Public Expenditure And Indian Development Policy 1960 70

This book examines public expenditure and Indian development policy between 1960 and 1970.

Of the many different ways in which economists have tried to analyse public expenditure, the most relevant to Indian economic development is that which links the level of public expenditure with the rate at which the state can accumulate capital. The abstract theory of this link, however, must be complemented by a historical account of the degree to which a state accumulation policy was understood by Indian policy makers, and of the other (often inconsistent) elements in the economic strategy of Indian nationalism. After attempting to provide accounts both of the abstract theory and of the institutional and policy context within which it was applied, this book analyses original empirical data on public expenditure in India between 1960 and 1970. The real growth rate of public expenditure, its functional and economic composition at the all-India level are presented, and the strong contrast between the patterns of the first and last five year periods is elucidated. The effect of the 1965-67 droughts and bad harvests in producing this contrast is assessed.

It has been often said, even by dispassionate observers, that our economic policies built on ideological considerations and economic assumptions are far removed from the realities of our situation. For more than three decades, we have been striving to design an economic policy and a planning procedure that are distinctly Indian, but the effort has often resulted in only mixing and merging borro wed ideas and experiences. However, whatever may have been the ideological elements influencing the thinking on economic policies in the formative period of the pre-independence days, the situation has changed considerably in the actual formation of economic policies since Independence, and the effort has been not to be too closely identified with any ideology, but to work out a policy that will draw upon all these ideological positions. To what extent we have succeeded, required a detailed examination. Accordingly, I brought out, a few years ago, a treatise on 'India's Economic Policies' which continues to be extremely popular, with the inteIlec tual elite, the world over. In this, the learned contributors, dwelt at length on the different aspects of India's Economic Policies from 1947-77, and brought out the strength and weaknesses of the Indian economic scene. The present work on 'India's Economic Development Strategies' is born out of the conviction that what India needs now is a set of strategies, which are a consistent set of policies, and that there is an urgent need for the same in Indian Planning.

Dr Kozlowski's important study pioneers a fresh approach to the study of a critical Muslim institution: the endowments or awqaf which almost everywhere in the Islamic world provide support for mosques, schools and shrines. The wealthier Muslims who establish endowments inevitably have an eye on social, political and economic conditions and have traditionally used awqaf as part of an effort to preserve their wealth and influence, especially in periods of change and uncertainty. The book focuses on the use of endowments by Muslims suffering the dislocations caused by the imposition of British rule in India and examines in detail the social and political implications of the controversy over endowments that took place in the imperial courts and councils. The author's observations and insights can be applied to many periods and places in the Muslim world and his novel approach will attract all those interested in the study of Islam.

Explores the relationship between long-distance trade and the economic and political structure of southern India.

Widely acclaimed when it first appeared in hard covers, Dr Bayly's authoritative study traces the evolution of North Indian towns and merchant communities from the decline of Mughal dominion to the consolidation of mature Victorian empire following the 'mutiny' of 1857. The first section of the book looks at the response of the inhabitants of the Ganges Valley to the 'Time of Troubles' in the eighteenth century. The second section shows how the incoming British, were themselves constrained to build their new empire on this resilient network of towns, rural bazaars and merchant communities; and how in turn colonial trade and administration were moulded by indigenous forms of commerce and politics. The third section focuses on the social history of the towns under early colonial rule and includes an analysis of the culture and business methods of the Indian merchant family. It is based in part on the private records and histories of the business people themselves.

A detailed comparative analysis of electorates in Sri Lanka. It addresses issues that are relevant not only to South Asia but to the developing world in general and will therefore be of interest to specialists and students of South Asia, comparative politics, sociology and anthropology.