This book presents a multidimensional perspective on the interlinkage
between human development, community characteristics and public service
delivery with special reference to India. The chapters in the book
analyze the influence of public service delivery on human development
from neo-classical as well as Marxian point of view. Thus, the
expositions in the book provides a balanced mix of macro and micro
approaches in the study of development. The analytical discussions are
supplemented by case studies and empirical estimates so as to
demonstrate the applicability of the theory and the theoretical
discourse about human development, community network and the success and
failures of critical public services in the Indian context. The
methodology followed in the chapters involves critical survey of
existing literature, case studies, field survey and use of econometric
techniques as well as statistical tools of index construction. While
contributors are primarily scholars from neo-classical economics
discipline, some are intellectuals from the field of political economy
and development studies. Given the wide array of development
perspectives, this book is of interest not only to students and
researcher of development economics, social science and management, but
also a valuable reading for development practitioners and policy makers,
who would be interested in understanding how community and public
institutions interact to determine access to health, education and
social security services that shapes the wellbeing of disadvantaged
populations. The lessons and implications are extremely pertinent to
other emerging economies, in particular those in South Asia.
