Anna Levy

EC 321
Professor Hemanshu
2/10/2011
Assignment 1

Public Action of:

It seems like everyone is always looking to Kerla to see what other countries are lacking
in public action. However, when comparing Uttar Pradesh(UP) and Kerala for how they
have used, or not used, public action to grow out of social issues such as life expectancy,
per-capita expenditures, and poverty I find it necessary not to look at the fundamental
differences between their individual use of public action; I find it more necessary to
understand the fundamental differences of their respected culture. For instance, it is noted
that Karela has favored the role of women for a long time, whereas for a long time Uttar
Pradesh has oppressed the woman’s societal role. If Karela has a pre-existing respect for
women, than I expect for them to encourage women to enter society, and encourage
young girls to attend elementary education, just as Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen write.
Dreze and Sen also write that about half of young girls in UP have never even been to
school; again if I were to compare the fundamental difference of Kerla and UP’s
difference, it wouldn’t be in public action, it would be in the cultural roots. If girls in UP
aren’t valued in society, why would UP encourage the half of girls who have never been
to school to start attending school. Moreover, Kerla is said to be rooted in a culture that
values “openness.” Dreze and Sen comment on how Kerla has been open to Jews,
Muslims, Christians, and the Women of Nair and their matrilineal society. Therefore, to
provide an answer on public action differences in Kerala and UP, I would have to argue
that it relates directly to Kerala’s openness versus UP’s non-openness. Kerala saw ///

Like Kerala and UP, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana can also be compared by how they
value their women and how this factor has played in ensuing positive social change.
Again it appears that it’s not the public actions a state takes that describes state
differences, but what a state values that seems to create a more prosperous economic
outcome. Just as Kerala values sending young girls to school, so does HP.

When it comes to West Bengal, it appears that public action, and not deep seated cultural
roots, can be attributed for the change brought about by the Left Front coalition. Then
again, Dreze and Sen’s chapter on Political Action and Rural Development in West
Bengal is void of any culture background information on the state, other than to say that
part of the reason the government is finding it difficult to change trends in industrial
employment and economic participation has to do with leftover scars from the “industrial
strifes in the days of confrontational politics”—though this is more of a historical
clarification than Dreze and Sen’s comment pointing out Kerala’s cultural openness
towards women (96).
Changes have been made in West Bengal, nevertheless, thanks to the formation of the
Left Front. However, whereas Kerala focused on women in society, education, and
reducing poverty the Left Front chose to act upon Land Reform and the “revitalization of
democratic institutions” within villages ( 2002, p94).

HP has also made social improvements using land reforms. (??)

Also like West Bengal, HP has been able to sustain a local democracy.

Kerala
Exceptional case of outstanding achievement in the social field

Karela is often look to when /// One ay to examine how a state has used public action to
improve issues such as life expectancy, per-capita expenditures, and poverty is to
compare Karela and Uttar Pradesh. Originally, Karela was suffering from similar issues
that Uttar Pradesh was also suffering from such as life expectancy, per-capita
expenditures, and poverty. As of the 2000s, Women in Karla live almost 20 years longer
than women in Uttar Pradesh. Not only that, but In the beginning of Karela’s economic
growth, the state made many social opportunities, making elementary education widely
available, encouraging women to become a part of society , and providing “equitable
healthcare and public services” (90). Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen view Uttar Pradesh’s
failures in life expectancy, per-capita expenditures, and poverty.

present their evidence on West Bengal’s changing social issues without any background
delves into what might have caused such “disadvantaged classes”

Haryana

West Bengal
Political action of land reform and the revalization of democratic institutions at the
village level (94). Left front’s improvements of in rural infrastructure and building better
local government

Has not been promoting

Himachal Pradesh
Historical “backwardness”
Again back to things that have gone way in kerala such as active role of women and
intervention of public social opurtunies. Good infrastructure in rural areas. Also like
kerla, HP has focused on building schools, as well as roads.like kerala as well, there is
little bias against women . factors that Kerala and HP have that UP and Haryana lack
fundamentally.

Something that has allowed HP’s advancement towards better education is the social
norm that education is important and with that the demand for better teaching standards.
Parents are able to come together and take collective action to make sure teachers keep to
their requirements.

2. In The Economic Lives of The Poor, Abhijit Banerjee explains that women and
men within the family must travel to great lengths and continuous measures to make
money. Women will structure their time by making Dosa’s to sell as breakfast food in the
early morning, then spend the rest of their days stitching sequins/decorataions onto fabric
they have bought so they can go door to door and sale their merchandise for a small
profit; men will find migratory work, sometimes leaving the household multiple times a
year for anywhere from one to three months.
There are several problems that lie within how people gain employment, usually
self employment, and how they handle their income. First,

3. As first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru focused India’s economy on

industry, under a more autarkic and closed to foreign trade market. We know that Nehru
geared India towards a state controlled economy, thus revealing his socialistic ideas. In
order to understand what may have influenced Nehru’s chosen path for India, we must
look to what was occurring globally around India’s Independence and the establishment
of Her own government. 1947 being the year of India’s independence automatically
places Nehru’s investiture into office among the aftermath of World War II and the
preceding World War I. At this time, Europe was suffering not only from the physical
appearances of war, but economically as well and was in no way a contender for foreign
investment or trade. Not only Europe but the United States of America was coming out of
the depression era following the failures within American banks. Clearly, the major
capitalistic countries of the world, around 1947, were neither a beacon to inspire a
newborn country nor ignite capitalistic inspiration within Nehru. It was another view on
government that inspired Nehru: socialism. This view and the global occurrences of the
times are made evident by Nehru statements in, Toward Freedom: The Autobiography of
Jawaharlal Nehru:
“While the rest of the world was in the grip of the depression and going backward
in some ways, in the Soviet country a great new world was being built up before
our eyes… In the balance, therefore, I was all in favor of Russia, and the presence
and example of the Soviets was a bright and heartening phenomenon in a dark and
dismal world.1

1
Nehru, Jawaharlal . "Jawaharlal Nehru: Marxism, Capitalism and Non-Alignment ." Modern History
Sourcebook. Fordham.Edu, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.
 Nehru, inspired by communism while respecting and wishing to abstain from the
failures of Marxism in Russia, desired to implement certain socialistic economical plans
in India. It is through these socialistic views that Nehru took the approach of state control
in an effort to redistribute the wealth in India via land, as well as begin serious economic
growth in India through industrialization.

<http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1941nehru.html>.