The Making of Miracles in Indian States Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Gujarat

Growth miracles typically have been studied at the country level. In The Making of Miracles in Indian States, internationally-renowned economists Arvind Panagariya and M. Govinda Rao bring together a team of six leading scholars to break from that tradition and study three growth miracles in India at the level of the state: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Gujarat. These are three large and diverse states in India: Gujarat has the third-highest per-capita income among the largest eighteen states, Bihar is the poorest, and Andhra Pradesh falls in the middle. Despite vast differences among the states, all three have grown at rates exceeding 8% for an entire decade in the twenty-first century.

Each section of this three-part book offers a historical perspective on the state's development and the specific factors that improved its economic fortunes. The three case studies are backed by extensive quantitative documentation. They demonstrate the critical role that leadership, translated into improved policies and implementation, plays in stimulating growth and development. The Making of Miracles in Indian States is essential reading for students and scholars alike, as well as policy makers, NGO workers, and employees of international institutions.

Arvind Panagariya is a Professor of Economics and Indian Political Economy at Columbia University, Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a former Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank. Panagariya has written prolifically on global trade policy issues and economic reforms in India. The author of a dozen books, he has also published technical papers in many leading journals and other publications. Professor Panagariya writes an influential monthly column in the Times of India and has been honored with the Padma Bhushan by India.

Dr. M. Govinda Rao is a well known scholar in public finance in India. Presently, he is a Member of the Fourteenth Finance Commission, Government of India. His past positions include Director of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy in New Delhi and Director of the Institute for Social and Economic Change in Bangalore. Dr. Rao was also a Member of Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. He has chaired and was a member of several committees. He has written extensive publications in referred journals in addition to his 14 books and monographs.