Abstract
Scholarship on twentieth-century Asia suggests that political autonomy is a necessary condition
for economic growth, allowing regions to tailor and implement policies to their contextual needs.
This study will look empirically at the agriculture sector of the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh in
India. Himachal Pradesh achieved full statehood on January 25, 1971, evolving from a Union Territory
administered by the central government of India.
It consistently outperforms other Indian states in economic and human development indices such as
poverty alleviation, sanitation, and income per capita.
The study will draw on agricultural data collected from two sub-regions, Shimla and Kullu, spanning
from 1951 to 1991. It will comparatively look at the two decades preceding the transition to statehood
(1951-1971) against data from 1971-1991, the two decades following the transition, to explore whether
this juncture in political standing played a role in driving the change in the agriculture sector in the region.
Variables such as farm prices of crops, agricultural wages, area under different food crops, use of
machinery, yield of crops, and area under irrigation will be included in the assessment.