Understanding Development: An Indian Perspective on Legal and Economic Policy

This book addresses topical development issues in India, ranging from land acquisition, poverty alleviation programs, labor market issues, the public-private partnership (PPP) model and fiscal federalism. It offers an Indian perspective on the dynamics of economic development and the impact the country’s legal and public policies have on it. Economic development is a dynamic concept – old problems are solved, while at the same time new issues come to the fore. The emergence of these issues is unique to the development experience of an economy. The book includes sixteen recent contributions and is divided into four sections: law and contract; trade and foreign aid; issues in public economics; and the social sector and poverty alleviation. The chapters reflect on a number of development issues which were of concern for India in the recent past and will be important in her future development initiatives such as land acquisition, agricultural productivity, employment, protection of intellectual property rights, corruption, public-private partnership, regional development, poverty alleviations programs like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the training of self-help group members, health and education of women, to name a few. The book is a valuable reference resource for policy practitioners and researchers working on the economics of development with special focus on developing economies.

Swapnendu Banerjee is an associate professor at the Department of Economics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. His areas of interest are microeconomic theory, game theory and economics of contracts. He completed his Ph.D. from Jadavpur University and subsequently did his postdoctoral research from the National University of Singapore (2004-2005). He has published extensively in reputed international journals and has given presentations and invited lectures at places like Cornell University (NY, USA), National University of Singapore, Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi School of Economics, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (India), among others.

Vivekananda Mukherjee is an associate professor at the Department of Economics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. His areas of teaching and research interest are applied microeconomics, public economics, environment and natural resource economics. He has published in journals such as European Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, Environment and Development Economics, Theory and Decision, Ecological Economics, to name a few.

Sushil Kumar Haldar is also an associate professor at the Department of Economics of Jadavpur University (JU). His areas of teaching and research interest are economics of social sector including economics of education, health, vulnerability and human poverty. His papers have been published in journals of national and international repute. He has completed many research projects on development issues funded by UNDP-Planning Commission-Govt. of India, European Union, UGC New Delhi, UPE JU (University with Potential for Excellence), CAS JU (Centre of Advanced Study), etc. Dr. Haldar has co-authored four books on development related issues from Indian perspectives.