China and India are the two most extraordinary economic success stories of the developing world. Both the economies have grown dramatically over the past few decades, elevating them from two of the world's poorest countries into projected economic superpowers. As a result, the number of people living in poverty have rapidly fallen and per capita incomes in China and India have quadrupled and doubled, respectively.

This book investigates how the dynamics in the agricultural sector can help not only these two countries but all economies in transition. It shows how institutional reforms relating to land use and price policies can lead to high agricultural growth.

Contributed to by experts from India and China, this thematically clustered book offers a set of policy and strategic options for future growth and poverty reduction. These include setting the right priorities for public spending, identifying trade and market reforms, creating social safety nets for the poorest of the poor, and building accountable institutions that can effectively provide public goods and services.

One of the few to compare the sequence of reforms and their consequences in these two countries, this book concludes by examining future challenges to economic development in India and China, such as the need to ensure growth that is sustainable, equitable, and environmentally friendly.

The Dragon and the Elephant offers valuable insights for development specialists anxious to multiply the benefits experienced by two of the greatest economic successes in recent times.

The volume will be useful for agricultural research institutes, social and political scientists, implementation agencies, and post graduate students of development economics.