Issues and Challenges of Inclusive Development (eBook)

Prof. Rathinasamy Maria Saleth is an Honorary Professor at the Madras School of Economics, Chennai, India. He has research, teaching, training, and administrative experience spanning over 35 years in different organizations both within and outside India. Prof. Saleth served as the Director of the Loyola Institute of Business Administration (2014-2015) and also the Madras Institute of Development Studies (2009-2014), Chennai, India. Prof. Saleth has also been a Principal Researcher and senior institutional economist with the International Water Management Institute (2002-2008), Colombo, Sri Lanka, and an Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Comparative Water Law and Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. Prof. Saleth has authored/edited nine books and published over 90 papers in journals and edited volumes on subjects related to water resource management, institutional reform, agricultural policy, rural development, and impact assessment. He has been a consultant to the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization, Asian Development Bank, UNEP, and UNESCAP. He has served as the Editor of Review of Development and Change (2009-2014), the Managing Editor of the Journal of Social and Economic Development (2000-2002), and an Associate Editor of Water Policy (1998-2010) and Water Resources Research (2002-2004). Currently, he serves as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of journals such as Water Policy, Water Economics and Policy, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change. Prof. Saleth is also a member of the editorial team of Springer Book Series on Global Water Policy.

 

Prof. S Galab is currently the Director of Institute for Development Studies, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Andhra Pradesh. He has research, teaching, training, and administrative experience spanning over 35 years in various capacities both within and outside CESS (Centre for Economic and Social Studies), Hyderabad. As a development economist, his research covers the broad areas of agricultural policy and rural development with a special focus on rural indebtedness, agrarian distress and farmers' suicides, MGNREGS, dryland agriculture, natural resource management, rehabilitation and resettlement of project-affected people, and handloom and powerloom sectors. Prof. Galab has co-authored/edited four books, published 36 articles in journals and edited volumes, presented 70 papers in national and international conferences, and completed 46 project reports. Prof. Galab has been the Project Director for over 21 national and international research projects. Currently, he leads the project: 'Young Lives', an international longitudinal study on childhood poverty. Besides his research, Prof. Galab is also involved in teaching and research guidance. He has already guided 12 Ph.D. and three M.Phil. students and is currently supervising eight Ph.D. and three M.Phil. students. Prof. Galab has also served a member of several expert committees at both the national and state levels.

 

Prof. E. Revathi, Director of CESS, Hyderabad, is also the Dean of Graduate Studies at the same institute. Prof. Revathi has teaching and research experience spanning over three decades. She has done extensive research and has published several research articles in the areas of agriculture, land rights, and gender studies.

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This book explores inclusive development in the Indian context, not only within each of the country's major economic and social sectors, but also across countries in the particular context of globalization. In the emerging scenario of most expanding economies, including India, this topic remains particularly significant. The book's sixteen chapters are divided into eight sections that address burning issues related to inclusive development - historical setting and policy context; current issues and future challenges; inclusiveness in the agricultural sector; inclusiveness in the industrial sector; inclusiveness in the health sector; inclusiveness and poverty; inclusiveness in the social context; and inclusiveness in the globalization context. The book highlights several positive developments displayed by the Indian economy in recent years, including the current growth rate of about 7 percent, which is among the highest rates around the globe. At the same time, it draws attention to the fact that while there is every reason to feel proud of these achievements, we cannot ignore the strains and brewing distress, especially in rural areas, or the concerns in environmental and social sectors, including health and education, relating to sociological divisions and disturbances, water and air pollution, and ecosystem and biodiversity losses. Important and relevant from both academic and policy perspectives, the book includes essays from some of the most eminent economists and social scientists in the South Asian region, providing vital takeaways for researchers and NGOs, as well as corporate sector and government decision-makers.