An Uncertain Glory: India and Its Contradictions

This second work by economists and coauthors Drèze (economics, Allahabad Univ., India) and Nobel Prize winner Sen (Thomas W. Lamont Univ. Professor, economics & philosophy, Harvard Univ.) after Hunger and Public Action, which focused on hunger issues in India, examines Indian economic growth, corruption, education, health care, poverty, and gender inequality. While these topics aren't new, the authors offer new ideas for how India can achieve long-term economic sustainability and growth through meeting the essential needs of its citizens. With current data presented throughout, there is some repetition among the chapters in the coverage of core problems such as the declining GDP and worsening indicators of inadequate social services compared to India's neighbors, particularly Bangladesh. Each chapter ends with a summation of societal obstacles and ideas on ways to address them.