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A Review of Edward Luce's In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India

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  • Lant Pritchett

Abstract

India poses a development puzzle on a grand scale. Sixty years of electoral democracy, thirty years of rapid growth, and a number of world class institutions (such as the Institutes of Technology or Election Commission) have led to talk of India as a superpower in a league with the United States and China. Yet, on many fronts, India's indicators of human well-being (e.g., malnutrition, immunization) are at, or below, those of much poorer sub-Saharan African countries. Measures of the administrative capacity of the state on basics like attendance, performance, and corruption reveal a potentially "flailing state" whose brilliantly formulated policies are disconnected from realities on the ground. This review essay of Ed Luce's In Spite of the Gods attempts to articulate the puzzle that is modern India and pose questions about the development trajectory of a country whose fortunes will shape our century.

Suggested Citation

  • Lant Pritchett, 2009. "A Review of Edward Luce's In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(3), pages 771-780, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jeclit:v:47:y:2009:i:3:p:771-80
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/jel.47.3.771
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nazmul Chaudhury & Jeffrey Hammer & Michael Kremer & Karthik Muralidharan & F. Halsey Rogers, 2006. "Missing in Action: Teacher and Health Worker Absence in Developing Countries," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 20(1), pages 91-116, Winter.
    2. Panagariya, Arvind, 2011. "India: The Emerging Giant," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199751563.
    3. Dani Rodrik & Arvind Subramanian, 2005. "From "Hindu Growth" to Productivity Surge: The Mystery of the Indian Growth Transition," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 52(2), pages 193-228, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hölscher, Jens & Marelli, Enrico & Signorelli, Marcello, 2010. "China and India in the global economy," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 212-217, September.
    2. Soumyadip Chattopadhyay & Seemantini Chattopadhyay, 2012. "Contours of Governance Reforms in India," South Asian Survey, , vol. 19(1), pages 113-132, March.
    3. Devesh Kapur, 2020. "Why Does the Indian State Both Fail and Succeed?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(1), pages 31-54, Winter.

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    JEL classification:

    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General

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