What caused India’s economic boom in the 1980s, beginning a full decade before the implementation of market reforms? Economists have sought answers by focusing on quantitative changes in output, but they would learn much by looking for qualitative changes in particular consumer goods, such as televisions, wristwatches, and telephone service.

G. P. Manish is a Ph.D. student in the economics department at Suffolk University.
AsiaEconomyFree Market EconomicsInternational Economics and Development
Other Independent Review articles by G. P. Manish
Fall 2011 Central Economic Planning and India’s Economic Performance, 1951–1965