The Unresolved Agrarian Question in South Asia

This entry analyzes the historical evolution of the agrarian economy in South Asia and its present day predicament. Our focus is on the biggest country of the region, India. We start with a discussion of the Marixst theory of rent. Subsequently an agrarian economy dominated by petty peasants is examind through the lens of this theory. We probe the details of the South Asian agrarian economy which we argue is stuck in a state of lack of accumulation. We argue that asymmetry of market power in the agrarian produce market and state policies are the key factors in explaining why the agrarian question remains unresolved in South Asia.