The Cambridge Economic History of Modern South Asia
The Cambridge Economic History of Modern South Asia
Anand V. Swamy, Williams College, Massachusetts
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USDSouth Asia's economies, as well as the scholarship on their economic histories, have been transformed in recent decades. This landmark new reference history will guide economists and historians through these transformations in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Part I revisits the colonial period with fresh perspectives and updated scholarship, incorporating recent research on topics such as gender, caste, environment, and entrepreneurship. The contributors highlight the complex and diverse experiences of different groups to offer a more nuanced understanding of the past. Part II focuses on economic and social changes in South Asia over the last seventy-five years, offering a comprehensive view of the region's historical trajectory. Together, the contributions to this volume help to reassess the impact of colonialism through a more informed lens, as well as providing analysis of the challenges and progress made since independence.
- Incorporates a wide range of new scholarship on topics including migration, artisans, environment, gender, caste, law, institutions and standards of living
- Advances debates relevant and accessible to both historians and economists
- Shifts historical perspectives on South Asian economies toward a greater sense of future possibility
Product details
March 2026Hardback
9781108833035
1048 pages
229 × 152 mm
Not yet published - available from March 2026
Table of Contents
- Part I. Colonial India 1757–1947: 1. Introduction to Part I Latika Chaudhary, Tirthankar Roy and Anand V. Swamy
- 2. Regions, states, and economies in transition, 1750–1850 Lakshmi Subramanian and Santanu Sengupta
- 3. The colonial origins of India's service sector advantage Bishnupriya Gupta
- 4. Agriculture Takashi Kurosaki
- 5. Industry Chikayoshi Nomura
- 6. Small-scale industries Douglas Haynes
- 7. Trade and finance Tirthankar Roy
- 8. Business history Christof De Jung
- 9. Regional patterns of economic change: North India Clive Dewey
- 10. Western India Neeraj Hatekar
- 11. Eastern India Indrajit Ray
- 12. South India Tsukasa Mizushima
- 13. Political economy Shigeru Akita
- 14. Law and the economy Peter Robb
- 15. Infrastructure: Irrigation Ian Stone
- 16. Infrastructure: Railways Latika Chaudhary
- 17. Population and health Leela Visaria
- 18. Education Latika Chaudhary
- 19. Women, wives, and workers Samita Sen
- 20. Labour Arjan De Haan
- 21. Internal migration, c. 1850–2020 Chinmay Tumbe
- 22. Colonial cities and urbanization Latika Chaudhary and James Fenske
- 23. The environment and the economy Vinita Damodaran
- 24. Princely States Meeta Kumar and Rohini Somanathan
- Part II. 1947 to Present: 25. Introduction to Part II Latika Chaudhary, Tirthankar Roy and Anand V. Swamy
- 26. The economic effects of the partition Gyanesh Kudaisya and Tan Tai Yong
- 27. Growth, poverty and inequality Gaurav Datt and Anand V. Swamy
- 28. Agriculture after independence Sudha Narayanan
- 29. Industry in the post-independence era Arvind Panagariya
- 30. The journey of Indian finance Ajay Shah
- 31. Business history since 1947 Tirthankar Roy
- 32. India's regional economies: divergence, stability and change R. Nagaraj
- 33. India's development policy: from independence to now Kaushik Basu
- 34. Law and the economy Jaivir Singh
- 35. Public goods Hemanshu Kumar and Rohini Somanathan
- 36. Caste and tribe Ashwini Deshpande
- 37. Women and the economy Sonia Bhalotra and Lakshmi Iyer
- 38. Labour, employment and wages K. V. Ramaswamy
- 39. Economics effects of International migration from India Devesh Kapur
- 40. Urbanization:
- 1947 – present Annapurna Shaw
- 41. Environment and development in independent India Anand V. Swamy and Shreekant Gupta
- 42. Pakistan's economic history: key turning points, 1947–2022 Rashid Amjad
- 43. Bangladesh:
- 1947 to the present Tirthankar Roy and Binayak Sen
- 44. Conclusion Latika Chaudhary, Tirthankar Roy and Anand Swamy.
