In view of Prabhat Patnaik's role in advocating progressive reforms and ideas in the global economy, this volume, in his honour, questions conventional thinking in mainstream economics and policy.
This book brings together diverse scholarship on various aspects of economic development that underscore the importance of tackling dominant and contemporary issues concerning the national and global economy. Divided into five distinct themes--economic growth, engaging with globalisation, poverty and inequality, macroeconomic issues, political economy and developmental aspects--the essays outline significantly contrasting methodologies that are used to deal with issues of vital importance.
Topical and up-to-date, the volume challenges the laissez faire philosophy and highlights the weaknesses of a free market as well as its inability to deal with the current issues.
Das, Mausumi: - Mausumi Das is Associate Professor, Department of Economics, at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. Her areas of expertise include macroeconomics, economic growth and development. She has published research articles in various reputed international journals, such as Journal of Economic Growth and Journal of Development Economics. Her current research work includes impact of inequality on health investment and its implications for growth; the trade-off between teacher quality, teacher quantity and their growth effects; and choice of public versus private provision of merits goods and its welfare implications. Her doctoral thesis is titled as 'Savings Behaviour and Macro-dynamics of Neoclassical Growth Models: Stability and Other Issues' (June 1999).
Kar, Sabyasachi: - Sabyasachi Kar is Professor and Head, Development Planning Centre, at the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, UK. Professor Kar′s research spans macroeconomics, economic growth, development economics and political economy, with a particular focus on the Indian economy. He has published many academic articles in peer-reviewed Indian and international journals of repute. He has also written and edited a number of books and contributed chapters to edited books. His latest book is entitled ′The Political Economy of India′s Growth Episodes′. In the past, he has worked extensively for the Indian Planning Commission, and provided them inputs for the successive five-year plans in India.
Nawn, Nandan: -
Nandan Nawn is a Professor of Department of Policy Studies, TERI University, New Delhi, where he teaches various courses in the interface of environment, development, and economics. He is an economist by disciplinary training with a doctoral degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University. His research interests lie in ecological economics, agrarian studies, and environment and development. His works have been published in various journals including Journal of Agrarian Change, Economic and Political Weekly, and Journal of Human Development and Capabilities. Recently, he has co-edited Economic Challenges for the Contemporary World: Essays in Honour of Prabhat Patnaik. Presently, he is a co-editor of the "Review of Environment and Development" in Economic and Political Weekly and the Secretary of the Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE).
