Monday, May 18, 2009
Posted at 6:46:00 PM
As the new UPA government prepares to start work, we can expect a fresh round of debates on urban versus rural growth. This paragraph from a recent essay by Robert C Allen, professor of economic history at Oxford University, provides food for thought. He is writing about the Industrial Revolution in Europe. "... the growth of cities and the high wage economy stimulated agriculture. The strong demand for food and particularly meat, butter, and cheese led to the conversion of arable to pasture, convertible husbandry, and the production of fodder.