Comparative Development Experiences of India and Its Neighbours — Practice

Question 1

The following table shows key indicators for India, China, and Pakistan (2022). Answer the questions below.

| Indicator | India | China | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDI | 0.633 | 0.768 | 0.544 |
| Life Expectancy (yrs) | 70 | 78 | 67 |
| Literacy Rate | 77% | 97% | 58% |

(a) Which country has the highest HDI? (b) What is the difference in life expectancy between China and Pakistan?

Accepted Answer

(a) China has the highest HDI at 0.768, followed by India at 0.633, and Pakistan at 0.544. China's high literacy rate (97%) and life expectancy (78 years) drive its HDI advantage. (b) China's life expectancy (78 years) minus Pakistan's (67 years) = 11 years difference. This reflects China's stronger investment in public healthcare and nutrition since the 1950s.

Question 2

Explain China's One-Child Policy. What were its objectives, outcomes, and why was it reversed?

Accepted Answer

**Objective**: Introduced in 1980, the One-Child Policy aimed to control China's rapidly growing population, reduce pressure on resources, and accelerate per capita income growth. The state enforced it through incentives (priority housing, education) and penalties (fines, job loss).

**Outcomes**: (i) Population growth rate fell to ~0.5% by 2000. (ii) Per capita income rose sharply as fewer dependents meant higher savings and investment. (iii) BUT — severe gender imbalance (sex-selective abortions led to 117 males per 100 females). (iv) Ageing population crisis — by 2050, China will have more pensioners than workers.

**Reversal**: The policy was relaxed to 2 children in 2015 and 3 children in 2021 because China faces a demographic crisis — shrinking working-age population threatens its economic growth model.

Question 3

Compare and contrast the development strategies adopted by India and China since independence. Why has China grown faster? Is India's slower but democratic growth model sustainable?

Accepted Answer

**Starting point**: Both countries gained independence around 1947–49 with similar per capita incomes and development challenges (poverty, illiteracy, low industrialisation).

**China's Strategy**: (i) 1950s–1970s: Soviet-style command economy — collectivisation, state ownership, rapid industrialisation. (ii) 1978 Deng Xiaoping reforms: decollectivised agriculture (household responsibility system), Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for FDI, export-led growth. (iii) China joined WTO in 2001 — became 'the world's factory.' Result: GDP grew 8–10% annually for 30 years; lifted 800 million out of poverty.

**India's Strategy**: (i) Mixed economy — public sector in heavy industry, private sector in consumer goods. (ii) Five-Year Plans, import substitution. (iii) 1991 LPG reforms — liberalised trade and FDI. (iv) Growth accelerated to 7–8% post-2000, driven by services (IT, software) rather than manufacturing.

**Why China grew faster**: (i) Authoritarian system enabled rapid policy implementation without political opposition. (ii) Massive FDI in manufacturing — China became export powerhouse. (iii) One-Child Policy created demographic dividend. (iv) Land reforms increased agricultural productivity quickly.

**India's model**: Slower but more stable — democratic consensus makes policy more durable. India's growth based on human capital (services) is less vulnerable to trade wars. India's demographic dividend (young population) will support growth through 2040s. Both models have trade-offs — China's speed came at the cost of political freedom and human rights.

Practice — Comparative Development Experiences of India and Its Neighbours

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