Neo liberalism and Its Discontents

Ever since economic liberalisation was adopted as an economic strategy in India, there has been a wideranging debate about its effect on economic growth, capital accumulation and the lives of rural and urban dwellers in the country. Critics of liberalisation have argued that not only have some sections of Indian society not benefited from India\u27s phenomenal economic growth, they have been dispossessed and in some cases have sunk into higher levels of absolute and relative deprivation. It is in this context that the edited volume India\u27s New Economic Policy: A Critical Analysis examines the consequences of liberalisation going beyond the glitter of economic growth. The book invites readers to consider the marginalisation and deprivation associated with liberalisation policies, and draws attention to the resistances against and contestations of the neo-liberal economic and political project. The stated objective of the book is to stimulate a debate about and influence the discourse on India\u27s current economic path. The varied issues considered in the book are all worthy of detailed discussion. However, I focus my attention on three dominant themes in the book: urbanisation, the processes of development and environmentalism, and resistances to economic liberalisation