Jholawala Arthaniti O Kandogyan by Jean Dreze [Hardcover]

Jean Drèze's understanding of India's economy and its social relationships with the general populace is unique and distinctive. Few economists have conducted field research and traveled through rural India as extensively as he has. From these experiences, he has made invaluable contributions not only to public debates on economic and social policies but also in shaping our understanding of the country's real situation. His thoughts on subjects that usually don't garner much attention—hunger, poverty, inequality, corruption, and conflict—are collected here. This has created a unique perspective on the evolution of the country's social policies over the past two decades.

The book meticulously analyzes historical laws and initiatives during this period concerning rights to food, rights to work, and the intense debates they have sparked. Commercial media often uses the term 'jholawala' to belittle social workers. This book speaks with confidence about the educational value of a collaborative effort integrated with deep economic analysis. Drèze presents strong arguments in the detailed introduction in support of the approach that blends research in development economics with social activism. This book is as much for economists as it is for the general readers.