Alternative development strategies and the Indian experience

The past decade and a half has witnessed a serious discussion and rethinking among academics and policy-makers on the nature of development and the utility of the prevalent theories, models and strategies of development. The critique, at its most general level, inevitably involves the concept of economic growth as the key concept which underlies the dominant tradition in development thinking.

The critique of growth has spawned interest in alternative strategies of development. As one surveys the current field of development studies, one comes across host of competing a theoretical and ideological approaches, each claiming our attention and ahderence.

The current debate on alternatives in development, while certainly very important from the theoretical and conceptual points of view, also has important implications of relevance and operational significance for countries like India.

The present volume contains twenty papers presented at seminar organised by the Girl Institute of Development Studies, Lucknow, in February 1981 on the theme: Alternative Development Strategies: Their Relevance to India.

The papers have been arranged in two sections: Section I is devoted to the concept and critiques of alternative development strategies and Section II to the Indian experience.

Our contributors include eminent social scientists working in Universities and research Institutions as well as policy-makers.