Revitalizing the State

Why has there been an almost universal decline of the contemporary state? How can it be revitalized in order to make it responsive to the needs of ordinary people? Pradip Khandwalla begins by outlining four principal models of the state in the twentieth century: the interventionist welfare state; the developmental state; the `reinvented' entrepreneurial state; and the market-friendly state -- the World Bank model.

The author then proceeds to review the main reasons for state failure and success in Commonwealth and East Asian nations.

Finally, this topical and practical study proposes various strategies for strengthening the state in India and elsewhere.