Introduction
Following colonisation and later independence from the British in 1947 India has continued to struggle with extreme poverty. According to Nelson (2013), “India now has a greater share of the world’s poorest than it did thirty years ago.” Statistics from this research have shown that the proportion of the world’s poorest in India has increased from one fifth to one third, approximately 400 million people. This negatively declining trend, however, has not been characterised by every state within India, some managing to escape these processes of increasing poverty. As explained by Harriss (1999), Kannan (1999), and many other academic works, the southern state of Kerala is an example of this positive trend towards reducing poverty, referred to as the Kerala model of development. Another India state which has experienced comparable levels of poverty reduction is that of the western state of Gujarat. This essay will compare the states of Kerala and Gujarat in regards to the reduction of poverty and whether this has translated into increased well-being and achievements in human development, highlighting the factors that might …show more content…
Emigrants working in foreign countries such as Saudi Arabia contribute approximately 20 plus percent of Gross State Domestic Product or GSDP in Kerala (Kannan & Hari, 2002). According to Simplus Information Services (2013), among Indian states, Kerala received the highest remittances totalling approximately $11.3 billion US in 2012. The recognisable successes that these emigrants from the state of Kerala have had working in foreign countries and contributing significantly to the state’s economy can be attributed to the intervention of a ‘strong state’ in improving education levels within Kerala (Kannan,
Following colonisation and later independence from the British in 1947 India has continued to struggle with extreme poverty. According to Nelson (2013), “India now has a greater share of the world’s poorest than it did thirty years ago.” Statistics from this research have shown that the proportion of the world’s poorest in India has increased from one fifth to one third, approximately 400 million people. This negatively declining trend, however, has not been characterised by every state within India, some managing to escape these processes of increasing poverty. As explained by Harriss (1999), Kannan (1999), and many other academic works, the southern state of Kerala is an example of this positive trend towards reducing poverty, referred to as the Kerala model of development. Another India state which has experienced comparable levels of poverty reduction is that of the western state of Gujarat. This essay will compare the states of Kerala and Gujarat in regards to the reduction of poverty and whether this has translated into increased well-being and achievements in human development, highlighting the factors that might …show more content…
Emigrants working in foreign countries such as Saudi Arabia contribute approximately 20 plus percent of Gross State Domestic Product or GSDP in Kerala (Kannan & Hari, 2002). According to Simplus Information Services (2013), among Indian states, Kerala received the highest remittances totalling approximately $11.3 billion US in 2012. The recognisable successes that these emigrants from the state of Kerala have had working in foreign countries and contributing significantly to the state’s economy can be attributed to the intervention of a ‘strong state’ in improving education levels within Kerala (Kannan,