Structural Transformation and Agrarian Change in India

by Goran Djurfeldt, Srilata Sircar

Overview

The landlord and his emaciated labourer are symbolic of Indian agriculture. However, this relationship has now changed as large landowners have fallen from their superior position. This volume explores how this emblematic pair is becoming a thing of the past.

Structural Transformation and Agrarian Change in India investigates whether family labour farms are gaining prominence as a consequence of the structural transformation of the economy. The authors work alongside Weberian methodology of ideal types and develop different types of family farms; among them family labour farms that rely mainly on family workers, contrasted with capitalist farms that depend on hired labour. Agriculture is shrinking as a part of the total GDP at the same time as agricultural labour is shrinking as part of the total labour force. The changing agrarian structure is explored with the use of unique long-term survey data and statistical models. Results show that India is approaching farm structures that are typical of East and South East Asia, with pluriactive smallholders as the norm.

This book successfully criticizes popular narratives about Indian agricultural development as well as simplistic evolutionist, Marxist or neoclassical prognoses. It is of great importance to those who study development economics, development studies and South Asian economics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781317429739
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/04/2016
Series:	Routledge Studies in Development Economics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	188
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Göran Djurfeldt is Senior Professor at the Department of Sociology, Lund University, Sweden.

Srilata Sircar is currently a Doctoral student at the Department of Human Geography, Lund University, Sweden.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1. CAPITALISM AND FAMILY FARMING

CHAPTER 2. STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION AND FARMING

CHAPTER 3. URBANIZATION AND AGRARIAN CHANGE: A VIEW FROM THE MARGINS

CHAPTER 4. WHAT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT REGRESSION

CHAPTER 5. DRIVERS OF AGRARIAN TRANSFORMATION

CHAPTER 6. VOLATILITY IN LAND DISTRIBUTION

CHAPTER 7. RELATIVE CHANGE IN INCOME

CHAPTER 8. CONCLUSIONS: NO PLACE FOR FAMILY FARMS?

APPENDIX 1: DATA SOURCES

APPENDIX 2: MULTILEVEL MODELLING WITH MLWIN

APPENDIX 3: DETAILED MODEL RESULTS AND ANALYSES OF RESIDUALS

APPENDIX 4: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS