Culture and economic development in South Asia

The influence of culture on economic development in South Asia has drawn sc holarly interest since Max Weber argued that the rise of Protestantism abet ted the origination of capitalism, Weber claimed that the spirituality and other worldliness of Hinduism, along with its associated caste system, were not compatible with this new economic constellation. This sharp dichotomy posited by Weber and others has not been borne out by India's complex posti ndependence experience. Castes act as interest associations in India's demo cracy. India's labor force has become increasingly skilled and differentiat ed. From the Green Revolution onward, India's farmers have consistently rai sed yields to meet food needs. Large firms governed within joint families h ave succeeded in the domestic and global realms. South Asian culture and so cial patternings are best perceived as a multifarious resource out of which the subcontinent's future will be constructed rather than as universally s tultifying features.