This book explores the role of public action in eliminating deprivation and expanding human freedoms in India. The analysis is based on a broad and integrated view of development, which focuses on well-being and freedom rather than the standard indicators of economic growth. The authors place human agency at the centerstage, and stress the complementary roles of different institutions (economic, social, and political) in enhancing effective freedoms.
1. Introduction and Approach 2. Economic Development and Social Opportunity 3. India in Comparative Perspective 4. India and China 5. Basic Education as a Political Issue 6. Population, Health, and the Environment 7. Gender Inequality and Women's Agency 8. Security and Democracy in a Nuclear India 9. Well Beyond Liberalization 10. The Practice of Democracy