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UNEQUAL: Why India Lags Behind Its Neighbours
About the book
‘Explores … the moral economy of our elite.’ — P. Sainath
‘A journey to truth.’ — Yogendra Yadav
‘Essential reading for policymakers.’ — Jayati Ghosh
‘Narayan’s argument is very powerful.’ — Christophe Jaffrelot
‘These are rich insights, for India and far beyond, on what it takes to turn economic resources into flourishing lives for all.’ — Kate Raworth
‘One of the most extraordinary, yet often ignored, stories of international development …’ — Duncan Green
‘This is comparative social science at its best.’ — Olivier De Schutter
‘[A] true roadmap to enlightenment with equality, justice and freedom.’ — Saloni P. Singh
‘With this remarkable blend of scholarship and reportage from India’s borders, Swati Narayan shows us the consequences of Indian policymaking on the lives of its citizens.’ — Rahul Bhatia
‘[A] gripping tale … A must-read for people interested in the future of South Asia.’ — Ahmed Mushtaque Raza Chowdhury
Foreword by Jean Drèze
A newborn girl can expect to live to eighty in Sri Lanka, seventy-four in Bangladesh and sixty-nine in India. This is but one of a range of Swati Narayan’s insights from a five-year study across four India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. She found that even poorer neighbours were doing better than India on a range of social indicators - health, nutrition, education, sanitation, with more women working outside the home.
Narayan’s intensive, immersive research shows that India’s leapfrogging neighbours have worked hard to dilute social inequalities. Land reforms, investments in schools and hospitals, and socio-political reform movements aimed at diluting caste and gender discrimination - all of these have wrought change over the decades. Excellent networks of primary healthcare clinics, village schools and household toilets have transformed the lives of citizens in these countries.
In economically booming India, on the other hand, social ills like sex-selective abortion, child stunting, illiteracy and preventable deaths are rampant. Inequalities are stark here—not only between the burgeoning billionaire class and the neglected masses, but also among the northern states and their southern counterparts. However, it is in fact the successes in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala that offer grounds for optimism—India is capable of transformation if governments commit to social welfare investments and bridging social inequities.
Packed with human stories as well as hard data, and shot through with empathy and hope, Swati Narayan’s Unequal is a necessary book for our times.
About the Author
Swati Narayan is an academic and activist. She is an alumna of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, School of Oriental and African Studies and London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research and opinion articles have been published in The Indian Express, The Hindu, The Telegraph, Hindustan Times, The Guardian blog, Prospect magazine, Economic and Political Weekly, Gender and Development and several other journals and publications. Swati currently lives in Haryana and Delhi.
‘Explores … the moral economy of our elite.’ — P. Sainath
‘A journey to truth.’ — Yogendra Yadav
‘Essential reading for policymakers.’ — Jayati Ghosh
‘Narayan’s argument is very powerful.’ — Christophe Jaffrelot
‘These are rich insights, for India and far beyond, on what it takes to turn economic resources into flourishing lives for all.’ — Kate Raworth
‘One of the most extraordinary, yet often ignored, stories of international development …’ — Duncan Green
‘This is comparative social science at its best.’ — Olivier De Schutter
‘[A] true roadmap to enlightenment with equality, justice and freedom.’ — Saloni P. Singh
‘With this remarkable blend of scholarship and reportage from India’s borders, Swati Narayan shows us the consequences of Indian policymaking on the lives of its citizens.’ — Rahul Bhatia
‘[A] gripping tale … A must-read for people interested in the future of South Asia.’ — Ahmed Mushtaque Raza Chowdhury
Foreword by Jean Drèze
A newborn girl can expect to live to eighty in Sri Lanka, seventy-four in Bangladesh and sixty-nine in India. This is but one of a range of Swati Narayan’s insights from a five-year study across four India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. She found that even poorer neighbours were doing better than India on a range of social indicators - health, nutrition, education, sanitation, with more women working outside the home.
Narayan’s intensive, immersive research shows that India’s leapfrogging neighbours have worked hard to dilute social inequalities. Land reforms, investments in schools and hospitals, and socio-political reform movements aimed at diluting caste and gender discrimination - all of these have wrought change over the decades. Excellent networks of primary healthcare clinics, village schools and household toilets have transformed the lives of citizens in these countries.
In economically booming India, on the other hand, social ills like sex-selective abortion, child stunting, illiteracy and preventable deaths are rampant. Inequalities are stark here—not only between the burgeoning billionaire class and the neglected masses, but also among the northern states and their southern counterparts. However, it is in fact the successes in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala that offer grounds for optimism—India is capable of transformation if governments commit to social welfare investments and bridging social inequities.
Packed with human stories as well as hard data, and shot through with empathy and hope, Swati Narayan’s Unequal is a necessary book for our times.
About the Author
Swati Narayan is an academic and activist. She is an alumna of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, School of Oriental and African Studies and London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research and opinion articles have been published in The Indian Express, The Hindu, The Telegraph, Hindustan Times, The Guardian blog, Prospect magazine, Economic and Political Weekly, Gender and Development and several other journals and publications. Swati currently lives in Haryana and Delhi.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 27, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 16, 2024
The writer is left leaning and the findings holistically are not balanced ! I fail to understand the sample size and its data of Bihar becoming deciding factor for India ! Comparing with Nepal ,Bangladesh and Srilanka’s course of developmental history is lopsided ! India size and reach are completely different and the progress that has happened in India is completely ignored and quite aghast it’s not considered ! The Nehruvian period had its moment of progress, the Indira’s Period of Nationalisation had its positives , even Rajiv’s period brought de shackling some of the common man’s services. the big bang of the Duo PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh brought huge changes amongst the masses for the opportunity and development ! The later periods of Govt works and policies have brought huge changes to under privileged !
So author has completely ignored the developmental index performance of India and just took Bihar as sample size to decide India lags behind is a gross error for an erudite person like Swati !
The author however captured some excellent things done by organisations and persons in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The changes brought by DK, Periyar, Kamaraj and Communist parties contribution in Kerala and protests by Kerala in past are defining moments for those states’ downtrodden and under privileged but can’t agree more with the author for facts of growth story of those states. But it looked that author has completely ignored the contribution of Christian missionaries in these states more than any other states of India for education and health care services since 1700 ! The scale with which the under privileged people benefitted and lifted is completely ignored and eliminated !
The failures of Indian programmes is due to distribution flaws and gaps as well as to the corruption across the executive, political parties and every govt machinery . The prevalence of casteist society is major bane on availability of services to the poor and the uplift meant of under privileged ! The author captures the later but haven’t touched on the former !
So author has completely ignored the developmental index performance of India and just took Bihar as sample size to decide India lags behind is a gross error for an erudite person like Swati !
The author however captured some excellent things done by organisations and persons in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The changes brought by DK, Periyar, Kamaraj and Communist parties contribution in Kerala and protests by Kerala in past are defining moments for those states’ downtrodden and under privileged but can’t agree more with the author for facts of growth story of those states. But it looked that author has completely ignored the contribution of Christian missionaries in these states more than any other states of India for education and health care services since 1700 ! The scale with which the under privileged people benefitted and lifted is completely ignored and eliminated !
The failures of Indian programmes is due to distribution flaws and gaps as well as to the corruption across the executive, political parties and every govt machinery . The prevalence of casteist society is major bane on availability of services to the poor and the uplift meant of under privileged ! The author captures the later but haven’t touched on the former !
April 9, 2024
Incredible read it was!!!!
This book factually written is an eye opener. A well researched book that puts forward the comparisons drawn between Nepal, Bangladesh, Srilanka and India. The states covered Bihar, kerala, tamilnadu are compared on the basis of public policy, education and health. Its an eye opener for what we didn’t knew that our neighbouring states did so well at least better than India in so many aspects.
All the social movements and their impacts are thoroughly covered which again lets us to draw comparison here culturally. The class, caste and gender differences are discussed in all the regions.
Its overall a good read.
This book factually written is an eye opener. A well researched book that puts forward the comparisons drawn between Nepal, Bangladesh, Srilanka and India. The states covered Bihar, kerala, tamilnadu are compared on the basis of public policy, education and health. Its an eye opener for what we didn’t knew that our neighbouring states did so well at least better than India in so many aspects.
All the social movements and their impacts are thoroughly covered which again lets us to draw comparison here culturally. The class, caste and gender differences are discussed in all the regions.
Its overall a good read.
May 12, 2024
It's a very short read, and it seemed to be drawn out from the thesis the author was engaged in.
A number of reasons why I loved the read:
1. Clear multi-disciplinary data based narrative on why social progress doesn't necessitate economic progress and trickle down impact. Makes a strong cases basis history and contemporary progress seen across our neighbouring states
2. Nuanced historical references on how a social dynamic has evolved in different contexts - be it caste equity, gender equity, land redistribution etc. At the same, the book is also able to synthesise the chronology of ideological and historical events that lead to progress. Given the nuance and focus on Indian states, I was exposed to historical facts that I didn't know and wouldn't come across in a typical reading of inequality in India. The book covered various historical atrocities particular to different regions in India, be it the breast tax in Kerala or Ranvir Sena
3. A beautiful frame of analysis. Mostly, when India is compared to a Scandinavian country, people raise their hands flagging the popln conundrum, the book doesn't leave any scope for that counter argument. The comparison study picks districts in India, be it Bihar, or otherwise to compare different human development indicators in nearby countries/regions.
The only criticism is how academic this reads. The level of detail is extremely high so information retention is not easy.
Enjoyed the read.
A number of reasons why I loved the read:
1. Clear multi-disciplinary data based narrative on why social progress doesn't necessitate economic progress and trickle down impact. Makes a strong cases basis history and contemporary progress seen across our neighbouring states
2. Nuanced historical references on how a social dynamic has evolved in different contexts - be it caste equity, gender equity, land redistribution etc. At the same, the book is also able to synthesise the chronology of ideological and historical events that lead to progress. Given the nuance and focus on Indian states, I was exposed to historical facts that I didn't know and wouldn't come across in a typical reading of inequality in India. The book covered various historical atrocities particular to different regions in India, be it the breast tax in Kerala or Ranvir Sena
3. A beautiful frame of analysis. Mostly, when India is compared to a Scandinavian country, people raise their hands flagging the popln conundrum, the book doesn't leave any scope for that counter argument. The comparison study picks districts in India, be it Bihar, or otherwise to compare different human development indicators in nearby countries/regions.
The only criticism is how academic this reads. The level of detail is extremely high so information retention is not easy.
Enjoyed the read.
December 6, 2023
This is a fascinating and engaging analysis of the social history of India and her neighbours, the state of services and social reform in this region, and offers genuinely viable and inspiring policy ideas and hope for the future. This book is extremely readable for a layperson (i.e., me!), with just the right balance of narration (beautifully knitted into some very vivid travel writing and some truly adorable and heartwarming photos!), easily digestible facts and figures, unambiguous graphs, and comprehensive references. While reading this book, every time I finished a chapter, I decided that that was my favourite one. This, I think, is a clear sign of a book that has had an incredible amount of thought put into it, both by the author as well as the publication team, so a huge kudos to them for a truly eye-opening, thought-provoking, and, in so many ways, groundbreaking book. Highly recommend!
December 7, 2024
A fairly easy read written in an essay like fashion drawn from fieldwork done by the author in Bangladesh, Bihar, and Nepal. This is supplemented with a last few chapters which draw from historical text and comparison between what she calls Southern supermodels, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. Overall well argued, but still lacking in more robust, theorising.
March 11, 2025
Author compares India's comparatively poor neighboring countries on various development indicators. Swati travels to these neighboring countries for survey interviews and the book is rich with her experiences. She praises Kerala and TN for their pioneering social reformist movements and initiatives. Simple read.
April 30, 2024
Absolutely a must read for every Indian to reflect upon the development in the last 10 years. It's a thought provoking book which not only criticises the current state of India but also gives a historical touch on how several states have been developing over the centuries.
May 25, 2024
My review of the book is in the link
https://www.google.com/amp/s/theprint...
https://www.google.com/amp/s/theprint...
May 28, 2024
4.5 stars
I enjoyed the book.
The one thing that would have turned this into a 5 star review would be a list at the end summarizing key reasons and key actions to be taken.
I enjoyed the book.
The one thing that would have turned this into a 5 star review would be a list at the end summarizing key reasons and key actions to be taken.
June 27, 2024
Happy to know that Nepal is ahead of her giant southern neighbour in various indices of human development.
October 1, 2024
Thought provoking, personal stories and a lot of research!
February 7, 2024
Using empirical data, the book shows us the mirror as to where we stand on various parameters vis-a-vis our neighbours. "UnEqual" is a great read, objective in its approach it argues about the inequality of human development in India.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews