The Market that Failed

The explicit adoption of a neoliberal reform programme in mid-1991 by the Indian government was the start of a period of intensive economic liberalization and changed attitudes towards government intervention in the economy. This book surveys the actual experience of the last decade to argue that this strategy has not just failed to deliver sustained growth, but has had damaging consequences from the point of view of employment, poverty alleviation and equity. It covers a wide range of areas, including fiscal and monetary policy, privatization and the experience with foreign direct investment, and analyses the political economy of the reform process.