ECON 240
Colonialism and Underdevelopment in South Asia
Last Offered Spring 2002
Division II Writing Skills
This course is not offered in the current catalog

How did colonialism shape the evolution of the economies of South Asia? There is much controversy on this issue, beginning with whether the colonial economy really represented a radical break from the past. With this as our starting point, we will discuss major themes in this literature including the theory of “drain” (of economic surplus from the colonies), “deindustrialization” due to competition from cheap British manufactured goods, the impact of colonial legal institutions and land tenure arrangements, and colonial policies with respect to education, infrastructure, trade, and financial markets. The course will conclude with an assessment of the extent to which the economies of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh still reflect their colonial past, and the consequences thereof.