P. R. Dubhashi. Policy and Performance, Agricultural and Rural Development in Post-Independence India. New Delhi: Sage Publications. 1986. 320 pp.List of References; Index. Price (hardbound edition) Rupees (Indian) 185.00.

This book is a fine and straightforward account of the socioeconomic dynamics of the formulation of agricultural and rural development policies in post-independence India. It makes a critical appraisal of the process of policy formulation at various levels of government, of the circumstances in which these policies evolved, and of the impact of those policies on the process of rural transformation. It outlines the case for an integrated agricultural policy in the future, which pays equal attention to distributional and production aspects of the development process so that the imbalances that have plagued Indian agricultural and rural development policy in the past are avoided. The author has had a long experience of agricultural and rural development administration, which provides a rich background for this book and enables the author to have a systemic outlook on agricultural policies. In addition, the author has made use of an impressive array of reports of various committees and commissions on agricultural and rural development, relevant Parliamentary proceedings and other Government documents as well as related published work to paint a compelling picture of agricultural and rural development policy and performance in India.