A Sixth of Humanity: Independent India's Development Odyssey is a 2026 book on the developmental history of post independent India. It was written by economist Arvind Subramanian and political scientist Devesh Kapur[1].
The central theme of the book is that the Indian growth model presents a certain 'precociousness'[1] where democracy outpaced economic development and social change, and where service sector developed before the development of the manufacturing sector and so on[2]. It puts forward a four-fold framework of 'state, society, nation and markets' to analyse India's growth story[3].
The central problem, as identified by the authors, is statism, where people look at the state as the āprovider and protector"[4][3]. āToo much was asked of the state, too often and too soonā, write the authors. However, the work also notes that the state machinery in India is actually surprisingly small; India has almost half the number of police personnel per population as compared to England and Wales[2]; State employment as a percentage of the working-age population in India has been far below the global average[4]. The book contains rich comparative analyses of the many different trajectories traversed by different states in the country, and deals with how development is linked to interstate relations[2].
The Economist in its review noted that the book that runs into more than 600 pages adopts an approach where 'charts, arguments and catchy phrases' are used in abundance[2]. Tej Parikh, writing in the Financial Times, concluded that the authors provide "one of the most comprehensive analyses" of India's development journey to date[1].Pulapre Balakrishnan, writing in the Indian Express, criticised the authors stating that the work "is hobbled by the absence of a theoretical vision of growth"[5].
References[edit | edit source]
- ā 1.0 1.1 1.2 Parikh, Tej. Economics for the real world ā a provocative new playbook, plus Indiaās growth story. Financial Times. Retrieved on 2026-03-24
- ā 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "An audacious new book about a "precocious" country". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ā 3.0 3.1 Nayak, Pulin B. Mayi-baap development. Biblio. January-March 2026.
- ā 4.0 4.1 Aiyar, Yamini (2026-02-17). "The Cracks in the India Model". Foreign Affairs. Vol. 105, no. 2. ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ā "Why Devesh Kapur and Arvind Subramanian's 'A Sixth of Humanity' presents a flawed narrative of India's development". The Indian Express. 2026-01-04. Retrieved 2026-03-24.