• ISBN13: 9780195644593
• Binding: Paperback
• Subject: Religion and Philosophy
• Publisher: Oxford UP
• Publisher Imprint: Oxford UP
• Publication Date: May 18, 1997
• Pages: 440
• Original Price: INR 650.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: N/A

This is an outstanding survey of some key differences and lessons, within India, concerning some crucial components of human development and self-esteem. The writing is clear and readily accessible to non-specialists.' Times Higher Education Supplement India is a country of great diversity. The commonly used indicators of `quality of life' (such as life expectancy, infant mortality, and literacy) vary tremendously between the different states, rivalling international contrasts between very low performing countries and very high achieving ones. This volume of essays reflects an attempt to draw lessons from the disparate experiences within India, rather than from contrasts with the experiences of other countries. It supplements Dr¨ze and Sen's India: Economic Development and Social Opportunity, which studies what we can learn from international comparisons of policies, actions, and achievements. The essays challenge exclusively economic judgements of the development process. The first task is to identify the ends of economic and social development in order to have a basis in which to found the means and strategies. The second task is to understand a wider range of means than those related simply to the use or non-use of markets.The first two overview essays study the issues at the national level, focusing on policy debates and district-by-district demographic indicators, respectively. They are followed by detailed case studies of three very different states: Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and West Bengal.

Amartya Sen is one of the most renowned economists of the world. He was born in India. He is a Nobel Laureate who teaches as the Lamont University Professor at the prestigious Harvard University and previously at the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. He has also authored famous books like The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity, Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny, Poverty and Famines, The Idea of Justice, and On Ethics and Economics. Jean Dreze is an esteemed academician and economist. He is a Visiting Professor at the Delhi School of Economics. Sen and Dreze have co-authored An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions, India: Development and Participation, and Political Economy of Hunger: Selected Essays.