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Book Review: Poverty and Exclusion of Minorities in China and India by A.S. Bhalla and Dan Luo

In recent years, the impressive success of economic development has been a familiar theme of comparative studies of China and India. The book under review by A.S. Bhalla and Dan Luo has, in contrast, thrown light on some of the gloomiest aspects of the two societies—the poverty and exclusion of minorities in the two countries—subjects generally considered as drab and uninteresting by economists who prefer focusing on just the spectacular growth story of China and India. The focus of this work is nevertheless, very relevant in the present context because themes like ‘Splendid China’ and ‘Shining India’ often make us oblivious about the actual problems of the two societies. Purely economic development devoid of proper distributive mechanism generally contributes to social exclusions and both China and India have been suffering from some of the same maladies. Many studies have revealed that the major victims of social exclusion due to economic development are the most impoverished and vulnerable sections of the society—namely, the groups identified with ethnicity, religion, caste and gender. Bhalla’s and Dan’s book has made a good attempt at illustrating and analysing discrimination and exclusion of social and religious minorities in China and India. The book is exceptional for several reasons. There have been very few comparative studies done on poverty and inequality in China and India and comparative studies on Chinese and Indian minorities are even fewer. A.S. Bhalla’s earlier book with another Chinese scholar Qiu Shufang titled Poverty and Inequality among Chinese Minorities (2006) made some observations regarding minority literacy rates for China’s provinces (Gansu, Qinghai and Tibet) and about those of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in poor Indian states. Poverty and Exclusion of Minorities in China and India is the first complete study on minority issues in the two countries from a comparative perspective. The authors have done a commendable job by undertaking research in the two less explored areas—minority economy in China and India and the comparative study of Chinese and Indian minorities with special reference to the poverty situation in Xinjiang and Tibetan areas of China and the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.