A Political Economy of Agricultural Markets in South India: Masters of the Countryside Book

Market deregulation in Indian agriculture has been recently justified on the grounds that agricultural markets are competitive and efficient. This book explains why the assumption is incorrect and why deregulation may be dangerous both for efficiency and equity. Using extensive field research into the marketing system for five major commodities, and applying an approach grounded in institutional economics and political economy, author Barbara Harriss-White examines the technological and logistical systems defining agricultural markets. She analyzes the connections between money, labor, and land in agricultural markets, stressing the way in which power is institutionalized. In addition, A Political Economy of Agricultural Markets in South India reveals the roles of rent-seeking, tax evasion, and criminal activity in these complex systems. The analysis is historically grounded and provides policy options for regulation, technology, and employment under contemporary conditions of market reforms. A Political Economy of Agricultural Markets in South India will prove useful to students, scholars, and professionals in economics, agricultural economics, political economy, sociology, agricultural technology, and labor studies.Read More