02776nam a2200229Ia 450000500170000000800410001702000180005808200210007610000220009724501180011925000160023726000500025330000220030352019190032565000360224465000320228065000410231270000280235394200080238199900170238995201400240620261006122754.0260608s9999||||xx |||||||||||||| ||und||  a9780226731391  223a330.1018 RUD  a Rudolph Lloyd I. 0aIn Pursuit of Lakshmib: The Political Economy of the Indian Statec/ Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph  a1st Edition  aChicagob: University of Chicago Pressc,1987  a529 p.c ; 23 cm.  aThe pursuit of Lakshmi, the fickle goddess of prosperity and good fortune, is a metaphor for the aspirations of the state and people of independent India. In the latest of their distinguished contributions to South Asian studies, scholars Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph focus on this modern-day pursuit by offering a comprehensive analysis of India's political economy.

India occupies a paradoxical plane among nation it is both developed and underdeveloped, rich and poor, strong and weak. These contrasts locate India in the international order. The Rudolphs' theory of demand and command polities provides a general framework for explaining the special circumstances of the Indian experience.

Contrary to what one might expect in a country with great disparities of wealth, no national party, right or left, pursues the politics of class. Instead, the Rudolphs argue, private capital and organized labor in India face a "third actor"—the state. Because of the dominance of the state makes class politics marginal, the state is itself an element in the creation of the centrist-oriented social pluralism that has characterized Indian politics since independence.

In analyzing the relationship between India's politics and its economy, the Rudolphs maintain that India's economic performance has been only marginally affected by the type of regime in power—authoritarian or democratic. More important, they show that rising levels of social mobilization and personalistic rule have contributed to declining state capacity and autonomy. At the same time, social mobilization has led to a more equitable distribution of economic benefits and political power, which has enhanced the state's legitimacy among its citizens.

The scope and explanatory power of In Pursuit of Lakshmi will make it essential for all those interested in political economy, comparative politics, Asian studies and India.  aPolitical Economy, Indian State  aIndia  Economic policy 1947  aIndia  Politics and government  1947  a Rudolph,Susanne Hoeber  cRBK  c69107d69107  00102ddc4071aSNULbSNULd2026-06-08l0o330.1018 RUDpG7984r2026-06-08 15:45:18w2026-06-08yRBKzProf. Romila Thapar's Collection