India as a Model for Global Development

Book excerpt: India is an emerging market economy, and has been more successful than most other emerging economies. Key to this success are India’s ancient legacy of consensus democracy, non-violence, multi-culturality, tolerance, secularism, and the practical simplicity of economic life inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. Also, vital to India’s present economy is the history of the country since the struggle for Independence began in 1857. India has followed a strikingly distinct route of development from other emerging economies such as South Korea, China, Malaysia, Brazil, and Mexico. While these countries concentrated on manufacturing and exports, India grounded its economy on an integrative domestic system of life. This model is marked by interesting and gradual, but constant, growth with an emphasis on services. Reforms in land-agricultural system, political governance, and financial management have led to a landmark stage of economic progress, with India’s GDP rate higher than many emerging market economies. This volume explores the reasons why India has fared better than other emerging market economies, and whether other countries can take inspiration from this model and rebuild their own countries based on their national resources, cultural heritage, and the capacity to interact globally.