Our institutional, academic and administrative functioning is geared towards enabling, supporting and encouraging our faculty members to undertake rigorous, transdisciplinary, and collaborative research. Over the past six years, JGU’s faculty members have collectively produced over 800 publications. These include research papers and articles published in national and international journals, edited and authored books, book chapters and several research reports, many of which have been in some of the world’s most prestigious journals and publishing houses.
2015 |
Raman, Bhuvaneswari Selected readings on small town dynamics in India Journal Article 2015. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: India, Urbanization @article{Raman2015c, title = {Selected readings on small town dynamics in India}, author = {Bhuvaneswari Raman}, url = {https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01139006/document http://hdl.handle.net/10739/861}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-12-31}, abstract = {This literature review aims at summarizing the state of knowledge related to small urbanised settlements. The significance of researching these localities can be inferred from the fact that a growing share of urban population lives in such agglomerations with a population above 10,000 and below 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants. This fact is not limited to India and a large share of the urban population worldwide lives in small and medium cities, which are understudied. The same dearth of research applies to the Indian context, as will be evident in this review, despite the importance of the resilience of an urban system comprising a large number of small towns and the diversity of these settlements in terms of their economic base and their social structure. This literature review is structured around five themes: A) the first section lays out issues related to estimating the magnitude and sources of demographic growth in order to infer the contribution of small towns to urban dynamics; B) the second section on Small Towns: Sources of Growth explores the economic processes supporting the expansion of small towns, and debates the dominant vision of the relationship between urbanization and growth, as explained by the New Economic Geography; C) the third section focuses on the transformation of small town economies and social structures while examining practices of entrepreneurship, circulation of labour, social mobility as well as caste and gender inequalities; D) the fourth section on Land and territorial transformations focuses on the relation between property and entrepreneurship; and E) the last section on Governance makes sense of the literature on decentralization, government schemes, governance and the political economy of small towns. This review constitutes one of the steps undertaken within the Subaltern Urbanization in India project (www.suburbin.hypotheses.org) to bring back to the fore the research on small towns}, keywords = {India, Urbanization}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } This literature review aims at summarizing the state of knowledge related to small urbanised settlements. The significance of researching these localities can be inferred from the fact that a growing share of urban population lives in such agglomerations with a population above 10,000 and below 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants. This fact is not limited to India and a large share of the urban population worldwide lives in small and medium cities, which are understudied. The same dearth of research applies to the Indian context, as will be evident in this review, despite the importance of the resilience of an urban system comprising a large number of small towns and the diversity of these settlements in terms of their economic base and their social structure. This literature review is structured around five themes: A) the first section lays out issues related to estimating the magnitude and sources of demographic growth in order to infer the contribution of small towns to urban dynamics; B) the second section on Small Towns: Sources of Growth explores the economic processes supporting the expansion of small towns, and debates the dominant vision of the relationship between urbanization and growth, as explained by the New Economic Geography; C) the third section focuses on the transformation of small town economies and social structures while examining practices of entrepreneurship, circulation of labour, social mobility as well as caste and gender inequalities; D) the fourth section on Land and territorial transformations focuses on the relation between property and entrepreneurship; and E) the last section on Governance makes sense of the literature on decentralization, government schemes, governance and the political economy of small towns. This review constitutes one of the steps undertaken within the Subaltern Urbanization in India project (www.suburbin.hypotheses.org) to bring back to the fore the research on small towns |
Raman, Bhuvaneswari Selected readings on small town dynamics in India Journal Article 2015. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: India, Urbanization @article{Raman2015cb, title = {Selected readings on small town dynamics in India}, author = {Bhuvaneswari Raman}, url = {https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01139006/document http://hdl.handle.net/10739/861}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-12-31}, abstract = {This literature review aims at summarizing the state of knowledge related to small urbanised settlements. The significance of researching these localities can be inferred from the fact that a growing share of urban population lives in such agglomerations with a population above 10,000 and below 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants. This fact is not limited to India and a large share of the urban population worldwide lives in small and medium cities, which are understudied. The same dearth of research applies to the Indian context, as will be evident in this review, despite the importance of the resilience of an urban system comprising a large number of small towns and the diversity of these settlements in terms of their economic base and their social structure. This literature review is structured around five themes: A) the first section lays out issues related to estimating the magnitude and sources of demographic growth in order to infer the contribution of small towns to urban dynamics; B) the second section on Small Towns: Sources of Growth explores the economic processes supporting the expansion of small towns, and debates the dominant vision of the relationship between urbanization and growth, as explained by the New Economic Geography; C) the third section focuses on the transformation of small town economies and social structures while examining practices of entrepreneurship, circulation of labour, social mobility as well as caste and gender inequalities; D) the fourth section on Land and territorial transformations focuses on the relation between property and entrepreneurship; and E) the last section on Governance makes sense of the literature on decentralization, government schemes, governance and the political economy of small towns. This review constitutes one of the steps undertaken within the Subaltern Urbanization in India project (www.suburbin.hypotheses.org) to bring back to the fore the research on small towns}, keywords = {India, Urbanization}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } This literature review aims at summarizing the state of knowledge related to small urbanised settlements. The significance of researching these localities can be inferred from the fact that a growing share of urban population lives in such agglomerations with a population above 10,000 and below 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants. This fact is not limited to India and a large share of the urban population worldwide lives in small and medium cities, which are understudied. The same dearth of research applies to the Indian context, as will be evident in this review, despite the importance of the resilience of an urban system comprising a large number of small towns and the diversity of these settlements in terms of their economic base and their social structure. This literature review is structured around five themes: A) the first section lays out issues related to estimating the magnitude and sources of demographic growth in order to infer the contribution of small towns to urban dynamics; B) the second section on Small Towns: Sources of Growth explores the economic processes supporting the expansion of small towns, and debates the dominant vision of the relationship between urbanization and growth, as explained by the New Economic Geography; C) the third section focuses on the transformation of small town economies and social structures while examining practices of entrepreneurship, circulation of labour, social mobility as well as caste and gender inequalities; D) the fourth section on Land and territorial transformations focuses on the relation between property and entrepreneurship; and E) the last section on Governance makes sense of the literature on decentralization, government schemes, governance and the political economy of small towns. This review constitutes one of the steps undertaken within the Subaltern Urbanization in India project (www.suburbin.hypotheses.org) to bring back to the fore the research on small towns |
Raman, Bhuvaneswari Selected readings on small town dynamics in India Journal Article 2015. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: India, Urbanization @article{Raman2015cc, title = {Selected readings on small town dynamics in India}, author = {Bhuvaneswari Raman}, url = {https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01139006/document http://hdl.handle.net/10739/861}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-12-31}, abstract = {This literature review aims at summarizing the state of knowledge related to small urbanised settlements. The significance of researching these localities can be inferred from the fact that a growing share of urban population lives in such agglomerations with a population above 10,000 and below 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants. This fact is not limited to India and a large share of the urban population worldwide lives in small and medium cities, which are understudied. The same dearth of research applies to the Indian context, as will be evident in this review, despite the importance of the resilience of an urban system comprising a large number of small towns and the diversity of these settlements in terms of their economic base and their social structure. This literature review is structured around five themes: A) the first section lays out issues related to estimating the magnitude and sources of demographic growth in order to infer the contribution of small towns to urban dynamics; B) the second section on Small Towns: Sources of Growth explores the economic processes supporting the expansion of small towns, and debates the dominant vision of the relationship between urbanization and growth, as explained by the New Economic Geography; C) the third section focuses on the transformation of small town economies and social structures while examining practices of entrepreneurship, circulation of labour, social mobility as well as caste and gender inequalities; D) the fourth section on Land and territorial transformations focuses on the relation between property and entrepreneurship; and E) the last section on Governance makes sense of the literature on decentralization, government schemes, governance and the political economy of small towns. This review constitutes one of the steps undertaken within the Subaltern Urbanization in India project (www.suburbin.hypotheses.org) to bring back to the fore the research on small towns}, keywords = {India, Urbanization}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } This literature review aims at summarizing the state of knowledge related to small urbanised settlements. The significance of researching these localities can be inferred from the fact that a growing share of urban population lives in such agglomerations with a population above 10,000 and below 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants. This fact is not limited to India and a large share of the urban population worldwide lives in small and medium cities, which are understudied. The same dearth of research applies to the Indian context, as will be evident in this review, despite the importance of the resilience of an urban system comprising a large number of small towns and the diversity of these settlements in terms of their economic base and their social structure. This literature review is structured around five themes: A) the first section lays out issues related to estimating the magnitude and sources of demographic growth in order to infer the contribution of small towns to urban dynamics; B) the second section on Small Towns: Sources of Growth explores the economic processes supporting the expansion of small towns, and debates the dominant vision of the relationship between urbanization and growth, as explained by the New Economic Geography; C) the third section focuses on the transformation of small town economies and social structures while examining practices of entrepreneurship, circulation of labour, social mobility as well as caste and gender inequalities; D) the fourth section on Land and territorial transformations focuses on the relation between property and entrepreneurship; and E) the last section on Governance makes sense of the literature on decentralization, government schemes, governance and the political economy of small towns. This review constitutes one of the steps undertaken within the Subaltern Urbanization in India project (www.suburbin.hypotheses.org) to bring back to the fore the research on small towns |
Sarkar, Swagato Beyond Dispossession: the politics of commodification of land under speculative conditions Journal Article 2015. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Commodification, Urban Periphery @article{Sarkar2015, title = {Beyond Dispossession: the politics of commodification of land under speculative conditions}, author = {Swagato Sarkar}, url = {https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Swagato_Sarkar2/publication/275644665_Beyond_Dispossession_The_Politics_of_Commodification_of_Land_under_Speculative_Conditions/links/56fe03b108ae1408e15b3bd4/Beyond-Dispossession-The-Politics-of-Commodification-of-Land-under-Speculative-Conditions.pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10739/927}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-12-31}, abstract = {This paper engages with the commodification of land in an urban periphery of India. It argues against the tendency to reduce commodification of land to “primitive accumula-tion” or “accumulation by dispossession.” The paper presents an ethnography of the process of commodification of land under speculative conditions. The growing demand for land for urbanization and industrialization, along with the availability of speculative finance capital in the real-estate market, has made land a scarce commodity. In this land market, local capitals piggyback on finance capital and bid up the prices exponentially in the micro-markets. Speculation makes it impossible for the state to match the market price, and its compensation for the land losers is always quite low, which the latter re-fuse to accept. The landowning farmers, on the other hand, have developed a capacity to adjust to the speculative conditions and to control the supply of land in the market. Even though they can receive a very good price for their land, they show no urgency to sell it. As a conse-quence, the state’s plan to urbanize a given area, to create a stable arrangement of clear property titles and to control land prices become uncertain “Beyond Dispossession: The Politics of Commodification of Land under Speculative Conditions” (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275644665_Beyond_Dispossession_The_Politics_of_Commodification_of_Land_under_Speculative_Conditions [acces}, keywords = {Commodification, Urban Periphery}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } This paper engages with the commodification of land in an urban periphery of India. It argues against the tendency to reduce commodification of land to “primitive accumula-tion” or “accumulation by dispossession.” The paper presents an ethnography of the process of commodification of land under speculative conditions. The growing demand for land for urbanization and industrialization, along with the availability of speculative finance capital in the real-estate market, has made land a scarce commodity. In this land market, local capitals piggyback on finance capital and bid up the prices exponentially in the micro-markets. Speculation makes it impossible for the state to match the market price, and its compensation for the land losers is always quite low, which the latter re-fuse to accept. The landowning farmers, on the other hand, have developed a capacity to adjust to the speculative conditions and to control the supply of land in the market. Even though they can receive a very good price for their land, they show no urgency to sell it. As a conse-quence, the state’s plan to urbanize a given area, to create a stable arrangement of clear property titles and to control land prices become uncertain “Beyond Dispossession: The Politics of Commodification of Land under Speculative Conditions” (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275644665_Beyond_Dispossession_The_Politics_of_Commodification_of_Land_under_Speculative_Conditions [acces |
Raman, Bhuvaneswari Politics of property in land: new planning instruments, law and popular groups in Delhi Journal Article 2015. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Politics of urban land, Production of property, Property rights @article{Raman2015b, title = {Politics of property in land: new planning instruments, law and popular groups in Delhi}, author = {Bhuvaneswari Raman}, url = {http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0973174115610186?journalCode=sada http://hdl.handle.net/10739/1310}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-12-10}, abstract = {Alongside the policy of promoting real estate in land as a vehicle for driving accumulation and financing urban development, the Government of India introduced a policy to provide property rights to squatters as part of Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) programme, an urban poverty alleviation scheme. Based on ethnographic research carried out in the Kathputli Colony, a squatter settlement in Delhi, this article examines the politics of creating in-situ property rights under the RAY. The article illustrates the manner in which property rights are produced and reconfigured through contestations over their meaning and boundaries. The making of property at the Kathputli Colony constitutes a fluid and conflictual process, influenced by several actors, including urban planning authorities, courts, non-governmental organizations and colony residents. My analysis of the process reveals how the planning authority mobilized a language of legal rights for squatters as well as participatory planning instruments to facilitate the transformation of land held by squatters into upmarket residential and commercial real estate. I chart how these manoeuvres have been contested by Kathputli Colony residents in an ongoing struggle to obtain land rights. Yet, the political space to negotiate such rights is curtailed by changing definitions of property rights and by closed institutional and legal framework underpinning RAY.}, keywords = {Politics of urban land, Production of property, Property rights}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Alongside the policy of promoting real estate in land as a vehicle for driving accumulation and financing urban development, the Government of India introduced a policy to provide property rights to squatters as part of Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) programme, an urban poverty alleviation scheme. Based on ethnographic research carried out in the Kathputli Colony, a squatter settlement in Delhi, this article examines the politics of creating in-situ property rights under the RAY. The article illustrates the manner in which property rights are produced and reconfigured through contestations over their meaning and boundaries. The making of property at the Kathputli Colony constitutes a fluid and conflictual process, influenced by several actors, including urban planning authorities, courts, non-governmental organizations and colony residents. My analysis of the process reveals how the planning authority mobilized a language of legal rights for squatters as well as participatory planning instruments to facilitate the transformation of land held by squatters into upmarket residential and commercial real estate. I chart how these manoeuvres have been contested by Kathputli Colony residents in an ongoing struggle to obtain land rights. Yet, the political space to negotiate such rights is curtailed by changing definitions of property rights and by closed institutional and legal framework underpinning RAY. |
Raman, Bhuvaneswari Urbanization and disaster: loss of women's property ownership in Leh Ladakh Journal Article 2015. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Land rights, Natural Disasters, women's property rights @article{Raman2015f, title = {Urbanization and disaster: loss of women's property ownership in Leh Ladakh}, author = {Bhuvaneswari Raman}, url = {https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-16616-2_5 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16616-2_5 http://hdl.handle.net/10739/1308}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-07-01}, abstract = {The Himalayan region along the northern border of India has been identified as a high-risk zone, vulnerable to earthquakes, landslides, flashfloods, and drought. Drawing on evidence from the mountain town of Leh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, this chapter explores how State interventions to promote development affect women, particularly with respect to their property relations. This chapter elucidates that development efforts have aggravated the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters. A focus on tourism and associated urban development has affected women’s land ownership as well as adversely affected the environment, which in turn has increased women’s vulnerability to disasters in multiple ways. Women’s property claims are not supported by State law or community practices, compounding their difficulty in disaster response and recovery. We argue for a better alignment of strategies governing urbanization and disasters to mitigate risks and improve disaster responsiveness. We also suggest the need for a shift in strategies, for disaster-risk mitigation to move beyond relief operations. Further, recognition of a heterogeneity of tenure forms that allow women, migrants and relatively weaker groups to establish legal claims on property is required. }, keywords = {Land rights, Natural Disasters, women's property rights}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The Himalayan region along the northern border of India has been identified as a high-risk zone, vulnerable to earthquakes, landslides, flashfloods, and drought. Drawing on evidence from the mountain town of Leh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, this chapter explores how State interventions to promote development affect women, particularly with respect to their property relations. This chapter elucidates that development efforts have aggravated the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters. A focus on tourism and associated urban development has affected women’s land ownership as well as adversely affected the environment, which in turn has increased women’s vulnerability to disasters in multiple ways. Women’s property claims are not supported by State law or community practices, compounding their difficulty in disaster response and recovery. We argue for a better alignment of strategies governing urbanization and disasters to mitigate risks and improve disaster responsiveness. We also suggest the need for a shift in strategies, for disaster-risk mitigation to move beyond relief operations. Further, recognition of a heterogeneity of tenure forms that allow women, migrants and relatively weaker groups to establish legal claims on property is required. |
2014 |
Raman, Bhuvaneswari Patterns and practices of spatial transformation in non-metros: the case of Tiruchengode Journal Article 2014. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: India, Tamilnadu Urban Development, Tiruchengode @article{Raman2014, title = {Patterns and practices of spatial transformation in non-metros: the case of Tiruchengode}, author = {Bhuvaneswari Raman}, url = {http://www.epw.in/journal/2014/22/review-urban-affairs-review-issues/patterns-and-practices-spatial-transformation-non http://hdl.handle.net/10739/805}, year = {2014}, date = {2014-12-31}, abstract = {Urban transformation in Tiruchengode town in Tamil Nadu has been predominantly driven by processes internal to it. It has been driven by growth of the town's economy and the practice of entrepreneurs investing in land for capital accumulation. The process described in this paper reinforces the theories of subaltern urbanisation and in situ urbanisation. While the role of the town's entrepreneurs, local landowners, and politics have been significant factors in shaping the evolution and development of its economy, the transformation story has also been shaped by supra-local flows of capital and labour from the region.}, keywords = {India, Tamilnadu Urban Development, Tiruchengode}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Urban transformation in Tiruchengode town in Tamil Nadu has been predominantly driven by processes internal to it. It has been driven by growth of the town's economy and the practice of entrepreneurs investing in land for capital accumulation. The process described in this paper reinforces the theories of subaltern urbanisation and in situ urbanisation. While the role of the town's entrepreneurs, local landowners, and politics have been significant factors in shaping the evolution and development of its economy, the transformation story has also been shaped by supra-local flows of capital and labour from the region. |
Malhotra, Rajeev India @ 100: giving wings to the lumbering elephant Journal Article 2014. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Growth projection, Growth scenarios, s Growth drivers @article{Malhotra2014, title = {India @ 100: giving wings to the lumbering elephant}, author = {Rajeev Malhotra}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10739/721}, year = {2014}, date = {2014-12-31}, abstract = {This paper uses the vantage point of the latest available macroeconomic data to study the dynamics of India's recent growth spurt, its current slowdown and the implication that has for its future prospects. In making the projections for circa 2050, it factors-in certain evolving trends in the economy that have gained momentum in the past decades. The paper highlights the imperative of growth centrality for India's future development strategy and outlines the contours of the three broad transformations namely social, political and economic that underpin the future scenario. It goes on to elaborate briefly the required economic reforms for realising outcomes consistent with the projected ambitious growth scenario for India.}, keywords = {Growth projection, Growth scenarios, s Growth drivers}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } This paper uses the vantage point of the latest available macroeconomic data to study the dynamics of India's recent growth spurt, its current slowdown and the implication that has for its future prospects. In making the projections for circa 2050, it factors-in certain evolving trends in the economy that have gained momentum in the past decades. The paper highlights the imperative of growth centrality for India's future development strategy and outlines the contours of the three broad transformations namely social, political and economic that underpin the future scenario. It goes on to elaborate briefly the required economic reforms for realising outcomes consistent with the projected ambitious growth scenario for India. |
Malhotra, Rajeev India public policy report 2014: tackling poverty, hunger and malnutrition Journal Article 2014. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Public Policy @article{Malhotra2014b, title = {India public policy report 2014: tackling poverty, hunger and malnutrition}, author = {Rajeev Malhotra}, url = {https://global.oup.com/academic/product/india-public-policy-report-2014-9780199452040?cc=us&lang=en& http://hdl.handle.net/10739/1331}, year = {2014}, date = {2014-12-31}, abstract = {India Public Policy Report (IPPR) is the flagship publication of Jindal School of Government and Public Policy. It is a first of its kind report that besides reflecting on policy advocacy needs, will contribute to improving the public policy making and implementation process in the country. The Report seeks to create an independent platform for bringing together state-of-art policy research on issues of policy relevance to India, thereby contributing to public policy effectiveness in the country. The following are the key highlights of the report: * It focuses on strengthening a culture of evidence-based policy making anchored in rigorous research * Presents a framework for objective assessment of policy effectiveness for use particularly in developing countries * It presents a methodology for periodic assessment and analysis of public policy options, choices exercised and performance at state level in India with a view to improve policy outcomes and their developmental impact * It presents a multidisciplinary analysis based on evidence on the Report's thematic focus: 'Poverty, Hunger and Malnutrition'.}, keywords = {Public Policy}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } India Public Policy Report (IPPR) is the flagship publication of Jindal School of Government and Public Policy. It is a first of its kind report that besides reflecting on policy advocacy needs, will contribute to improving the public policy making and implementation process in the country. The Report seeks to create an independent platform for bringing together state-of-art policy research on issues of policy relevance to India, thereby contributing to public policy effectiveness in the country. The following are the key highlights of the report: * It focuses on strengthening a culture of evidence-based policy making anchored in rigorous research * Presents a framework for objective assessment of policy effectiveness for use particularly in developing countries * It presents a methodology for periodic assessment and analysis of public policy options, choices exercised and performance at state level in India with a view to improve policy outcomes and their developmental impact * It presents a multidisciplinary analysis based on evidence on the Report's thematic focus: 'Poverty, Hunger and Malnutrition'. |
Sarkar, Swagato Contract farming and McKinsey's plan for transforming Agriculture into Agribusiness in West Bengal Journal Article 2014. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Agrarian Crisis, Agribusiness, Contract Farming, Global Agriculture @article{Sarkar2014, title = {Contract farming and McKinsey's plan for transforming Agriculture into Agribusiness in West Bengal}, author = {Swagato Sarkar}, url = {https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Swagato_Sarkar2/publication/275644478_Contract_Farming_and_McKinsey%27s_Plan_for_Transforming_Agriculture_into_Agribusiness_in_West_Bengal/links/5541cf7f0cf2718618dcb9fa/Contract-Farming-and-McKinseys-Plan-for-Transforming-Agriculture-into-Agribusiness-in-West-Bengal.pdf https://doi.org/10.1177/0973174114549100 http://hdl.handle.net/10739/919}, year = {2014}, date = {2014-12-31}, abstract = {Agriculture has been the target of modernization for a long time. The earlier interventions of deploying ‘green revolution’ technologies were a statist project and aimed at increasing productivity. The focus of public policy has shifted from increasing productivity to finding and servicing consumer markets. It is in this context that contract farming and linkages with formal retail sector have been proposed. The erstwhile Left Front government in West Bengal, India, had drafted the management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company to strategize a rejuvenation plan for the state’s agriculture. McKinsey suggested that the government should encourage farmers to enter into contract farming, which would allow them to access market, especially international and domestic metropolitan markets. The documents produced by McKinsey were confidential, but have recently been leaked. In this article, I analyze these confidential documents and the proposal to transform agriculture into agribusiness. I try to locate such a proposal at the global level to understand the dynamics of (global) agribusiness and why global agri-capital advocates contract farming. Thereafter, I try to critically evaluate the prospect of contract farming in Bengal and India.}, keywords = {Agrarian Crisis, Agribusiness, Contract Farming, Global Agriculture}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Agriculture has been the target of modernization for a long time. The earlier interventions of deploying ‘green revolution’ technologies were a statist project and aimed at increasing productivity. The focus of public policy has shifted from increasing productivity to finding and servicing consumer markets. It is in this context that contract farming and linkages with formal retail sector have been proposed. The erstwhile Left Front government in West Bengal, India, had drafted the management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company to strategize a rejuvenation plan for the state’s agriculture. McKinsey suggested that the government should encourage farmers to enter into contract farming, which would allow them to access market, especially international and domestic metropolitan markets. The documents produced by McKinsey were confidential, but have recently been leaked. In this article, I analyze these confidential documents and the proposal to transform agriculture into agribusiness. I try to locate such a proposal at the global level to understand the dynamics of (global) agribusiness and why global agri-capital advocates contract farming. Thereafter, I try to critically evaluate the prospect of contract farming in Bengal and India. |
