Issues In Indian Public Policies

This book discusses economic development in general and selected public policy issues with a focus on philosophy, Gandhian thoughts and sectoral issues in the Indian context. It presents scholarly contributions on growth and development in India, with particular emphasis on human development in connection with the economy of India and selected developing countries. It brings to the forefront a body of knowledge on philosophy and ethical issues within the domain of public policies relating to development in today’s world.

The book includes contributions from leading economists and covering a range of issues such as the Indian government’s current ‘Make in India’ drive, the role of the World Bank, managing educational finances, development and higher education policy, inflation, decentralization, inequality, regional development, and linkages between health, nutrition and education. Accordingly, the book not only offers a useful resource for academics, economists and development practitioners, but also has important implications for public policymaking.

Vinod B. Annigeri is currently serving as Professor and Director of the Centre For Multi-disciplinary Development Research (CMDR), Dharwad, India. He obtained his Ph.D. in Economics of Education from Mangalore University, India. He has served as a consultant for many national and international organizations and has worked on research studies funded by the Ford Foundation, Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada, Department for International Development (DFID), and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), to name a few. He was part of the WHO’s international team for the development of Reproductive Health Accounts. He has to his credit some of the most pioneering studies on health accounts at the micro level. His core areas of interest include issues relating to the economics of education and health. He played a key role in the formation of the Indian Health Economics and Policy Association (IHEPA) and has served as the Founder Joint Secretary of this association for six years. His papers have been published in journals of national and international repute. He has also co-authored two books on Health Education and Development in 2006 with Himalaya Publishing House, Mumbai and Serials Publication, New Delhi. 

R.S. Deshpande is currently Director and Advisor at the Centre for Development Studies, PES University, Bangalore, India. He is an ex-Director and Honorary Visiting Professor of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore. He is also a former Rajiv Gandhi National Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). In addition to numerous research studies, Dr. Deshpande steered the mega study on “Farmer at the Millennium”. He has authored 17 books and has published more than 140 research papers in national and international journals. He has been invited as Visiting Professor to institutions such as University of Ottawa, Canada; Saskatchewan Institute of Policy Planning, Regina; University of Paris, France; and Lund University, Sweden. He has served as consultant to the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Land Equity Australia, to name a few, and is a member of many Boards of Studies, Governing Boards of institutions/universities and prestigious government committees. 

Ravindra H. Dholakia obtained his doctorate in Economics from the M.S. University of Baroda in 1978. Before joining the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad in 1985, he worked with the Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research, Ahmedabad and the M.S. University of Baroda for eight years. He has over 40 years of experience teaching students, executives, senior government officials and policymakers. He has worked on several high-powered committees, task forces and commissions of the Central government and the State government of Gujarat since 1998. He was a member of the Sixth Central Pay Commission and is currently a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of India. He has worked on the boards of directors of several private and public sector enterprises, and of several academic institutions in India. He has published several books, monographs and research papers in prominent national and international journals.