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don’t take the next step development, self-reliance making, global quality of existing educational/
of recognising that it is and balanced growth norms, urban and com- health care hubs, ad-
this combination of urban through centralised mercial area development, versely impacting student/
development/decen- controls, creating a large still remain intact, as does teacher and doctor/patient
tralisation which made centralised machinery to the structure of the gover- ratios and educational/
China so growth attractive. ‘guide manufacturing/ nance machinery designed health outcomes unlike the
Instead, they proceed to exports/commerce’. As originally for Plan imple- original state intent.
discuss Chinese support against this, the princi- mentation. Consequently, Thus, unintention-
for manufacturing through pal focus of the initial we lack governance skills/ ally, capability creation
subsidies/exchange rate modernisation drives of empowerment and global is slowed down. It could
management tactics, but both South Korea and quality ‘non-transport re- thus be that it is lack of
unlike their other argu- China, was in creating and lated’ infrastructure even a decentralisation, wide-
ments, they have not managing global qual- few kilometres outside our spread urbanisation and
incorporated specific ity ‘playing fields’ — viz capital cities. mal-balanced use of scarce
datapoints in support. cities and industrial/com- Also, lack of high-quali- management resources
An emerging economy mercial areas and not in ty urban amenities prevent vis-a-vis our competitive
suffers from shortages of analysing/deciding how to universities/hospitals peers that needs greater
two types of resources: use them or how to allow located outside favoured attention/focus as the
financial capital and entrepreneurs to use them. cities from accessing high principal development
managerial skills. Both are This difference in quality talent. Simplis- challenge that warrants
equally valuable. Strate- basics still exists. Though tic increase in spending new thinking of policy
gies involving allocation/ liberalisation happened in on health/education, as makers/commentators
re-allocation of either, 1991, the imbibed attitudes already experienced, with- and not the manufactur-
can damage or enhance of Indian officialdom out urban development ing/services debate men-
outcomes. towards markets, competi- in multiple places outside tioned by the authors.
Post-independence tion, industrial locations, existing cities, merely TCA RANGANATHAN (The
India adopted planned decentralised decision- results in re-densification Book Review)

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