Development debates in recent years have focused a great deal on the impact of economic reforms on the social sectors. This perspective is particularly important in the South Asian region with its large population, many of whom are poor, illiterate and malnourished. There is a general apprehension that the adverse repercussions of economic reforms on social attainments may lead to unrest and eventually to a derailment of the reform process itself. In this context, this book provides a detailed exposition of the impact of economic reforms on the social sectors in India. The author focuses on two states – Maharashtra, which represents a high income state with relatively modest social attainments and Tamil Nadu, which has comparable levels of social attainments despite a lower per capita income. Dr. K. Seeta Prabhu examines development in these two states during the nineties, including the impact of both national and state level policies. A special feature of the book is that the analysis is conducted at both the macro and micro levels. At the macro level, the author examines overall economic growth, fiscal stress, and trends in allocations to the social sectors in both absolute and relative terms. At the micro level, the extent and quality of provisions for education, health and nutrition are examined with the help of a five-village study in both states, combined with a household survey regarding the utilisation of social sector services. Another unique feature of this study is the analysis it provides by income group of perceptions at the household level of the quality of the services and the changes noticed during the reforms period with regard to primary education, health services and the public distribution system. Adopting an integrated approach to the social sector as a whole and providing a new conceptual framework for the analysis of social policy, this book is an important contribution to an-going debates on development. It will attract a wide readership in the fields of economics, social policy, development studies and public policy, besides being of interest to international development organisations and NGOs.
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