<p>A guide to India’s continuing journey of reforms—that uncovers key priority areas and unlocks ideas and insights to shape a better tomorrow. This book attempts to provide perspectives and lessons from some of the most crucial influences and incidents that have impacted Indian public policies. While the thrust is on post-colonial era, many prescriptions from India’s centuries-old legacy of governance principles and policymaking are highlighted.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The book covers a breadth of policy subjects in eight themes, from justice delivery to economic planning, institutional governance to infrastructure creation. Short chapters and easy-to-read prose will aid readers keen to grasp the uniquely Indian story spiced with its own share of policy reform experiments, some bitter, some sweet. And hopefully, the information, insights and ideas in this book can be used as tools to drive change by all those who have a stake in India.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>“A fearless examination of intractable questions and a powerful narrative that imposes order on something as chaotic as a nation’s reform journey! Reason and Reform is a brilliant story of what brought India to where it is. The breadth of coverage is breathtaking; the authors tirelessly tease apart the first principles of reforms in domains as diverse as law and order, infrastructure, planning and the welfare state. Powerful, luminous, and full of charming anecdotes, this is a must-read for anyone curious about the Indian reform story and the learnings from the same.”<br /> <strong>&nbsp; &nbsp;— Krishnamurthy Subramanian</strong><br /> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <em>Chief Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance, Government of India</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“It is a cliche, but its true: India is a complex country. In fact, it is more of a continent, than a country, with more citizens than North America, Europe, Middle-east and North Africa combined! It is one of the oldest surviving ancient cultures, with roots that go deep into the hoary past. It has more variety than any other country in the world. It is an extremely difficult country to govern. To help us understand the challenges and choices that were made by our governments on the policy front, and the impact of those policies, Sanskrit scholar and ace economist Bibek Debroy, and his very able friend Diwakar Jhurani, have written this book. There can be no better team than this one to do so. They have a deep understanding of our history and ancient culture, and of course, unparalleled expertise on the principles of economic theory. The book has been structured into 8 themes with 40 short chapters to cover as much ground as possible. It gives one a bird’s eye view of as broad a canvas as possible. Read this book and understand India better! It’s a must read!”&nbsp;<br /> <strong>&nbsp; &nbsp;— Amish Tripathi</strong><br /> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<em>Bestselling author</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“A must-read for anyone interested in the history of governance and reform in post-Independence India. Replete with references to ancient Epics, colonial-era documents, and the seven decades of debates in the Indian Republic, it provides a kaleidoscopic view of the ideas and motivations of generations of reformers. My special interest is the section on the legal system as it deals with a function that should be at the heart of any State—but is an area that has arguably become the single biggest hurdle to India’s socio-economic future. I also commend the authors for deliberately taking the long view and turning a skeptical eye on currently fashionable ideas (such as UBI).“&nbsp;<br /> <strong>&nbsp; &nbsp;—Sanjeev Sanyal&nbsp;</strong><br /> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<em>Author, Principal Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance,<br /> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Government of India&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><strong>Bibek Debroy</strong> is an economist and an author. He has held many key positions in the Indian Government and currently serves as the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). Bibek has authored several books, papers and articles on a wide range of subjects including India’s Economic Development, Railways, and Legal Reforms. Bibek has also translated some of the most important Indian texts from Sanskrit to English such as the <em>Mahabharata</em> and <em>Ramayana</em>.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Diwakar Jhurani</strong> is a public policy professional. He has worked at the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India (EAC-PM) and currently works as a Senior Economic Adviser at the British High Commission in New Delhi. He is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University. Diwakar frequently writes on various policy subjects for various newspapers and journals.</p>