Sense and Solidarity: Jholawala Economics for Everyone

Cover......Page 1
Sense and Solidarity: Jholawala economics for everyone......Page 6
Copyright......Page 7
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 12
INTRODUCTION: Economics among the Road Scholars......Page 14
Social Development......Page 16
On Research and Action......Page 17
Hard Work No Pay......Page 21
Evidence, Experience, and Enlightenment......Page 23
Public Policy and Democratic Practice......Page 26
Experience and Values......Page 29
Jholawala Economics......Page 31
Scheme of the Book......Page 33
1: DROUGHT AND HUNGER......Page 35
Starving the Poor......Page 37
Fragile Lifelines, Robust Oppression......Page 41
The Right to Food and Public Accountability......Page 45
Memories of Kusumatand (with Bela Bhatia)......Page 49
The Dark Well of Hunger......Page 54
Notes......Page 57
2: POVERTY......Page 59
From Statistical Benchmark to Social Division......Page 62
The BPL Club......Page 64
On the Poverty Line......Page 67
Beyond Small Mercies......Page 71
Five Hurdles......Page 72
Signs of Change......Page 74
The Calorie Trap......Page 76
Way Forward......Page 78
Notes......Page 80
3: SCHOOL MEALS......Page 82
Hunger in the Classroom (with Vivek S.)......Page 85
Beyond Ghoogri......Page 89
Caste, Class, and Gender......Page 91
Midday Meals and the Joy of Learning......Page 94
Caste, Class, and Eggs......Page 98
Notes......Page 101
4: HEALTH CARE......Page 103
Health Checkup......Page 106
India Leapfrogged......Page 110
Health at Sixty-six......Page 113
Small Leap Forward in Child Health......Page 117
Kerala Tops, Gujarat Flops, Bihar Hops (with Reetika Khera)......Page 121
Notes......Page 124
5: CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND ELEMENTARY EDUCATION......Page 127
Two Myths......Page 130
Dilapidated and Idle Classrooms......Page 132
Outlook......Page 134
The Welfare State in Tamil Nadu......Page 136
Children Under Six: Out of Focus......Page 139
Positive Changes......Page 144
Inside the Classroom......Page 145
No Quick Fix......Page 146
The Future......Page 148
Progress of Children Under Six......Page 149
Notes......Page 153
6: EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE......Page 155
Employment as a Social Responsibility......Page 159
Unseemly Arguments......Page 164
Employment and Empowerment......Page 166
Myths and Reality of Corruption (with Reetika Khera and Siddhartha)......Page 170
Employment Guarantee or Slave Labour?......Page 175
Playing With Mud?......Page 180
Learning from NREGA......Page 182
Notes......Page 185
7: FOOD SECURITY AND THE PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM......Page 188
Food Security Act: Indecent Proposal?......Page 191
First Steps: Checking the Middlemen......Page 196
People-friendly Transparency......Page 198
A Political Move......Page 199
Inclusive PDS......Page 201
Impact on Poverty......Page 202
Lessons for the Food Security Bill......Page 204
The Food Security Debate in India......Page 206
Improved Framework......Page 211
Winds of Change......Page 212
Notes......Page 214
8: CORPORATE POWER AND TECHNOCRACY......Page 217
Glucose for the Lok Sabha? (with Reetika Khera)......Page 220
Nehruvian Budget in the Corporate Age......Page 224
Unique Identity Dilemma......Page 228
Sweeping Powers......Page 232
Mass Surveillance......Page 233
Uncertain Benefits......Page 234
PDS Reforms......Page 237
Impending Setback......Page 238
The Aadhaar Juggernaut......Page 240
Notes......Page 241
9: WAR AND PEACE......Page 243
Deterrence and Credibility......Page 246
Escalation Games......Page 247
Responsible Leaders?......Page 249
The Future of War in Retrospect......Page 251
Kashmir: Manufacturing Ethnic Conflict......Page 255
The Warped Logic of Nuclear Gambles......Page 259
India and the Deal: Partner or Pawn?......Page 263
No Protests Allowed......Page 266
General Strike......Page 267
Sledgehammer Response......Page 269
Dead Conscience......Page 270
Notes......Page 271
10: TOP-UP......Page 274
Rang de Basti (with Bela Bhatia)......Page 277
Voting in Maoist Land......Page 281
The Bribing Game......Page 285
Postscript......Page 287
The Quiet Grip of Caste......Page 289
Three Misconceptions......Page 293
The Gujarat Middle......Page 295
On the Mythology of Social Policy......Page 299
Facts and Fiction......Page 300
Possible Backlash......Page 302
The Bullet Train Syndrome......Page 304
Gambling with People’s Lives......Page 307
Disruption as an Opportunity......Page 309
Premature Articulation......Page 313
UBI in the Economic Survey......Page 316
Development and Public-Spiritedness......Page 319
Notes......Page 324
References......Page 327
School Meals......Page 336
Employment Guarantee......Page 337
War and Peace......Page 338
Top-up......Page 339
Name Index......Page 340
Subject Index......Page 345