ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC ACTION AND SOCIAL PROGRESS

This address discusses the role of public action as a tool of economic development and social progress. The influential role of public action is illustrated with reference to health and education achievements in India and China. In both fields, China has a considerable lead over India, achieved during the pre-reform period on the basis of extensive state involvement in the widespread and equitable provision of public services. The post-reform period in China has seen some consolidation of earlier gains, based on a rapid expansion of private incomes, but strains have also developed in the provision of public services, particularly in poor rural areas. The Chinese experience also illustrates the fragility of social progress based on authoritarian governance.