The well-known 'Kerala model' of development has been the focus of discussion for the past several years and the first edition of this book, published in 1999, was a significant contribution to that debate.

This revised edition focuses not so much on the more well-researched determinants of Kerala's success but on the hitherto ignored economic backwardness of the state, the economic reforms implemented since the early 1990s, the broad economic changes during the 1990s, and the economic problems and development issues facing Kerala today.