The Political Economy Of Uneven Economic Development In South Asia: Structural Inequalities, Institutional Constraints, And Pathways To Inclusive Economic Growth

Despite being one the world’s fastest-growing economic regions, the South Asian region continues to experience substantial disparities in economic development. The developmental benefits are fragmented and unequally distributed across regions and social groups. The gap exists on four different levels: regional, social, political and opportunity. The region remains one of the least economically integrated regions. The paper argues that inequality and uneven growth in the South Asian region do not result merely from a lack of resources rather they are directly influenced and shaped by the interaction of social, political, institutional, structural and economic forces. Understanding these multidimensional disparities requires a comprehensive view of the underlying structures and processes. The paper analyzes variations in economic performance while critically exploring the political and institutional mechanisms that influence resource distribution and access to opportunities. It examines the existing economic structures, the distribution of political power and institutional capacity that shape uneven economic and developmental outcomes across the region. Drawing on dependency theory, institutional economics and political economy perspectives, the study explains the structural constraints that impede inclusive economic development in South Asia. The study adopts a qualitative research design based on secondary sources, including scholarly literature, newspaper reports, archival material, development reports and selected case studies. It seeks to identify the deeply rooted structural inequalities, political and institutional constraints that hinder the realization of inclusive and balanced growth in the South Asian region. Keywords: Political Economy, Development, South Asia, Regional Disparity, Institutional Capacity, Political Processes, Economic Structures