Patrons of the Poor : Caste Politics and Policymaking in India

Why has there not been more progress with reducing poverty in India? Patrons of the Poor offers a rich and contemporary account of politics and policymaking in India, as it seeks to provide an answer to this vital question. Despite unprecedented economic growth, the last twenty years have witnessed a growing divergence across Indian states in terms of their poverty alleviation records. In that context, and given that state governments are responsible for a wide range of redistributive policies, this book analyzes trends in state politics and policymaking. Based on the analysis, it explains why some Indian states have managed to reduce poverty more effectively than others. Using detailed case studies from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, author Narayan Lakshman examines the policymaking processes and political histories of these states. He argues that patterns of caste dominance combined with the degree of competition in populist policies can significantly explain whether states adopt pro-poor policies or not. Lakshman's analysis combines a deep reading of state-specific political and sociological data with a range of interviews with top political leaders, senior bureaucrats, and academics to corroborate his core argument. Patrons of the Poor will interest students, scholars, and researchers of political science, political economy, sociology, development studies, and economics, especially those working on state and regional politics, and poverty. It will also be of interest to journalists and the general reader. Why has there not been more progress with reducing poverty in India? Patrons of the Poor offers a rich and contemporary account of politics and policymaking in India, as it seeks to provide an answer to this vital question. Despite unprecedented economic growth, the last twenty years have witnessed a growing divergence across Indian states in terms of their poverty alleviation records. In that context, and given that state governments are responsible for a wide range of redistributive policies, this book analyses trends in state politics and policymaking. Based on the analysis, it explains why some Indian states have managed to reduce poverty more effectively than others. Using detailed case studies from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the author examines the policymaking processes and political histories of these states. He argues that patterns of caste dominance combined with the degree of competition in populist policies can significantly explain whether states adopt pro-poor policies or not. Lakshman’s analysis combines a deep reading of state-specific political and sociological data with a range of interviews with top political leaders, senior bureaucrats, and academics to corroborate his core argument. This volume will interest students, scholars, and researchers of political science, political economy, sociology, development studies, and economics, especially those working on state and regional politics, and poverty. It will also be of interest to journalists and the general reader Introduction : analysing poverty in India Preliminary exploration of agenda-setting The politics of budget formulation and agenda-setting The social origins of political power in Tamil Nadu : towards class-based politics The social origins of political power in Karnataka : stable caste and class dominance Conclusion : key insights and further research. This book is a comparative study of the political economy of pro-poor policies in two Indian states - Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. By shedding light on the politics of resource allocation, it attempts to show how traditionally rooted state policies benefit only certain sections of the population.