Socioeconomic Development in India

Abstract

This chapter on “Socioeconomic Development in India: Lessons from the Third Sector” is a broad overview of India’s economic growth and human development since independence in 1947. It traces the evolving role of government, market, and civil society in navigating the global political economy and the creative tension in which they have coexisted. The chapter dives deeply into the civil society sector which once inspired the founding of Ashoka and is now referred to as a hotbed of social enterprises. The sector which once had firm foundations in pluralist social movements and a focus on social innovation now struggles to distinguish social business from social entrepreneurship. The current ecosystem, while extensive, lacks focus, disregards questions of power, and lacks accountability mechanisms. The goals of improving lives and affecting social change would be better served by focusing on social innovation, treating people as stakeholders rather than clients, and protecting and promoting citizen participation in a democratic economy, society, and polity.