Class and Inequality in China and India, 1950-2010

China and India have long been central to the world economy. Two and a half centuries ago, they contributed 50 percent of the world output; after suffering a decline thereafter, their share fell to a paltry 9 percent in 1950 but has since resurged to over 25 percent today. Their growth and inequality experiences have had strikingly similar trajectories following India's independence (1947) and the Chinese revolution (1949). This book offers novel insights by meticulously analyzing the Chine...