State Government Expenditure in India ― The Impact on Basic Social Services

This book analyses the effectiveness of social services policy by state governments in India, particularly examining the public expenditure incurred on social services such as health and education. The book addresses two key questions: to what extent does the population size act as the main determining factor in guiding the expenditure allocation to provision of social services; and, secondly, to what extent is government spend transformed to the end results of better human development indicators.

Chapters focus on the budgetary allocations on social spending, different state policies, and the prioritisation of spending in one area over another. The book identifies existing constraints to effective spending and suggests remedial measures, as well as seeking to understand, from a financing perspective, how the Millennium Development Goals have been achieved in India.