A Discursive Dominance Theory of Economic Reform Sustainability: The Case of India

Chanchal Sharma ()

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: This article hypothesizes that economic reforms become sustainable when the discursive conditions prevailing in society tip against the existing paradigm under exceptional circumstances. Thus, unless the pro-liberalization constituencies dominate the development discourse, economic reforms, initiated under the exigencies of crisis and conditionalities, or carried out by a convinced executive with or without the stimulus of a crisis, will be reversed. The discursive conditions are determined based on eight factors: the dominant view of international intellectuals, illustrative country cases, executive orientations, political will, the degree and the perceived causes of economic crisis, attitudes on the part of donor agencies, and the perceived outcomes of economic reforms. The paper seeks to prove this “discursive dominance” hypothesis for the Indian case through a cross-temporal, comparative review of the evolution of economic policy in India over six different phases.

Keywords: India; Economic reforms; discursive conditions; discursive dominance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A10 E00 H83 O53 P00 P21 P3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008-01, Revised 2010
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published in India Review 10.2(2011): pp. 126 -184

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