Notes from the Field

Abstract

Notes from the Field Krishna K. Tummala (bio) The preceding article by the Melnicks is a paean, and rightfully so, to the technological savvy of India. It recognizes two important perceptions on the path to development. One is the ecological context in which all innovation ought to be "anchored" within the local setting, and the other is that progress—in this context, the transfer of technology on the path towards development—is not a linear process whereby the so-called developed nations passed on their expertise to developing nations. The authors do not mention, though they may recognize, that the very nomenclature—developed and developing—is demeaning insofar as it connotes that some countries are so far developed that they reached "nirvana" and do not need any more development, while others are only creeping up the ladder. Writers such as Amartya Sen (2005) caution the Indian leaders that they not live in the past praising, often unduly, accomplishments of yore, but rather to confront the present. Indeed, India is the doyen of information technology (IT) in particular. But is this a sufficient condition for development? Excellence in one area is not a sufficient condition to overall well-being. Technological revolution in India, and perhaps the concomitant trauma, has its beginnings in the electronics age started in the bullock-cart nation by Rajiv Gandhi—an accidental prime minister. And in 1990, the previous commitment to "democratic socialism" had given way to what has come to be known as "economic liberalization." While India's constitution still refers to a "Democratic Socialist Republic," the nation no more has the "commanding heights" of the economy under its control. It is free enterprise at its nadir. When it comes to use of technologies, less-developed countries are paradoxically at an advantage in that they need not go through the several stages of development as A. F. K. Organski (1965) and W. W. Rostow (1971) once argued. They actually can leapfrog—and cheaply. Consider, for example, the telephone services now available in India that use technologies [End Page 221] already developed abroad as well as locally, thus avoiding all overheads in the development of infrastructure. Pundits rave, and rightly so, about the technological revolution that India has unleashed during the last 15 years or so, which has propelled the country to be the fourth largest economy in the world. But the wealth has not "trickled down" to the villages—which India is. It is largely concentrated in and around India's metropolitan and urban areas. The Melnicks' claim that India is "a cohesive society" is quite misplaced. Diversity and disparities in India are mind-boggling. There is a world of difference, for example, between a highly educated and rich Kerala, and a Bihar who seems to be one of the poorest and quite lawless. The disparity in economic and social development itself causes a great deal of frustration not only within the populace, but also among the policy makers. The Melnicks rightly point out that the issue is that of maintaining "the appropriate balance between growth and social justice" and assert that the government of India has this at the top of its agenda. One wonders, though, as the country inexorably moves on as a nation of contradictions. Approximately 60% of its population is still bound to agriculture, contributing nearly 40% of the country's revenues. The country boasts of nearly 8–9% annual economic growth, but shows only a 2.5% growth in agriculture. The little farmer, using the bullock cart, cultivates an average landholding of just about two hectares of land. Unable to pay off debts, a number of them on a daily basis also kill themselves. But India is a nuclear power, and any American after all might listen to an Indian in a call center somewhere in India. The information technology (IT) industry in the United States, if not run solely by Indians, could be bankrupt without them. While the wealthy of the world have started flocking to India for inexpensive but first-rate medical assistance, the poor Indian dies for want of elementary medical care. Malaria, once under control, is now considered to be a public health threat. A traditional country...