new challenges. This book examines the state’s economic growth as well as the issues that have accompanied the policy changes.

In the early 1990s, Kerala's growth rate was high due to the enhanced performance of the secondary and tertiary sectors. Unable to sustain this development, Kerala is now in severe recession. This book examines the region's economic problems.

This entirely new edition of a successful textbook provides a detailed understanding of Kerala’s economic backwardness, the reforms required, and the performance of the economy during the post-liberalisation period. This collection of 17 original essays, focusing on current economic problems and development issues affecting Kerala, will serve as a basic textbook for graduate and post-graduate students of Kerala’s economy.

The unique development experience of the Indian state of Kerala has attracted widespread interest. However, no serious attempt has so far been made to comprehensively assess both the positive and negative features of Kerala's economy. This timely volume amply fills this lacuna by providing a detailed examination of the development, growth and problems of the state's economy over the period 1956 to 1991 while also outlining the prospects. Twenty-two leading economists discuss in this volume a number of crucial issues such as the decline in the rate of growth of the state's economy, the alarming rise in unemployment, the repatriation of Gulf migrants, agricultural stagnation, industrial backwardness, and the financial crisis presently afflicting Kerala. Divided in six parts, the volume begins with an overview of broad trends in Kerala's economy. The second section contains essays on demographic trends, the changing structure of the workforce, poverty, and migration. The next part deals with issues pertaining to the agricultural and allied sectors including marine fisheries. The fourth section comprises papers on both small-scale and heavy industry and the power sector, while the next one discusses trade unionism, educational development and Kerala's external economy. The last section examines recent trends in the state's finances. Presenting a data-based and analytical account of the most recent trends in Kerala's economy, this comprehensive book will be of considerable interest not only to students and scholars of economics, political economy and development studies, but also to policy-makers and organisations involved in development work.

This entirely new edition of a successful textbook provides a detailed understanding of Kerala’s economic backwardness, the reforms required, and the performance of the economy during the post-liberalisation period. This collection of 17 original essays, focusing on current economic problems and development issues affecting Kerala, will serve as a basic textbook for graduate and post-graduate students of Kerala’s economy.

Contributed articles presented earlier at a national seminar on December 8-10, 2005.