8 - The Patchwork State and Development

Summary

This chapter explores the consequences of patchwork forms of state authority on subnational development outcomes, primarily in India but also in Pakistan and Bangladesh. It presents two key mechanisms in state–society relations in the economy – commodification and investment – that have economic consequences for growth and human development. It then demonstrates the impact of the patchwork state on different measures of growth and human development, both between and within Indian states. It broadens this discussion out to consider South Asia in comparative perspective, explaining the starkly different trajectories of Pakistan and Bangladesh through the preponderance of different forms of governance. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the relationship among development, violence, and the patchwork state.