Two Decades of Market Reform in India: Some Dissenting Views (India and Asia in the Global Economy)

Have neoliberal policies truly yielded beneficial effects for India? ‘Two Decades of Market Reform in India’ presents a collection of essays that challenge the conventional wisdom of Indian market reforms, examining the effects of neoliberal policies enacted by the Indian government and exploding the myths that surround them. In particular, the volume questions the perceived benefits of India’s reform policies in the areas of growth, agriculture, industry and poverty alleviation, and examines how the government’s focus on preventing a fiscal deficit caused a large-scale decline in development expenditures, which in turn has had a negative impact on the well-being of the poor. With its rich and insightful analysis, ‘Two Decades of Market Reform in India’ bravely shines a light on the true implications of India’s neoliberal governmental policies, and provides a revealing indication of how policy reform since 1991 has, at times, detrimentally affected the general populace of India. 

Sudipta Bhattacharyya is Professor of Economics at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India.