Trevor Swan and Indian planning: the lessons of 1958/59
Date
2017
Authors
Cornish, Selwyn
Jha, Raghbendra
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
UNSW Press
Abstract
Trevor Swan is commonly considered to be Australia’s most distinguished
economist. As part of a visiting professorship at MIT during
1958–59 he spent nine months in India to assist in the formulation
of India’s third five-year plan and to contribute to the development
of India’s premier research institutions. This paper provides an
account of his work in New Delhi. Swan’s closest associates were
Pitambar Pant from the Indian Planning Commission and Ian Little
who was visiting from Oxford. Swan had the view that India’s economic
problems should be clearly understood and the best policy
measures to address them should be devised. This varied considerably
from the practice of central planning and state control being
practiced in India at that time. Swan was unable to influence the
direction of economic policy in India, but the economy’s subsequent
performance would vindicate Swan’s views on how economic
development policy should have been conducted.
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Source
History of Economics Review
Type
Journal article