Culture and Economic Development in South Asia

Abstract

The influence of culture on economic development in South Asia has drawn scholarly interest since Max Weber argued that the rise of Protestantism abetted the origination of capitalism. Weber claimed that the spirituality and otherworldliness of Hinduism, along with its associated caste system, were not compatible with this new economic constellation. This sharp dichotomy posited by Weber and others has not been borne out by India's complex post-independence experience. Castes act as interest associations in India's democracy. India's labor force has become increasingly skilled and differentiated. From the Green Revolution onward, India's farmers have consistently raised yields to meet food needs. Large firms governed within joint families have succeeded in the domestic and global realms. South Asian culture and social patternings are best perceived as a multifarious resource out of which the subcontinent's future will be constructed rather than as universally stultifying features.

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