Backwaters of Development

About Book 

The varying features of growth and change in different states in India are often emphasized in the development discourse. Backwaters of Development analyses issues of economic performance and aspects of human development in select backward states: Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Orissa. Using a few states like Kerala as benchmark and others such as Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal for comparison, the volume raises larger questions about the determinants of various indicators of development and change. The essays examine identity-based issues such as the development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, gender gaps, rural–urban distinctions, and differences that exist between regions and parts of a state, or even the whole state as a region. The volume shows how group identities account for a large proportion in the sum total of backwardness attributes, and how past actions and interventions help understand the existence of deprivation and prosperity among different groups.