Dr Isher Judge Ahluwalia (1945–2020), one of India’s leading policy economists and a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award, was indeed a woman of substance. Her works spanned public policy, urban infrastructure and sustainable urbanization. To honour her impeccable achievements in the field of economic policy, noted economists have come together through a collection of papers titled A New Reform Paradigm: Festschrift in Honour of Isher Judge Ahluwalia. This book attempts to develop a blueprint for the reforms required to achieve rapid, inclusive and sustainable growth in India in a post-pandemic world.
A New Reform Paradigm seeks to bring together reflections by experts on how India has fared on some of the most critical dimensions of development—how we got here, where we are going from here and what we can do to change this course for the better. How we traverse the path ahead will be crucial not just to the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians but also for future generations. Contributions have been invited from economists and practitioners who have been closely associated with her at different points in her illustrious career. These reflections, we hope, will make for a befitting tribute to an intellectual giant who leaves behind a vast legacy of scholarly contributions to the Indian economy.