As well as being an outstanding contribution to Indian economic and social history, this book draws important conclusions about peasant politics in general and about the effects of international economic fluctuations on primary producing countries. Dr Bose develops a general typology of systems of agrarian production in Bengal to show how these responded to different types of pressure from the world economy, and treats in detail the effects of the world Depression on Bengal. Separate chapters are devoted to the themes of agrarian conflict and religious strife in east Bengal, the agrarian dimension of mass nationalism in west Bengal and sharecroppers agitations in the frontier regions. The conclusion attempts a synthesis of the typology of agrarian social structure and the periodisation of peasant politics, placing this in the wider context of agrarian societies and protest in other parts of India and in South-east Asia.
This is the first book to analyze agrarian change in rural Bengal since the recent upsurge in agricultural growth which began in the mid-1980s. A distinguished cast of contributors explore the complex linkages between agricultural growth, agrarian social change, government policy and local level practice.
On socioeconomic conditions of the rural poor; field studies undertaken during 1975-1976 in three agricultural areas, Moyna, Bagri Pargana, and Susnia in West Bengal.
This is an investigation into the reasons for the poverty of this region which was once noted for its agricultural abundance. The author examines the agricultural performance since 1949 and the current state of management and concludes that the agrarian structure is both unfair and inefficient.
"The author must be credited with making an objective and analytical study of the highly controversial issues, which more often than not run into ideological warnings. The book deserves the attention of the scholars having interest in this area of research." --Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics Tenancy Relations and Agrarian Development offers a comprehensive understanding of the complex agrarian structure existing in rural West Bengal. Focusing specifically on the issue of share tenancy, the author carefully builds a historical profile of the events which were responsible for the spread of this system in colonial Bengal and which ultimately led to the growth of stringent and exploitative conditions of work which typify West Bengal today. As for the post-independence period, the author examines tenancy reform measures and analyzes the National Sample Survey data as well as actual field data. "Sankar Bhaumik has provided a comprehensive study with an in-depth analysis and careful interpretation of empirical data which will be very useful to social scientists, planners and politicians." --Seminar "Bhaumik's work is commendable in almost pioneering an empirical study on tenancy reforms in post 1977 West Bengal, without losing the overall perspective and framework of these changes." --Social Action "The book serves its purpose well by offering rich evidence and insights to those interested in understanding the issues of tenancy from broad historical as well as empirical perspective . . . . Tenancy Relations and Agrarian Development is a welcome addition to the existing literature on tenancy relations in particular and land reforms in literature on tenancy relations in a particular and land reforms in general. This publication will be useful to policymakers, students, and academicians within and outside West Bengal." --The Administrator "The study provides a clear understanding of the historical processes through which the tenancy system evolved in Bengal, the role it entailed for the partners in tenancy contracts and the manner in which tenancy relations were modified at different phases in history." --Rural Development Abstracts "For many years, scholars have focused on the question of agrarian development in India. Sankar Kumar Bhaumik's book is a very valuable addition to this literature. Concentrating on the issue of tenancy relations in West Bengal, it provides both new insights to changes that have occurred in agriculture there as well as a broader comparative perspective on that form of production for capitalist development as a whole. One of the strengths of this study is its capacity to place its mode of enquiry within the general theoretical debate on share tenancy and to locate its outcomes in terms of the issues raised by this body of literature. Another strength is its understanding of the historical forces which have shaped the condition of post-colonial share tenancy in West Bengal. Indeed, these two factors, along with the comprehensive grasp of available empirical matter, make it an excellent book.... Bhaumik has produced an excellent study, informed not only by a clear mastery of the theoretical and historical literature relating to the issue of tenancy relations in West Bengal, but also by an enviable grasp of the empirical dimensions and details of such relationships. For those interested in tenancy relations in West Bengal, this book is necessary reading. For those interested in tenancy relations throughout India or comparative regions, this book is highly recommended reading." --South Asia
Agricultural performance is influenced by agricultural commodity markets. However, the importance of these markets has largely been ignored by agricultural policymakers and mainstream economists. This pioneering study, covering both the pre- and the post-liberalization periods, and West Bengal's transformation from a seriously deficit to a surplus state, conceives of the post-harvest sector as a system of markets. It shows how, while West Bengal enjoyed the results of a reformed agrarian system, the market system remained unreformed until recently. The book sheds light on the role and importance of distribution and commodity markets in shaping and spreading the benefits of higher productivity across society. An original analysis of the regulation of markets by institutions of collective action and social identity, as well as by the state, the book discusses a regulatory policy that could be adopted by any government, irrespective of its ideology. Barbara Harriss-White's quarter-century of field work in West Bengal has yielded new insights into the political economy, where ethno-cultural networks and informal finance have led to a polarization of agro-commercial power on the one hand, and a proliferation of livelihoods for small traders in the post-harvest market system on the other. Challenging many of the claims of orthodox political economy, this well researched volume offers a new interpretation of rural development over three decades of communist rule.
Working paper on agrarian reform in West Bengal, India. Discusses historical trends in agricultural production and agrarian structure, impact of land ownership, agricultural credit distribution, technological change, wage policy, marketed agricultural surplus, etc. on rural area poverty, and gives evaluation of success and limitations of current reform in respect of rural development and employment policy.
