Good India, bad India

According to the report, the responsibility for the chasm between the two states lies with the ‘‘delivery of broad, universal services in Kerala’’ and the ‘‘clientelist, caste- and class-driven politics’’ of Uttar Pradesh. Not a particularly novel observation for India, but the two states are being held up to illustrate the difference service-related investments can make in banishing poverty.

The thesis is best borne out by the budgets of the two states. Over 44 years, education and health services accounted for a much higher share of public expenditure in Kerala compared to the allocation for public administration (see graphic). Just the reverse is true for Uttar Pradesh.

The first alarm bells are the indicators — from two different worlds — signifying dramatic differences in the quality of life for millions: Women born in Kerala live 20 years longer than those in UP; while Kerala has universal enrollment, one in three girls in Uttar Pradesh have never been to school. A primary health centre in Kerala left unstaffed for a few days may lead to public protests but a rural school in Uttar Pradesh can be non-functional for years and produce no significant protest. Seventy per cent of primary school teachers in Kerala are women, only 25 per cent are in Uttar Pradesh.

The question that the report tries to answer is simple: Why did Kerala succeed and UP did not? Some part of it is history — Kerala led in human development as long back as in 1956 and was associated with long-standing social movements against caste divisions and openness to foreign influence.

But scholars probing this quintessential dilemma refuse to place all the burden on history. There is proof that things have moved since the ’50s: Adult literacy has risen gone up from around 50 per cent in 1950 to more than 90 per cent. Life expectancy has gone up from 44 years to 74. In 1956, the Malabar region was lagging behind Travancore and Cochin, but today the difference have disappeared.

According to noted economists John Dreze and Amartya Sen, these factors played a crucial role in widening the gap between the two states:

•The early promotion of primary education and female literacy contributed to subsequent social development

•Gender equity and the agency of women have played a major role in Kerala’s success. UP has a long documented tradition of oppressive gender relations.

•Schooling, health and childcare differ sharply in scope, access quality and equitable incidences.

• Informed citizen action and political activism in Kerala seem to be crucial in organising poor people.

While Kerala budget shows a strong bent towards providing basic service, in UP, public expenditure in the early years were concentrated on state administration.

‘‘Public action can build on history, break from it, perpetuate it,’’ says the report. It talks of how private action loops back to influence public action. One set of reforms can lead to further institutional evolution. There is hope, if the government or the individuals want the change.