Development economics is about understanding how and why lives and livelihoods change. This book is about economic development in the village of Palanpur, in Moradabad district, Uttar Pradesh, in north India. It draws on seven decades of detailed data collection by a team of dedicated development economists to describe the evolution of Palanpur’s economy, its society, and its politics. The emerging story of integration of the village economy with the outside world is placed against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming India and, in turn, helps to understand the transformation. The role of, and scope for, public policy in shaping the lives of individuals is examined. The book describes how changes in Palanpur’s economy since the late 1950s were initially driven by the advance of agriculture through land reforms, the expansion of irrigation, and the introduction of ‘green revolution’ technologies. Then, since the mid-1980s, newly emerging off-farm opportunities in nearby towns and outside agriculture became the key drivers of growth and change. These key forces of change have profoundly influenced poverty, income mobility, and inequality in Palanpur. Village institutions such as those governing access to land are shown to have evolved in subtle but clear ways over time, while individual entrepreneurship and initiative is found to play a critical role in driving and responding to the forces of change. And yet, against a backdrop of real economic growth and structural transformation, the book documents how human development outcomes have shown only weak progress and remain stubbornly resistant to change.
