How Solidarity Works for Welfare
Subnationalism and Social Development in India

This book develops an argument for the power of collective identity as an impetus for state prioritization of social welfare.

Prerna Singh (Author)

9781107070059, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 January 2016

332 pages, 21 b/w illus. 28 tables
23.7 x 16 x 2.8 cm, 0.67 kg

'Singh's subnationalism argument shall have abiding analytical purchase for scholars working on comparative politics in general and on the more specialised study of social welfare regimes in particular.' Kham Khan Suan Hausing, Commonwealth & Comparative Politics

Why are some places in the world characterized by better social service provision and welfare outcomes than others? In a world in which millions of people, particularly in developing countries, continue to lead lives plagued by illiteracy and ill-health, understanding the conditions that promote social welfare is of critical importance to political scientists and policy makers alike. Drawing on a multi-method study, from the late-nineteenth century to the present, of the stark variations in educational and health outcomes within a large, federal, multiethnic developing country - India - this book develops an argument for the power of collective identity as an impetus for state prioritization of social welfare. Such an argument not only marks an important break from the dominant negative perceptions of identity politics but also presents a novel theoretical framework to understand welfare provision.

List of figures and tables
Acknowledgments
1. Subnationalism and social development: an introduction
2. How solidarity works for welfare: the subnationalist motivation for social development
3. The origins of the differential strength of subnationalism
4. How subnationalism promotes social development
5. How absence of subnationalism impedes social development
6. Subnationalism and social development across Indian states
7. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Political economy [KCP], Nationalism [JPFN], Politics & government [JP]