This article uses the annual estimates of the human development index (HDI) prepared by the Global Data Lab of the Radboud University of The Netherlands to analyse the progress of human development in India during 1990–2015. The analysis reveals that human development in the country remains comparatively low by global standards and there are considerable variations in human development across states/union territories, although there is evidence of convergence in human development across states/union territories. The decomposition of the improvement in the HDI indicates that the progress in human development in the country has primarily been the result of the progress in the education dimension whereas the contribution of the progress in the dimension of health or well-being has been the smallest. The article calls for redesigning the National Sample Survey to generate data necessary for the estimation of the HDI on an annual basis at national and state/union territory level.
AnandS., & SenA. (1992). Human development index: Methodology and measurement (Human Development Report Office Occasional Paper No. 12). New York, NY: United Nations Development Programme.
2.
AngB. W. (2016). A simple guide to LMDI decomposition analysis. Singapore: Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, National University of Singapore.
3.
BooysenF. (2002). An overview and evaluation of composite indices of development. Social Indicators Research, 59(2), 115–151.
4.
CastlesI. (1998). The mismeasure of nations: A review essay on the Human Development Report 1998. Population and Development Review, 24(4), 831–845.
5.
ChaurasiaA. R. (2013). Social class and residential disparities in human development in Madhya Pradesh. Indian Journal of Human Development, 7(2), 275–299.
6.
DasguptaP., & WealeM. (1992). On measuring the quality of life. World Development, 20(1), 119–131.
7.
DesaiM. (1991). Human development: Concepts and measurement. European Economic Review, 35(2–3), 350–357.
8.
DoesselD. P., & GounderR. (1991). International comparisons of the standards of living and the human development index (Discussion Papers in Economics No. 72). Brisbane: Department of Economics, University of Queensland.
9.
DoriusS. F. (2008). Global demographic convergence? A reconsideration of changing inter-country inequality in fertility. Population and Development Review, 34, 519537.
10.
FriedmanM. (1992). Do old fallacies ever die?Journal of Economic Literature, 30, 2129–2132.
11.
GhislandiS., SandersonW. C., & ScherbovS. (2019). A simple measure of human development: The human life indicator. Population and Development Review, 45(1), 219–233.
12.
GhoshM. (2006). Economic growth and human development in Indian states. Economic & Political Weekly, 41(30), 3321–3329.
13.
GopalkrishnaB. V., & RaoJ. (2012). Economic growth and human development: The experience of India states. The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 47(4), 634644.
14.
Government of India (2002). National Human Development Report 2001. New Delhi: Planning Commission.
15.
Government of India (2010). Human development in India. Analysis to action. New Delhi: Planning Commission.
16.
Government of India (2011). India Human Development Report 2011: Towards social inclusion. New Delhi: Institute of Applied Manpower Research.
17.
Government of India (2015). Human development towards bridging inequalities. New Delhi: NITI Ayog.
18.
HaqM. (1999). Reflections on human development. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
19.
HicksD. A. (1997). The inequality-adjusted human development index: A constructive proposal. World Development, 25(8), 1283–1298.
20.
HopkinsM. (1991). Human development revisited: A new UNDP report. World Development, 19(10), 1469–1473.
21.
KelleyA. C. (1991). The human development index: Handle with care. Population and Development Review, 17(2), 315–324.
22.
KovacevicM. (2010). Review of HDI critiques and potential improvements (Human Development Research Paper No. 2010/33). New York, NY: Human Development Report Office, United Nations Development Programme.
23.
LindN. C. (1992). Some thoughts on the human development index. Social Indicators Research, 27(1), 89–101.
24.
LüchtersG., & MenkhoffL. (1996). Human development as a statistical abstract. World Development, 24(8), 1385–1392.
25.
LutzW., & GoujonA. (2004). Literate life expectancy: Charting the progress in human development. In LutzW., SandersonW. C. & ScherbovS. (Eds.), The end of world population growth in the 21st century: New challenges for human capital formation and sustainable development (pp. 159–186). London: Earthscan.
26.
McGillivrayM. (1991). The human development index: Yet another redundant composite development indicator?World Development, 19(10), 1461–1468.
27.
McGillivrayM. (1992). Measuring development: A statistical critique of the UNDP’s human development index (Working Paper Series No. 135). The Hague: Institute of Social Studies.
28.
MukherjeeS., & ChakrabortyD. (2010). Is there any relationship between economic growth and human development? Evidence from Indian states (MPRA Paper No. 22997). Retrieved from https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/22997/
29.
PoorterA., & van der WerfA. (1998). Is inherent variation in RGR determined by LAR at low irradience and by NAR at high irradience? A review of herbaceous species. In LambersH., PoorterH. & Van VuurenM. M. L. (Eds.), Inherent variation in plant growth: Physiological mechanisms and ecological consequences (pp. 309–336). Leiden: Backhuys.
30.
PyattG. (1991). Poverty: A wasted decade. European Economic Review, 35(2–3), 358–365.
31.
QuahD. (1993). Gallon’s fallacy and tests of convergence hypothesis. Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 95, 427–443.
32.
RamirezA., RanisG., & StewartF. (1998). Economic growth and human development (Working Paper No. QEHWPS 18), Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford, Oxford.
33.
RanisG. (2004). Human development and economic growth. New Heaven, CT: Yale University, Economic Growth Centre. Discussion Paper No; 887.
34.
RaoV. V. B. (1991). Human development report 1990: Review and assessment. World Development, 19(10), 1451–1460.
35.
RavallionM. (1997). Good and bad growth: The human development reports. World Development, 25(5), 631–638.
36.
ReddyT. K. (2009). Progress of human development in India. Journal of Social Science, 18(1), 13–19.
37.
SagarA. D., & NajamA. (1998). The human development index: A critical review. Ecological Economics, 25(3), 249–264.
38.
SaxenaS., & DebM. (2016). Economic growth and human development in Indian states after two decades of economic reforms (MPRA Paper No. 71128). Retrieved from https://mpra.ub.unimuenchen.de/71128/
39.
SmitsJ., & PermanyerI. (2019). Data descriptor: Sub-national human development database. Scientific Data, 6, 190038.
40.
SrinivasanT. N. (1994). Human development: A new paradigm or a reinvention of the wheel?American Economic Review, 84(2), 238–243.
41.
StreetenP. (1995). Human development: The debate about the index. International Social Science Journal, 47(1), 25–37.
42.
Trabold-NüblerH. (1991). The human development index: A new development indicator?Intereconomics, 26(5), 236–243.
43.
United Nations (1990). Human Development Report 1990. New York, NY United Nations Development Programme.
44.
United Nations (2018). Human development indices and indicators: 2018 statistical update. New York, NY: United Nations Development Programme.
45.
WolffH., ChongH., & AuffhammerM. (2011). Classification, detection and consequences of data error: Evidence from the human development index. The Economic Journal, 121(553), 843–870.
46.
WrightI. J., & WestobyM. (2001). Understanding seedling growth relationships through specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen concentration: Generalisations across growth forms and growth irradiance. Oecologia, 127(1), 21–29.
