In Service of the Republic: The Art and Science of Economic Policy
India is a $3-trillion economy with serious ambitions. Between 1991 and 2011, the country enjoyed its strongest period of growth, and poverty figures fell considerably alongside it. Yet since 2011, that momentum has noticeably stalled. So what went wrong, and what comes next? Can India escape the middle-income trap and build genuine prosperity before its demographic window closes? These are the central questions animating this absorbing book. Written by Vijay Kelkar and Ajay Shah, both seasoned economists and former civil servants, it draws on decades of direct involvement with India's policy machinery. That combination of academic rigour and hands-on experience gives the writing a quality you don't often find: it's intellectually serious without losing sight of practical reality. The book moves between the philosophical foundations of good governance and the unglamorous, ground-level work that sound policymaking actually demands. It covers economics, political philosophy and public administration, weaving them together into something cohesive and genuinely useful. Accessible without being simplistic, it's the kind of read that rewards anyone curious about how nations grow, stumble, and find their footing again.
- Author: Dr Vijay Kelkar
- Publisher: Penguin
- Genre: Business Strategy
- ISBN: 978-0143459828
- Pages: 576 pages