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by Pranab Bardhan (Author)
Pranab Bardhan has been arguing for a long time that a Universal Basic Income policy can be effective in a country like India to relieve economic insecurity to a large extent. Bardhan has also constructed a thorough critique of the political direction India has been taking over the last few years leading to considerable social stress. For him, the health of a country's political economy depends on its people's capacity to exercise their democratic rights as well as their capacity to earn and spend. Thus, empowerment of the people is linked organically with income for the people.
Bardhan's argument has emerged stronger in the wake of the COVID-19 onslaught. Many people, especially in the vast informal sector and in the salaried sector too, have suffered loss of income during the long spells of lockdown. Ensuring a basic income for them is crucial for social insurance as well as the rejuvenation of the economy as a whole.Indian Polity and Economy: A Mirror to Difficult Times, brings together some of Bardhan's articles written over the past five years on Universal Basic Income, the current political situation, and political-economy and policy, culminating in the recent pandemic period.
