Accelerating India's Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance

Seventy-five years after Independence, India has much to be proud of. We are the world’s biggest democracy as well as the fastest-growing large economy. Yet, we also face profound challenges that hinder both individual well-being and aggregate growth, including education and skills, health and nutrition, public safety, justice, social protection, and jobs. This seminal book systematically analyses India’s governance challenges, especially in delivering essential public services, and highlights how these are limiting India’s development. Drawing on a wealth of research and practical insights, it provides actionable, evidence-based strategies, emphasizing state-level reforms as critical for India’s advancement. Accelerating India’s Development is addressed to all Indians―leaders, officials, entrepreneurs, teachers, students, citizens, and civil society―and provides an urgent call to action. It argues that building a more effective state is the great unfinished task of Indian democracy, because quality public services are key to translating the political equality of ‘one person, one vote’ into greater equality of opportunity for all Indians.