Uttar Pradesh: Political Economy of Backwardness

The present article seeks to explain the backwardness of Uttar Pradesh (UP) from a political economy perspective. It argues that the upper castes have exercised a dominant and continuous impact on the politics and economics in UP as they control the economic resources and have a large presence in the bureaucracy and the government. They have ensured that the state policies protect and promote their interests. It was in their interest to see that the other backward classes (OBCs) and dalits remain in a subordinate position, and little was done to improve their economic and educational status. As a result of political fragmentation in the state, the quality of governance has rapidly declined in UP, particularly after 1991. The poor quality of governance—coupled with the poor law-and-order situation, increased corruption and misdirected and wasteful public expenditure—results in the poor implementation of programmes and leakages that hamper the development of the state and restrict benefits from reaching the intended beneficiaries. The article advocates a human development strategy for inclusive development of the state.