Communist Ideals to Capitalist Realities
Uncovering Kerala Model’s Struggle with Foreign Aid(ed) Dependency and Disempowerment of the Marginalized
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7514745 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Antony Jacob Sebastian (0009-0004-1890-6422, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 286-300 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Asian and African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-9096 • E-ISSN: 1745-2538 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00219096241290189 |
| OpenAlex | W4403798305 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 39 |
This article analyses Kerala’s development model through dependency theory, highlighting its reliance on foreign aid and consequent policy constraints. It examines how tied loans eroded Kerala’s policy autonomy and social model, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups. The state’s financial crisis and strained central relations led to accepting loans with neoliberal conditionalities, undermining welfare policies. Using the World Bank-funded Jalanidhi project as a case study, it contextualizes Kerala’s aid dependence within global capitalism, where aid often acts as “euphemized domination.” It reveals the model’s vulnerabilities, interlinked with exploitative global relations, and advocates for economic restructuring fostering self-reliance and people-centered development
Communism · Dependency (UML · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Gender Studies · Indian Economic and Social Development · International Development and Aid · Law · Social and Economic Development in India
Who Gives Foreign Aid to Whom and Why?
Runaway World
Development Theory
Geography of inequality, geography of development
Contemporary Dalit Assertions in Kerala
Effects of Foreign Aid on Income through International Trade
Continuity and change in Indian fiscal federalism
Asian Development Bank, policy conditionalities and the social democratic governance
A methodological analysis of dependency theory
Does foreign aid harm political institutions
The Poverty Curtain
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa
How “Water for All!” policy became hegemonic
The perils of social development without economic growth
The Sage Handbook of Asian Foreign Policy
The Uses and Abuses of Foreign Aid
The logic of dependency theory revisited
Development of Underdevelopment or Underdevelopment of Development in China
The Persistent Adivasi Demand for Land Rights and the Forest Rights Act 2006 in Kerala, India
Dependency Theory - A Conceptual Lens to Understand China's Presence in Africa
Reconceptualizing Foreign Aid
Kerala's experience of development and change
The Kerala Model
The Embourgeoisement of the Kerala Farmer
Intensifying Global Dependency
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |