Growth and equity c.1

In this work, Dr. Datta seeks to provide an enhanced perception of the problems of the narrowness of the home market, dispropor tionality between sectors, premature migra tion and persistence of dualism, which developing countries are facing and the Lewis-Kuznets approach has failed to grapple with. He also considers analytically the feasibility of an alternative scenario of 'development from below' which may mitigate these problems. He bolsters the arguments with extensive quantitative exercises on the basis of district-level data from India and raises some epistemological questions of crucial importance to develop ment theory.

'The book combines subtle analytic skills, a sophisticated understanding of Indian institutions, a sense of history, and consi derable ability in handling data and econometric techniques. It is also a very timely book. The field of economic develop ment is currently going through an intense reappraisal of many of its optimistic half truths. Datta's book should, for that reason, attract more attention than it would have in the 1960s, when the half-truths reigned as gospel....the book will solidify his standing among development economists and Asian social scientists.'