BOOK REVIEW: INDIA’S POLITICAL ECONOMY BY FRANCINE R FRANKEL.

          

  

           This book is monumental for my research and work and will be a compulsory reference throughout my paper. It’s important for anyone wanting to understand the political influences behind the economic policies of India since independence.

            Frankel throughout the books exhaustively analyses the political social and historical context of the economic policies after Indian independence, especially that of the Nehru years.  But I do think she could have analyzed the military, security and foreign policy issues more, because they lead to a considerable revision in India’s policies in this uni-polar and globalizing world. Since these issues also influenced economic policies and outcomes, their detailed coverage would have been useful. For example, more attention should have been paid to the India-Pakistan, along with India-China, relationship and its economic effects on both countries, India’s ability to impose he nuclear tests by the new NDA government, and the overtures and defense expenditures 

But I did enjoy the few last chapters of the book, when Frankel, discusses challenge of Hindu nationalism- primary internal political challenge of harmony (for everyone-communal) that India must attempt if they want to eradicate poverty, along with the development of the very poor, through democracy. But the book could have devoted more attention to the development of caste-oriented politics and the consequent fracturing of political parties and the entrenchment of the economic policies of government giveaways. 

Overall, this book is an excellent history of Indian political economy. It is short on alternative policies, though that may not have been the purpose of the book. For example it seems clear that Economic growth is the aim of national parties, not the regional ones that appear to hold the political balance. Growth (not handouts) could reduce poverty speedily. Increasing urbanization might help reduce caste and communal divisions. Though I did find certain topics lacking in analysis, Frankel does an excellent job in covering numerous contentious issues of recent history, which most people would find little to disagree with. It was very un-prejudiced and Frankel doesn’t constantly express her opinions on several of the controversies she mentions (unlike other books I have found on India’s political system and economy).