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Books

widely appreciated. H-Pop universities, who worked
“is penetrating the pillars as an economist in the of- BREAKING THE MOULD:
of India’s popular cul- fice of the chief economic REIMAGINING INDIA’S
ECONOMIC FUTURE
ture”, says writer/journal- advisor and is currently Raghuram Rajan & Rohit
ist Christophe Jaffrelot. visiting assistant professor Lamba
Adds Aakar Patel: “This of economics at New York RANDOM HOUSE
book shows us the faces University, Abu Dhabi. Rs.799 Pages 366
and voices of those on the That’s an impressive part-
frontline of the war this nership.
nation is waging against Unsurprisingly, Break-
itself”. “Based on solid ing the Mould contains has touched 95 percent, This book contains
ground reporting, this eye- an impressive array of dropout rates are high. an impressive array
opening book will awaken aspects/datapoints to sup- The National Education of aspects/data
the reader to a new India port the contention that Policy (NEP) 2020 says points to argue that
that is being divided even India’s reportedly impres- that the gross enrolment India’s seemingly
by music, poetry and sive economic growth has for classes VI-VIII was impressive economic
books,” opines TV anchor been very uneven. The 90 percent but for classes growth has been
Rajdeep Sardesai. authors emphasise that IX-X and XI-XII it was very patchy
This narrative reveals our main focus ought to 79.3 and 56.5 percent
a grim future for those be to maximise the growth respectively.
who believe that secular- potential arising out of Further, joblessness the Soviet Union and end
ism and egalitarianism our demographic divi- is growing. Not only are of the Cold War coincided
have deep and ineradi- dend. In 2020, after three unemployment levels high with the dawn of the Inter-
cable roots in Indian terra decades of strong growth, but our ‘Women Labour net revolution and sharp
firma. Prolonged failure 35 percent of our children Force Participation’ rate improvement in transport
to provide good quality below 5 years of age were of 22 percent is the lowest technologies which, to-
education in the neglected stunted (over 85 percent of amongst G20 countries. gether with the ‘Washing-
hinterland of the coun- cumulative brain develop- This despite women’s ton Consensus’ of a newly
try, has produced a huge ment happens before the enrolment in higher edu- unipolar world, created
population of ill-educated age of 6. A child is deemed cation rising, indicating the globalisation boom
citizens susceptible to stunted, too short for workplace safety issues. where pricing efficiency
the crude anti-minorities its age, if she falls below The authors highlight and profitability governed
populism which is being two standard deviations that India, China and locational choice, not
developed into a fine art from the ‘median height South Korea had almost ideologies or politics.
by unchecked practitio- for age’ recommended by similar per capita incomes The authors highlight
ners of H-Pop. the WHO’s child growth till the 1950s. Now we lag. some facets of the Chinese
ANIL THAKORE standards). This cannot be The world order wit- model, such as existence of
held to be an India-specific nessed epochal changes widespread decentralised
genetic trait as other stud- after the end of WW II and economic empowerment
Impressive ies indicate that Indian again in the 1980s. Pes- in a politically authoritari-
children brought up in
an state. The authors point
simism prevented newly
explainer the UK/US do not reveal independent India from out that local governments
partaking in the post-WW
(i.e, below provincial
stunting. Nutrition/sanita-
tion/hygiene imbalances II trade and development level) in China account
AGHURAM Rajan, could be the main cause. boom. South Korea, with for a 51 percent share of
former Governor, The book notes no such inhibitions, ben- government expenditure.
RRBI and former that though a variety efited and is now a high- Additionally, as decision
chief economic advisor to of schemes exist, their income OECD country. making is flattened, better
the Union government, implementation record Their narrative does relate effective de facto ‘ease of
needs no introduction to is patchy/has significant an amusing and interesting doing business’ exists than
knowledgeable citizens. heterogeneity; it is better story about South Korea witnessed in countries
This book is written in in the south and west but skips discussing the with longer hierarchical
co-authorship with Rohit than the north and east. ‘how and why’ of the issue. systems of remotely man
Lamba, an alumnus of Additionally, although China’s success came in aged centralised control.
Princeton and Cambridge primary school enrolment the 1990s. The collapse of However the authors

112 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2024