Endorsements for The Economy: A South Asian Perspective

‘The South Asian adaptation of The Economy by CORE will make the study of economics interesting and accessible to undergraduates all over the region. The first course in economics is often the last for many talented students. The CORE curriculum has changed that and the South Asian adaptation will allow our students to realize that economics is about them, not about people living thousands of miles away’ — Rohini Somanathan, Professor of Economics, Delhi School of Economics

‘CORE-South Asia is a remarkable endeavour. Arjun Jayadev and his colleagues actually care about the teaching of economics to students in India and the region, reflected in the care and effort devoted to adapting CORE’s general textbook and curriculum for South Asia. The themes and data are important and imaginatively chosen. Looking at the pedagogical products makes me want to be a student of economics all over again.’ — Arvind Subramanian, Senior Fellow, Brown University, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and Former Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India

‘The Economy: A South Asian Perspective has further enriched the already rich discussion in The Economy by CORE integrating special features of the South Asian region such as a large informal sector and low participation of women in economic activity. This edition uses Indian data and focuses on specific policy challenges such as stubble burning and air pollution or non-performing assets and illustrates the impact of major policy announcements, such as demonetisation. Kudos to the CORE South Asia team for improving on an already excellent project.’ — Ashwini Deshpande, Professor of Economics, Ashoka University and Director for Center for Economic Data and Analysis

‘The Economy by CORE was already a fantastic textbook, but the South Asian edition makes it even more accessible to South Asian students through some excellent examples and case studies. Economics is about how we can work together to achieve the larger common good. I hope this terrific textbook inspires a new generation of South Asian students to make that dream a reality.’ — Atif Mian, John H. Laporte, Jr. Class of 1967 Professor of Economics, Public Policy and Finance, Princeton University

‘The new TESA textbook is a wonderful addition to the CORE network. The textbook combines the real life and modern approach of teaching economics of CORE, with many practical examples for students from South Asia. This will be an invaluable learning tool for all those wanting to understand and grapple with the economic challenges facing South Asia.’ — Imran Rasul, Professor of Economics, University College London.

‘The Economy: A South Asian Perspective will be a game-changer in our academic discourse. For example, no other textbook discusses Unlimited Labour Supply theory and the emergence of informal markets using the decision making of a worker. The absence of structural transition in the Indian context was left unaddressed in undergraduate classes. It is a promising text book that can strengthen our foundation of Economics teaching and learning by enabling our students to embrace the challenges posed by the multitude of complexities in the South Asian context.’ — Gopika GG, Assistant Professor of Economics, University College, Trivandrum.

‘As South Asian scholars, we suffer from a “Wordsworth in the tropics” problem. The institutions that we encounter in our textbooks are alien to our experience. CORE’s TESA attempts to ameliorate this problem. Dual economy systems are key features of emerging economies where sectors with low productivity and high labour intensity coexist with sectors with high productivity and low labour intensity. TESA foregrounds the discussion of Lewisian economics and its critiques. South Asian students will also benefit from an approach that explicitly grapples with Asia’s fall in the share of world output in the colonial period. It also breaks with stereotypical notions in Indian textbooks, such as the idea that poor agricultural productivity is necessarily a result of sharecropping and other ‘inefficient’ traditional systems. I look forward to exploring TESA with my students. Being students of Journalism, they would also gain from listening to South Asian thinkers who they can access, and relate to.’ — Ruchira Sen Assistant Professor, Jindal School of Journalism and Communication, O.P. Jindal Global University