Development and Economic Growth in India

‘The India growth story has attracted considerable attention and interest in development literature. From being a laggard, the country has now emerged as one of the fastest-growing countries in the world. Most commentators tell this story as a unitary one glossing over the fact that India is a federation of an assortment of states whose growth performance has been wildly divergent. Biswa Swarup Misra’s Development Drivers of Indian States takes us on an informed empirical excursion on the factors that explain the differential growth performance of Indian states. In this way, it is an essential addition to this small but growing literature on the economic performance of Indian states.’ Sunil Mani, Director and Professor, RBI Chair, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, Kerala ‘An Excellent book on Development Drivers of States by the author with a rich knowledge on the topic. The range of issues- growth and its decomposition, regional inequality, the impact of economic and social infrastructure on productivity and inequality, and political accountability in Indian States are outstanding research output of best standards on the subject.’ K.R. Shanmugam, Director, Madras School of Economics ‘Inequality of income among Indian states has been a major challenge for policy makers in India. India, to sustain a growth level of about 8 to 10%, requires contribution from majority of the states. Prof. Misra in this well researched book, brings out the factors contributing to inequality – lack of investment in education and health, unwillingness of the political leadership in laggard states- which requires immediate attention of the political leadership. This book is highly recommended for Policymakers, academicians and researchers.’ B.A. Prabhakar, Former Chairman and Managing Director, Andhra Bank