Persistent Poverty and Path Dependency: Agrarian Reform: Lessons from the United States and India

Summaries The historical experience of the United States, where aggregate wealth multiplied in abundance but persistent poverty is glaring, offers concrete illustration that growth is not a sufficient condition for poverty alleviation in the transition from agrarian society. In contrast, the State of Kerala in South India abolished an agrarian system based on agrestic serfdom and slavery in a compressed time period and has been notably successful in reducing the incidence of poverty despite income and growth rates well below the Indian mean. Though sometimes romanticised, the ‘Kerala model’ offers both positive and negative lessons from its thorough agrarian reform. Though less prominent in public discourse after the end of the Cold War, agrarian reform still offers significant poverty reduction advantages in comparison with alternatives

The Political Causes of Modi’s Mixed Record as an Economic Reformer

When democratically elected governments win electoral mandates, especially in Westminster-style parliamentary systems, they usually have a great deal of autonomy to implement their desired policies. This institutional expectation was enhanced by the regime change in 2014. Many expected Modi, elected Prime Minister in 2014, to be a liberalizer who would, according to his own campaign slogan, bring “minimum government, maximum governance.” Others, who more closely inspected Modi’s rule in Gujarat, were less convinced that Modi would liberalize, but felt that with his mandate, he would at a minimum focus on increasing the rate of growth. However, in contrast to expectations, India’s economic performance under Modi has been uneven and the style of economic governance erratic

The Political Causes of Modi’s Mixed Record as an Economic Reformer

When democratically elected governments win electoral mandates, especially in Westminster-style parliamentary systems, they usually have a great deal of autonomy to implement their desired policies. This institutional expectation was enhanced by the regime change in 2014. Many expected Modi, elected Prime Minister in 2014, to be a liberalizer who would, according to his own campaign slogan, bring “minimum government, maximum governance.” Others, who more closely inspected Modi’s rule in Gujarat, were less convinced that Modi would liberalize, but felt that with his mandate, he would at a minimum focus on increasing the rate of growth. However, in contrast to expectations, India’s economic performance under Modi has been uneven and the style of economic governance erratic

The politics and bureaucratics of rural public works: Maharashtra's employment guaranteed scheme

The Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Scheme stands out among rural public works programmes in developing countries for its size, longevity, the generosity of its funding arrangements, and the political sophistication of its design. Its mission is highly ambitious: to supply employment flexibly and rapidly by opening and closing public works in response to local, unpredictable weather variations in a poor agrarian economy. We explore the political factors that account for changes in its performance over more than 30 years, and identify the political lessons for the design of similar programmes elsewhere.

The politics and practicalities of universalism: towards a citizen-centred perspective on social protection

The long-standing divide between universal and residual approaches in the field of social policy is also evident in the emerging agenda around social protection. Underpinning this divide are contrasting worldviews. Arguments in favour of residual approaches are frequently couched in a market-centred discourse that stresses efficiency, incentives and a cost-benefit calculus, while those advocating universalism favour a state-centred discourse and normative arguments. This article attempts to bridge the divide by offering a pragmatic argument for incremental universalism that stresses the responsibilities as well as rights associated with citizenship, and suggests the need to factor in wider economic and social externalities in estimating both costs and benefits