The Dragon and the Elephant: Agricultural and Rural Reforms in China and India by The books listed below about urban and rural issues, land use and slums are available in the Libraries' collections. Please note that this is a select list, and more books on the topic can be found by searching the Libraries' online catalog.
To find journal and magazine articles on the topic, use the "Journal Articles" tab above.
Slumming India: A Chronicle of Slums and Their Saviours, by Gita Dewan Verma. NY: Penguin Books, 2002. The author discusses the factors give rise to slums, including the lack of enforcement of land-use laws and indifference by the powerful. She also examines largely ineffective and sometimes counterproductive efforts to improve living conditions by international aid organizations. The book provides insight into the reasons slums are so common in Indian cities. [HV 4139 V47 2002]
Circular Migration and Multilocational Livelihood Strategies in Rural India, edited by Priya Deshingkar and John Farrington. NY: Oxford University Press, 2009. Temporary rural to urban migration has become a common phenomenon in India. This work examines the factors which cause millions of unskilled and semiskilled workers to leave the countryside to look for work in cities. [HB 2099 C57 2009]
The Village in India, edited by Vandana Madan. NY: Oxford University Press, 2002. Examines common characteristics and regional variations among Indian villages. [HD 2072 V55 2002]
Democracy, Development, and the Countryside: Urban-rural Struggles in India, by Ashutosh Varshney. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. The author makes the case that in India, unlike most developing nations, the rural population has dominated the political process. However, the author also sees rural influence as diminishing, due to growing religious and caste divides. [HN 690 Z9 C6846 1995]
Planet of Slums, by Mike Davis. London: Verso, 2005. This books explores global urban inequality and the rapid growth of urbanization. [HV 4028 D38 2006]
