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The Broken Ladder: The Paradox and the Potential of India's One Billion
Krishna presents a ground-up view of emergent realities, delving into the lives of ordinary individuals. Through decades-long investigations, while living in villages and slum communities, he reveals the eye-opening details of missed opportunities and the immense untapped talent that can be honed to enable tremendous consequences for growth and equity.
From presenting possible solutions to the problems of neediness and inequity to considering ways of fixing inequalities of opportunity, The Broken Ladder is a comprehensive account of development strategies in a fast-growing economy.
From presenting possible solutions to the problems of neediness and inequity to considering ways of fixing inequalities of opportunity, The Broken Ladder is a comprehensive account of development strategies in a fast-growing economy.
- GenresIndiaEconomicsNonfiction
416 pages, Hardcover
Published April 17, 2017
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244 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 8, 2019
I resisted reading this book for a long time - after all, reading about India's poverty and its poor state of governance is not going to be pleasant reading, right? But I was in for a surprise.
This book is written well - with simple language and a reader-friendly style to explain complex issues related to economics, public policy, health, education, poverty, urban-rural divide etc. So, yes, it talks of India's problems but in a refreshingly different way. It takes a ground-up view and ladders-up to the big-picture. (The author periodically stays in a village to get a first-hand feel of the issues he talks about.)
It strikes a fine balance between research-backed insights, personal anecdotes and recommendations for change. It also provides some points of comparison with other developing / developed countries.
I took off one star because the author tends to repeat some ideas and I think the book could be more concise . But that is a minor quibble in an otherwise fine, intelligent and humane book.
All Indians must read this book - you will never see the poor, the uneducated and the ill in the same way again.
This book is written well - with simple language and a reader-friendly style to explain complex issues related to economics, public policy, health, education, poverty, urban-rural divide etc. So, yes, it talks of India's problems but in a refreshingly different way. It takes a ground-up view and ladders-up to the big-picture. (The author periodically stays in a village to get a first-hand feel of the issues he talks about.)
It strikes a fine balance between research-backed insights, personal anecdotes and recommendations for change. It also provides some points of comparison with other developing / developed countries.
I took off one star because the author tends to repeat some ideas and I think the book could be more concise . But that is a minor quibble in an otherwise fine, intelligent and humane book.
All Indians must read this book - you will never see the poor, the uneducated and the ill in the same way again.
January 13, 2018
It's a fine book. It is about Poverty in India and author has tried to answer why even after so many decades since independence situation of poor haven't improved, especially in the rural areas. The author has used a combination of data and stories of different people to paint the picture of contemporary India and supplement his argument. As someone who has lived in the capital city throughout his life, I don't find any of story to be made up or unbelievable. It took me a lot of time in reading this book because my mind kept drifting to the people I know and have seen living the stories told in this book. The debt incurred because of illness, absentee schoolteachers and doctors, dollar and rupee economy, tiered system of governance. I, we, see it every day but don't think about any of it in great details. The author has provided all of those arguments and reasons in a structured form which would give more concreteness to our daily observations, and knowledge.
Also, the author didn't try to appeal to the emotion of the reader. I found it to be very objective and free from any bias or prejudice. I picked up this right after reading Looking Away, and Fatal Accidents of Birth by Harsh Mander and those two books were very emotional and heart-wrenching. So, initially, I found "The Broken Ladder" to be dry and devoid of emotions. But after a couple of chapters, it grew on me.
Lastly, poor, pardon my language, are f*cked. There's no hope for them in the current system, and the change needed in the system to accommodate their needs are too drastic. It would need the elites and powerful to first recognize the existence of the poor, accept the legitimacy of their needs and show some empathy. That would require them to cut a piece from their pie and share with poor and last time I checked they want to add more to their share of the pie, and they are never going to give any of to the welfare of the poor out of compassion. It would take something like the French or Russian revolution to make a difference.
Also, the author didn't try to appeal to the emotion of the reader. I found it to be very objective and free from any bias or prejudice. I picked up this right after reading Looking Away, and Fatal Accidents of Birth by Harsh Mander and those two books were very emotional and heart-wrenching. So, initially, I found "The Broken Ladder" to be dry and devoid of emotions. But after a couple of chapters, it grew on me.
Lastly, poor, pardon my language, are f*cked. There's no hope for them in the current system, and the change needed in the system to accommodate their needs are too drastic. It would need the elites and powerful to first recognize the existence of the poor, accept the legitimacy of their needs and show some empathy. That would require them to cut a piece from their pie and share with poor and last time I checked they want to add more to their share of the pie, and they are never going to give any of to the welfare of the poor out of compassion. It would take something like the French or Russian revolution to make a difference.
November 4, 2017
An excellent book by an expert in the field. Professor Krishna presents a very easy to read and thoughtful consideration of India's position, adding nuance to a space that often fails to realize the economic growth is not synonymous with widespread social mobility or poverty alleviation for all.
March 10, 2018
Anirudh Krishna
A young boy becomes the first graduate from his village, he ends up working as a mazdoor. A meritorious young girl, industrious but poor, ends up as a lab technician despite aiming to be a doctor. These 2 stories are but a strand taken from the thoroughly researched book by a bureaucrat turned academician Anirudh Krishna. The Broken Ladder brings forth the poignant reality of the diverse Indian society, it's faultlines, it's failures to give to its citizens equitability and equal opportunity.
The book brings forth terms like ‘dollar vs rupee economy’, ‘beyond 5 km villages’, ‘the blue rectangle people’ etc and their veracity and exigency is repeatedly attested by the stories that Krishna tells throughout the book- stories of his interaction with field officers, with high level bureaucrats, with motivated men and women running NGOs. However the stories that shine through in the book are his own stories- about the expel he meets traveling through myriad villages in his quest for research, the stories of his interaction with his fellow villagers. An IAS officer for 14 years Krishna turned to academia and resides in a remote village in Madhya Pradesh for a few days every year.
The book makes cogent arguments about a chasm between the urban and rural landscape, and weaves a narrative of how policy formulation too has disproportionately favoured the urban areas, or as he says the ‘dollar economy’. The book argues in favour of what has been proposed by Amartya Sen and Jean Dereze over the years that growth alone is not sufficient to bring millions out of poverty and individual capacity development remains the bedrock of welfare for all. Krishna highlights how attitudes and biases of policy making process towards the villages have played an important role in a skewed policy making and he needs to be congratulated on weaving a comprehensible and compelling narrative.
Krishna readily talks about wasted opportunities and wasted talents, and ascribes multiple factors to the hugely under-utilised potential of the country: unidimensional poverty alleviation policies, information void, absence of role models, indiscriminate focus on the dollar economy, absence of grasssroot institutions, lack of citizen participation in policy making and feedback to name a few. Having been in the system and seen the nitty gritties of bureaucratic glacial style of functioning, Krishna highlights how the state fails at serving the majority of the population. He remarks: ‘.. a distant state with opaque procedures. The task of state construction was left incomplete, with the chain of governance ending before reaching rural habitations,where a majority of people lived.’ He highlights the stratification of bureaucracy as how unmotivated,low level officials are left to deal with the ‘rupee economy’ and the higher strata of bureaucrats after to the ‘dollar economy’. The processes of the state are hierarchical, stratified, insular, and upward looking and approaching the state is both challenging and exhausting. Several intermediaries might help one helpless pensioner or a desperate farmer you facilitating his engagement with the state but it is more an exception than a norm and often comes at a price. This definitely cant be a reason to be proud of, after 70 years of independence.
Building and strengthening rural and grassroots institutions appears as a constant theme throughout the book. Krishna highlights the state of local institutions, if any, like panchayats and how the incomplete decentralisation has failed to achieve what was envisioned. Local institutions are fund deprived and depend on higher authorities or funds, are saddled with multitude of tasks spreading over several domains, and lack the local citizen participation due to many reasons, information void being one.
However poignant the narrative, the book has a fairly optimistic undertone telling us that not everything is lost. It makes compelling arguments in favour of greater decentralisation, active citizen participation in policy making and feedback, greater voice and flexibility to the on field officers. Krishna warns against any knee jerk reaction, the banners of which are raised fairly often these days such as the privitatisation of public sector banks. Exiting the state is not a good strategy, restructuring existing system is. Last mile institutions have not been built and the service delivery and the accountability link between citizens and service providers operate only indirectly. Addressing this crucial broken link is essential because this is where the policy rubber meets the road. A one size fits approach is a recipe to failure and regional sensibilities and unique conditions will have to be taken into consideration while undertaking a progressive experimentation.
The book is thoroughly researched, informative and evokes sympathy for the millions who fail to achieve there potential because of the ‘broken ladder’ and another million who don’t even know whether there’s a ladder. It makes a compassionate argument to strengthen the processes of the state to strengthen democracy for democracy is real when its benefits and opportunities are available to all- at their doorsteps and without any cost.
Personal disclaimer: this book needs to be read and re-read and to make notes from. It’s informations are priceless.
A young boy becomes the first graduate from his village, he ends up working as a mazdoor. A meritorious young girl, industrious but poor, ends up as a lab technician despite aiming to be a doctor. These 2 stories are but a strand taken from the thoroughly researched book by a bureaucrat turned academician Anirudh Krishna. The Broken Ladder brings forth the poignant reality of the diverse Indian society, it's faultlines, it's failures to give to its citizens equitability and equal opportunity.
The book brings forth terms like ‘dollar vs rupee economy’, ‘beyond 5 km villages’, ‘the blue rectangle people’ etc and their veracity and exigency is repeatedly attested by the stories that Krishna tells throughout the book- stories of his interaction with field officers, with high level bureaucrats, with motivated men and women running NGOs. However the stories that shine through in the book are his own stories- about the expel he meets traveling through myriad villages in his quest for research, the stories of his interaction with his fellow villagers. An IAS officer for 14 years Krishna turned to academia and resides in a remote village in Madhya Pradesh for a few days every year.
The book makes cogent arguments about a chasm between the urban and rural landscape, and weaves a narrative of how policy formulation too has disproportionately favoured the urban areas, or as he says the ‘dollar economy’. The book argues in favour of what has been proposed by Amartya Sen and Jean Dereze over the years that growth alone is not sufficient to bring millions out of poverty and individual capacity development remains the bedrock of welfare for all. Krishna highlights how attitudes and biases of policy making process towards the villages have played an important role in a skewed policy making and he needs to be congratulated on weaving a comprehensible and compelling narrative.
Krishna readily talks about wasted opportunities and wasted talents, and ascribes multiple factors to the hugely under-utilised potential of the country: unidimensional poverty alleviation policies, information void, absence of role models, indiscriminate focus on the dollar economy, absence of grasssroot institutions, lack of citizen participation in policy making and feedback to name a few. Having been in the system and seen the nitty gritties of bureaucratic glacial style of functioning, Krishna highlights how the state fails at serving the majority of the population. He remarks: ‘.. a distant state with opaque procedures. The task of state construction was left incomplete, with the chain of governance ending before reaching rural habitations,where a majority of people lived.’ He highlights the stratification of bureaucracy as how unmotivated,low level officials are left to deal with the ‘rupee economy’ and the higher strata of bureaucrats after to the ‘dollar economy’. The processes of the state are hierarchical, stratified, insular, and upward looking and approaching the state is both challenging and exhausting. Several intermediaries might help one helpless pensioner or a desperate farmer you facilitating his engagement with the state but it is more an exception than a norm and often comes at a price. This definitely cant be a reason to be proud of, after 70 years of independence.
Building and strengthening rural and grassroots institutions appears as a constant theme throughout the book. Krishna highlights the state of local institutions, if any, like panchayats and how the incomplete decentralisation has failed to achieve what was envisioned. Local institutions are fund deprived and depend on higher authorities or funds, are saddled with multitude of tasks spreading over several domains, and lack the local citizen participation due to many reasons, information void being one.
However poignant the narrative, the book has a fairly optimistic undertone telling us that not everything is lost. It makes compelling arguments in favour of greater decentralisation, active citizen participation in policy making and feedback, greater voice and flexibility to the on field officers. Krishna warns against any knee jerk reaction, the banners of which are raised fairly often these days such as the privitatisation of public sector banks. Exiting the state is not a good strategy, restructuring existing system is. Last mile institutions have not been built and the service delivery and the accountability link between citizens and service providers operate only indirectly. Addressing this crucial broken link is essential because this is where the policy rubber meets the road. A one size fits approach is a recipe to failure and regional sensibilities and unique conditions will have to be taken into consideration while undertaking a progressive experimentation.
The book is thoroughly researched, informative and evokes sympathy for the millions who fail to achieve there potential because of the ‘broken ladder’ and another million who don’t even know whether there’s a ladder. It makes a compassionate argument to strengthen the processes of the state to strengthen democracy for democracy is real when its benefits and opportunities are available to all- at their doorsteps and without any cost.
Personal disclaimer: this book needs to be read and re-read and to make notes from. It’s informations are priceless.
January 3, 2021
This a beautiful piece of work that places into context, how poverty is structured in India. It goes on to elaborate on how it has segmented the nation, connecting to it the globalised world while shedding light on the prevalence of a dual-economic fabric in the country --- a dollar based and a rupee based economy. It also talks about how poverty comes about in the lives of people, exhibiting it with stories from the ground. It highlights different reasons, right from economic, to social support that people need in order to defeat the poverty cycle.
The book goes onto argue on the need of micro level initiatives, through a worm-hole perspective to tackle the diverse causes of poverty in line with the ground realities. It further delves deep into the role the state machinery has played, and can play in alleviating poverty. The book elucidates on the gaps in the bureaucratic response that has come about, arguing for the need to empower and strengthen response at the service delivery points through proper decentralisation and devolution of powers. It further makes a case of institutional innovations and grass-root level institutions that are required and a plethora of systemic changes that are needed to combat inequality, and tackle the poverty cycle.
The book goes onto argue on the need of micro level initiatives, through a worm-hole perspective to tackle the diverse causes of poverty in line with the ground realities. It further delves deep into the role the state machinery has played, and can play in alleviating poverty. The book elucidates on the gaps in the bureaucratic response that has come about, arguing for the need to empower and strengthen response at the service delivery points through proper decentralisation and devolution of powers. It further makes a case of institutional innovations and grass-root level institutions that are required and a plethora of systemic changes that are needed to combat inequality, and tackle the poverty cycle.
October 23, 2017
We read about bureaucrats who are part-confused and part-duplicitous and rue the sordid state of policy-makers in India. After reading Anirudh Krishna's book, you would like to cherish them and give them an edge, a soft-squish corner in a corner of your heart – for what unwitting nonsense this clown emetically theorizes!
Sample his arguments:
-"There's no guarantee that economic growth in a country will help resolve its poorer people's problem."
-"..But it is not only in poorer and largely agrarian nations, such as India, or Guatamela or Kenya where global economic integration has been accompanied by growing polarization. Among the richer countries too, the promise of free trade (sic) has been marred by increasing joblessness and employment insecurity."
I did not bother to read this book cover to cover. There is only so much of nonsense you can read in a lifetime. I am not to cast invectives, but the realization that this clown is now a professor is a sham!
Sample his arguments:
-"There's no guarantee that economic growth in a country will help resolve its poorer people's problem."
-"..But it is not only in poorer and largely agrarian nations, such as India, or Guatamela or Kenya where global economic integration has been accompanied by growing polarization. Among the richer countries too, the promise of free trade (sic) has been marred by increasing joblessness and employment insecurity."
I did not bother to read this book cover to cover. There is only so much of nonsense you can read in a lifetime. I am not to cast invectives, but the realization that this clown is now a professor is a sham!
May 22, 2024
The book is well-researched and makes a few very pertinent point. The core principles are well laid out and should help everyone reading the Book. However, the book (after 60% of the book) ends up repeating the points several times and I began to lose interest. The book could have been edited better and needs an update on the data points. I would give it a 3.5 star ..it is one of those books that has an impact but could have been far more impactful had it been condensed.
July 1, 2017
A thorough and empathic analysis of poverty in India. The author combines great story telling with well researched facts, figures and analysis to help us get a true picture of the poor in India. He then has specific suggestions on what can be done to improve the situation. Should be widely read by the general public as well as those in power.
September 30, 2019
Thorough macroeconomic analysis of India's poverty including key drivers, mobility and solutions. It was hard to put down
December 6, 2019
This is a must read for any Indian.
June 24, 2018
It is important for any student of the development sciences to get an on-ground perspective of maladies that plague the community. In this regard, Anirudh Krishna’s narrative is a true success. I would highly recommend this for all grad students of economics, policy, education and public health.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews