State Enterprises in Developing Countries : The Indian Experience 1950-90

Contents: Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. Historical and social background of state : enterprises in India. 2. The Indian experience of state enterprises. 3. The alternative, the choice and the prospects. Bibliography. Index.

"A storm has been blowing over socialist countries which has questioned some of the established postulates of socialism. Even planning and public sector, the twin concepts associated with the socialist system, tend to be swept off by the storm. It is in this context that an analysis of these two concepts as they have emerged and have been implemented in India after independence assumes great relevance.

The author, R.C. Dutt, who has been associated with the public sector for long years, from the early days onwards of its development during the second five year plan first as a chief executive and later as Secretary to Government till recently as a keen observer of the social and economic scenarios, has, in this book, undertaken an indepth analysis of public versus private sector, specially from the point of view of a developing economy.

Is the public sector inherently inefficient, or at least less efficient than the private sector? What are the deficiencies of the public sector? Can they be remedied? More importantly, what social role does the public sector play in the process of development? Is there an alternative to it? What was the vision of development that emerged out of the freedom struggle in India, and how far has it materialised? A thought-provoking dissertation on a burning issue of today, the book is of interest to academics, journalists, and to all those interested in the vital subject of economics of development in an under-developed economy."