> >Yes, I agree with that. Much depends, I suppose, on the yardsticks one
uses
> >to assess progress. e.g. Average life expectancy has gone up in the
> >developing world from 25 to 60 in 50 years. By that standard, almost
> >everyone is better off.
>
> What happened to the "race to the bottom" that you read about in
> almost every left-wing publication around?
I don't know what is exactly this "race to the bottom" that the Left is talking about. Is this absolute immiseration of working people thesis?
> What, if any, sectors of Indian society are worse off now than 10 years
ago?
It is hard to imagine significant sections of Indian society that are worse off in absolute terms. National Sample Surveys claim decline in the below poverty level population from 36% to 27% in 10 years. Literacy has gone up from 52% to 65%. Male literacy is 75%, it is due to lower female literacy at 55%, that the average is lower at 65%. Lower female literacy is due to gender inequality. It has little to do with GDP growth or imperialism !
Ulhas