India Surpassed

Abstract

Modern South Asia is a region of sharp contrasts. Despite soaring economic growth rates, India has newline recently become a human development laggard, as most of her neighbours Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri newline Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives have surpassed her on several social indicators. Further, within Indian newline states acute disparities persist. The puzzle, therefore, is how have some South Asian regions achieved newline exceptional human development improvements, while others have lagged behind? newline In this context, with the capabilities approach as the backbone of the analytical construct, the main newline contention of this research is that one of the primary factors for India s underperformance is the newline entrenched grip of multi-dimensional inequalities, which skew the distribution of economic growth and newline social opportunities. newline Towards this end, this research compares two distinct geographically contiguous areas based on the Mill s newline Method in a comparative historical paradigm. The Eastern Neighbours component conducts an newline extensive primary survey to evaluate how Nepal and Bangladesh outperform the Indian state of Bihar, on newline a range of social indicators. The Southern Supermodels dimension analyses historical archival research newline to explore why in the respective heydays of their human development trajectories, Sri Lanka, Kerala and newline later Tamil Nadu seem to have advanced similarly in terms of social indicators. newline Based on analogous patterns of evidence emerging from both components, this inter-disciplinary research newline argues that two overarching equalizing forces have been the primary influencers to shape advanced newline regions on the one hand, sustained investments by the state for developmental services to bridge class newline inequalities, and on the other, empowering waves of social and women s movements to dissolve caste and newline gender injustices. newline