A compilation of articles and commentaries on contemporary issues concerning Globalisation, Capitalism, Inequality and Poverty, Democracy, India-China comparative perspectives, and Corruption, and other topical issues of Indian Polity and Economy, is the culmination of reflections the author made over the last decade in different popular outlets. Globalisation, neither a plague nor a panacea, makes Bardhan’s approach stand out among the contentious debates in both media and academia. Within this framework, the discourse further probes into how economic globalisation which can address the problem of poverty has affected wages, incomes and access to resources for the poorest people in India and abroad. Like globalisation, democracy too, despite rhetoric, does not offer magic solutions. Democracy often encourages popular movements against capitalist excesses, and experiences more intense pressure to share the benefits of development among the people, but it also leads to competitive populism and is subject to capture by oligarchic interests. Similarly, the long-term prospects of Indian capitalism, as Bardhan investigates, call for a great deal of structural and political overhauling to be sustainably useful. Corruption, especially in developing economies like India and China, is indeed a hurdle standing in the way of development. In spite of pervasive corruption, the author addresses the question as to how and how far the Chinese economic performance has been better than India’s. A perfect blend of an economist’s insight and field experience based analysis offering guidelines for political opportunities to mitigate social inequalities and for broad-based development, this volume is an invaluable companion for the policymakers, academia and the general readership as well.
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