#Review: Policies that Shaped Modern India by Madan Sabnavis

Madan Sabnavis’s Policies That Shaped Modern India is an accessible attempt to trace India’s economic journey through the policies that have influenced it, from the early years of planning and nationalisation to liberalisation, GST, monetary policy and the gradual move towards a more market-oriented economy. What makes the book particularly interesting is its effort to connect economics with politics and public perception—the author’s idea of bridging the “2Ps: policies and politics” is one of the book’s more useful organising principles.

The book covers a substantial range of topics, including economic planning, fiscal policy, monetary policy, industrial policy, disinvestment, exchange rates and poverty alleviation. The chapters are relatively self-contained, making the book useful as a reference, although readers looking for a deeper theoretical treatment may find some discussions somewhat brief. At times, the sheer number of policies, dates and economic details makes the reading slightly dense.

Sabnavis writes in a straightforward, explanatory style, avoiding excessive jargon. There are moments of engaging observation, particularly when he discusses how political slogans and public narratives influence economic thinking. The prose, however, occasionally slips into a textbook-like rhythm, which takes away from the otherwise conversational quality.

The physical presentation is pleasing: the striking cover, clean typography and uncluttered layout make the book inviting, though the predominantly text-heavy pages could have benefited from more charts, timelines or visual summaries.

Overall, this is a thoughtful and informative account of India’s economic evolution—more analytical than entertaining, but valuable for readers interested in understanding how policy decisions have shaped contemporary India.

Find this book here.