Gandhi’s Economic Thought

Gandhi's Economic Thought

1 Basics of Modern Economics

  1. Economic Thought before Economics
  2. Classical Economics
  3. Basics of Modern Economics

2 Critique of Modern Economics

  1. Critiques of economics discipline
  2. Critiques on British Economic Policy
  3. Gandhiโ€™s Critique of Modern Economics

3 Indigenous and External Influences

  1. Indigenous Influences (Ethical and Spiritual)
  2. Indigenous Influences (Persons)
  3. External Influences

4 Encounter with Colonialism and Poverty

  1. Colonialism (South Africa)
  2. Colonialism (India)
  3. Understanding Poverty

5 Bread Labour

  1. Ruskin on Work and Bread Labour
  2. Impact of Leo Tolstoy
  3. Manual Labour
  4. Intellectual Labour
  5. Motivation for Work
  6. Components of Labour
  7. Shadow Work and Subsistence Works
  8. Value-in-Use and Value-in-Exchange

6 Self-reliance and Self โ€“sufficiency

  1. Swadeshi, Swadharma, Swabhava
  2. Not against Foreign Trade
  3. Principle of Neighbourhood
  4. Self-reliance: A Moral Imperative
  5. Economics of Khadi
  6. Essence of Swadeshi
  7. Swadeshi: Some Misunderstandings
  8. Contemporary Relevance

7 Trusteeship

  1. Trusteeship – Roots in Indian Cultural Heritage
  2. Kinds of Property
  3. Spirit of Japanese Nobles (Samurai)
  4. State Regulated Trusteeship
  5. Trusteeship Formula
  6. Criticism

8 Preferences, Utilities and Wants

  1. Maximum Satisfaction from Limited Resources
  2. The Affluent Society
  3. Limitations of Human Wants
  4. Doctrine of Non-possession
  5. Criticism

9 Machinery and Industrialisation

  1. Gandhiโ€™s Concept of Machine
  2. Technique of Production: Man vs. Machine
  3. Industrialisation
  4. Gandhiโ€™s views on Industrialisation
  5. Small Industries in Industrialisation process in India

10 Economics of Non-Violence

  1. Meaning of Non-violence
  2. Sources of Violence in Economic Order
  3. Preparing for Nonviolent Direct Action and Economy
  4. Basis of Non-violent Economic Order
  5. Satyagraha-Technique of Non-violent Direct Action
  6. The Non-violent State

11 Khadi and Village Industries

  1. Industrial Civilisation
  2. Why Village Industries?
  3. Swadeshi, Sarvodaya and Constructive Programme
  4. Cottage Industries
  5. Spinning-Wheel (Handlooms and Weaving)
  6. Khadi/Khaddar Economics
  7. Other Village Industries

12 Gandhian Economists

  1. Principles of Gandhian Economics
  2. J.C.Kumarappa
  3. E F Schumacher
  4. J K Mehta
  5. Shriman Narayan

13 Decentralisation

  1. Decentralisation โ€“ Meaning and Dimensions
  2. Evils of Centralisation
  3. Advantages of Decentralisation
  4. Structure of Decentralisation- Gandhian approach
  5. Requirements for the Success of Decentralisation
  6. Decentralisation in India โ€“ Present Status

14 Agrarian Economy and Cooperatives

  1. Recent Global Development Scenario
  2. Agrarian Structure in India
  3. Growth Performance of Agriculture
  4. Technology
  5. Factors responsible for poor performance
  6. Indebtedness, Credit Markets and Institutions
  7. Challenges before Agriculture Sector
  8. Farmersโ€™ Suicides
  9. Question of Food Self-sufficiency, Security and Sovereignty
  10. Cooperatives in India
  11. Basic Elements of Co-operatives in India

15 Sustainable Economy and Social Justice

  1. Sustainable Economy โ€“ Its Significance
  2. Social Justice โ€“ Its Necessity
  3. India โ€“ Past Profile
  4. Measures for Social Justice and Sustainable Economy
  5. Social Justice in the Indian Economy
  6. Future perspectives

16 Paradoxes of Development and Gandhian Alternatives

  1. The Dominant Paradigm of Development
  2. Promises of Development
  3. Discontents with Dominant Paradigm and Revisions
  4. Deficiencies of the Dominant Paradigm of Development
  5. Paradoxes of the Modern Paradigm of Development
  6. Gandhian Alternative