India Working Essays on Society and Economy [Paperback]

In this 2002 book, the author describes how the Indian economy works and whether liberalisation has actually helped ordinary Indians.By drawing on her intimate knowledge of the region and on the adjacent theoretical literature, Barbara Harris-White describes the working of the Indian economy through its most important social structures of accumulation. Successive chapters explore a range of topics including labour, class, the state, gender, religious plurality, caste and space.The author's conclusion challenges the prevailing notion that liberalisation releases the economy from political interference. This is a vivid and compelling book, by a distinguished scholar, for students of economics, and for those studying the region.By drawing on her intimate knowledge of the region and on the adjacent theoretical literature, Barbara Harris-White describes the working of the Indian economy through its most important social structures of accumulation. Successive chapters explore a range of topics including labour, class, the state, gender, religious plurality, caste and space.The author's conclusion challenges the prevailing notion that liberalisation releases the economy from political interference. This is a vivid and compelling book, by a distinguished scholar, for students of economics, and for those studying the region.Drawing on her knowledge of the country and on theoretical literature, Barbara Harris-White describes the Indian economy through its most important social structures of accumulation. The book explores a range of topics, including labor, class, the state, gender, religious plurality, caste and space. Harris-White's conclusion adeptly challenges the prevailing belief that liberalization releases the economy from political interference.1. Introduction: the character of the Indian economy; 2. Labour, work and its social construction in India; 3. Class: Indian development and the intermediate classes; 4. The local state and the informal economy; 5. Gender, faml½