Redistribution with Growth. By Hollis Chenery, Montek S. Ahluwalia, C.L.G. Bell, John H. Duloy and Richard Jolly. London: Oxford University Press. 1974. (Published for the World Bank’s Development Research Centre and the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex) 304 pp.Price £ Stg. 1.40.

In the first development decade of the Third World countries, the growth of the GNP has been beyond the expectations of their policy makers. However, the very idea of growth is debatable mainly because of the neglect of the distribution aspect. It is realised that without redistribution policies, one-third of the Third World population would not benefit from growth. Does equitable distribution mean lower growth? Is it possible to achieve both an equitable distribution and a growth of the GNP simultaneously? How should a policy package for redistribution be prepared so that it has the least depressing effect on growth? What problem does a developing country face in adopting redistribution policies ? The book under review attempts to answer these questions. The general theme of the book is that distributional objectives should be treated as an integral part of the overall development strategy. The book, which consists of 13 chapters contributed singly or jointly by the authors (the only outsider being D.C. Rao who has contributed Chapter VII), is divided into three parts, namely: Reorientation of Policy, Quantification and Modeling, and Annex and Bibliography. The first eight chapters are devoted to Reorientation of Policy while the remaining five chapters are devoted to Quantification and Modeling. The Annex gives the experiences of India, Cuba, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, South Korea and Taiwan with redistribution and growth. A comprehensive bibliography completes the book.