This book provides a comprehensive analysis of India’s social and economic transformation in the decades leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic and explores both resilience and vulnerabilities in Indian society.It provides an in-depth look into diverse aspects of how Indians live, earn a living and care for their children by examining vital indicators such as poverty, malnutrition, health and marriage and family relationships, among others. Analysing the data from the India Human Development Surveys, it presents a complex picture of India’s transformation and large economic and educational gains, while exploring the reasons why these have not translated into social transformation of a similar magnitude. The volume also describes the backdrop against which the COVID-19 pandemic crippled the Indian economy. In effect, it foreshadows the challenges that need to be addressed on the road to recovery. It argues that in order to reduce the scarring and ensure recovery for all, it will be important to focus on the underlying conditions faced by the most vulnerable sections of the Indian society as policymakers seek to effectively tend to issues of socio-economic inequality and marginalisation in the long run.
Pallavi Choudhuri is Senior Fellow at the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). Her primary research interests are in the area of poverty and inequality, informality, social protection and gender. Her recent work has focused on measurement gaps in the income and consumption data, women's paid and unpaid work, and social protection. Prior to joining NCAER, Choudhuri taught courses in Economics at the Grand Valley State University as Visiting Assistant Professor. She has a PhD degree in Economics from the University of Wyoming.
Sonalde Desai is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland's Department of Sociology and Professor at the National Council of Applied Economic Research. Her work deals primarily with social inequalities in developing countries. She studies inequalities in education, employment, and maternal and child health outcomes. While much of her research focuses on South Asia, she has also engaged in comparative studies across Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. She has published articles in a wide range of sociological and demographic journals. She is the principal investigator for the India Human Development Survey (IHDS).
Amaresh Dubey is Professor of Economics at the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Before moving to JNU, he taught Economics at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, and worked at the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi Centre, and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi. His publications include 6 co-authored and co-edited books, 50 articles and papers in international and national refereed journals, and 40 articles in edited volumes. In addition, he has 36 research project reports and commissioned policy papers for the Government of India, World Bank, DFID, UNDP, Asian Development Bank, etc.
