paramjit singh | Panjab University, Chandigarh(India) (original) (raw)
Papers by paramjit singh
Imperialism and Punjab’s Peasantry: Then and Now
Critical Sociology, 2024
How to differentiate peasant classes in capital-intensive agriculture?
Journal of Agrarian Change, 2023
This paper highlights the relevance of Marxian class analysis to understand the changing nature o... more This paper highlights the relevance of Marxian class analysis to understand the changing nature of agrarian classes under capital-intensive agriculture. It is a methodological exercise that builds on Patnaik's labour exploitation index (E-criterion) in three major respects to construct a new index, namely, the Modified Labour Exploitation Index (MEI), to differentiate peasant classes. First and most important, it incorporates the role of mechanisation, which, so far, has been ignored in the methodological attempts to differentiate within the peasantry. Second, it underscores the importance of non-agricultural (and non-rural) bases of simple reproduction in the countryside by incorporating hired-out labour by agricultural households to the non-agricultural sector into the classification criteria. Finally, it makes surplus labour exploited through land leasing empirically testable by using Marx's differential and absolute rent to differentiate between subsistence and commercial leasing. The new index is then empirically tested using primary data collected from rural Haryana, India. The paper argues that MEI is an effective criterion for understanding changing class dynamics, the shifting modes of the livelihood of the poor peasantry and the largely hidden accumulation processes in agrarian societies.
Who Is Responsible for the Climate Crisis? A Perspective from the Global South
International Critical Thought, 2023
This article argues that insistence on adaptation to climate change, popularised by the rich nati... more This article argues that insistence on adaptation to climate change, popularised by the rich nations of the Global North, is crowding out discussions on mitigation strategies. Mitigation (or degrowth) is central to formulating a fair and collective strategy to tackle the climate crisis at the global scale. In this context, we have calculated the historical cumulative emissions, material footprints, and carbon debt, which are essential prerequisites to tackling the climate crisis. This article empirically proves that the Global North owes a huge carbon debt based on historical cumulative emissions. We estimate the carbon debt of all the outlier countries (carbon debtors) to be US$ 3127.28 trillion, of which the US (the United States) and EU (European Union, including 28 countries) owe US$ 1174.19 and US$ 771.90 trillion, respectively. The paper concludes that any adaptation policy requires settling this debt through directly financing adaptation operations in the poor countries of the Global South and effective mitigation (de-growth) policies in the Global North.
World Review of Political Economy, 2023
His area of interest includes critical development studies and Marxian political economy. He is t... more His area of interest includes critical development studies and Marxian political economy. He is the co-editor of Global Political Economy: A Critique of Contemporary Capitalism (2022). He has published widely in reputed international and national academic journals.
Sikh Formations, 2022
This paper situates peasant struggles in a larger context to unravel the consequences of the accu... more This paper situates peasant struggles in a larger context to unravel the consequences of the accumulated agrarian distress in Punjab. The Punjab peasantry has a rich legacy of resistance against the injustice of the statecraft. The all-inclusive character of the present peasant movement, to engage people across castes, classes, creeds, gender, regions, religions and ethnicity is an outcome of this legacy. Beyond these features, the significance of the movement also lies in the understanding of the protesting people about the importance of land, food sovereignty and the responsibility of the democratic state to ensure food security for the marginalized.
Economic and Political Weekly , 2022
Punjab Times, 2022
iksfnF ny lM my smy N qo N cw l irhf Go l afKrkfr ijw q ilaf pr hu x svfl hY ik ies qo N aglf kdm... more iksfnF ny lM my smy N qo N cw l irhf Go l afKrkfr ijw q ilaf pr hu x svfl hY ik ies qo N aglf kdm kI ho vy ? ies vkq smu w cy Bfrq ijs ivc pM jfb vI Èfiml hY , ivc Ky qI sM kt isKrF CU h irhf hY. mfVI gw l ieh ho eI hY ik lo kF dy hw k ivc KVH n df dfavf krn vfly bu w DIjIvI vI ies df hw l py È nhIN kr sky. ienH F aihm nu kiqaF bfry crcf nO jvfn ivdvfnF prmjIq isM G aqy prgt isM G ny ies ly K ivc kIqI hY. Au nH F aw j dy hflfq mu qfibk aY n inqfr ky gw l kIqI hY qy ies msly dIaF jVH F dI inÈfndy hI krn df Xqn kIqf hY. ies lM my ly K df pihlf ihw sf asIN pfTkF leI Cfp rhy hF. Ky qIbfVI sM kt, iksfn aM do ln aqy pfpU ilËm prmjIq isM G Po n: +91-94646-16395 prgt isM G Po n: +91-94178-62967 Bfrq ivc iksfnI aM do ln ny 1990 qo N bfad cly af rhy Ky qIbfVI Ky qr dy sM kt ƒ mu V Au jfgr kr idw qf hY. iksfnI aM do ln dI Bfrq srkfr du afrf pfs kIqy iqM n Ky qI kfƒnF ƒ vfps krfAu x dI ijw q Au nH F sfry lo kF dI ijw q hY ijnH F ny PfÈIvfdI aqy pU M jIvfdI qfkqF dy gTjo V dIaF Ky qIbfVI Ky qr ƒ kfrpo ry t hw QF ivc dy x dIaF nIqIaF ƒ Tw lH pf idw qI. ies ivc ko eI Èw k nhIN ik iksfnI aM do ln dI Èfndfr ijw q df ishrf iksfn aqy Ky q mËdU r jQy bM dIaF ƒ jFdf hY ijnH F ny
Indian Journal of Economics and Development, 2021
The present study attempted to present an alternative paradigm to understand the agrarian changes... more The present study attempted to present an alternative paradigm to understand the agrarian changes in Haryana. The findings of the
study highlighted that the introduction of neoliberal reforms during the 1990s gave way to the process of dispossession and
proletarianization in Haryana's agriculture. The class analysis of agrarian changes highlighted the increase in the use of market-based
agro-inputs and the incidence of indebtedness among all the peasant classes. There was persistence and continuity of a high
level of capitalisation and inequality among different peasantry classes. Hence, there is an urgent need for state intervention to
regulate the uncontrolled development of capitalism in Haryana's agriculture, which was not only harmful to sustainable
agricultural practices but also aggravated the problem of inequality among peasant classes
Neoliberal Capitalism and Misery of Small Peasantry and Agricultural Labourers in India
Human Geography
This article argues that, till date, a single paradigm dominates the discourse on agrarian crisis... more This article argues that, till date, a single paradigm dominates the discourse on agrarian crisis and farmers’ movement against the anti-farmer dictates of the Indian state. There is a pressing need for the organic intellectuals of the masses to build an alternative discourse to examine the agrarian crisis and its roots. To this end, the present article reasons that the neoliberal resolution of the agrarian crisis that the authoritarian-corporate nexus has imposed on the farming community will produce mass dispossession and displacement in India. It exposes the misery of traditional consciousness that rules over the current farmers’ movement in India. The article concludes that the agrarian crisis which is actually a crisis of small farmers and agricultural labourers requires modern consciousness for egalitarian and long-term resolution.
Demographic Dividend in the Age of Neoliberal Capitalism: An Analysis of Employment and Employability in India
Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 2021
After examining the concept of demographic dividend and in-depth analysis of the changing demogra... more After examining the concept of demographic dividend and in-depth analysis of the changing demographic profile of Indian population in a comparative framework, in this study it has been argued that the transformation of demographic potential into demographic dividend is predicated on the premise that India adopts state sponsored social-economic policy regime for public health and education for its youth to acquire skills which will be required in the twenty-first century and adopts macroeconomic policies which ensures optimal use of human resources. Otherwise demographic dividend will be a myth and a mirage.
World Review of Political Economy, 2020
Classical Theory of Imperialism and Contemporary Capitalism
Journal of Contemporary Asia, 2021
Despite its comprehensiveness, Lenin’s classical analysis of the imperialistic nature of capitali... more Despite its comprehensiveness, Lenin’s classical analysis of the imperialistic nature of capitalism deserves to be considered under a new lens. This article is an attempt to highlight some important features of late imperialism. While Lenin’s analysis is the focal point of critical inquiry, the article goes beyond his account to examine some important features of classical theory that remained unaddressed by Lenin. The attempt is to dialectically sublate Lenin’s theory with the analysis of contemporary imperialism. It is suggested that the mechanism of financial accumulation, concentration and centralisation of finance capital is broader than classical conception of finance capital. Another important driver of contemporary imperialism is the globalisation of industrial capital driven by transnational corporations and arm’s length production. The central feature of this new form of production is global monopoly capital resulting from combined interplay of concentration and internationalisation. The article also endeavours to understand the global proletarianisation of labour as a consequence of the accumulation at the world scale; a point only obliquely addressed by Lenin. The article concludes by comparing capitalism’s crisis and decay in Lenin’s analysis with the capitalism of present times.
International Critical Thought, 2021
This paper argues that the COVID-19 outbreak is a "nodal point" that will lead to certain irrever... more This paper argues that the COVID-19 outbreak is a "nodal point" that will lead to certain irreversible changes in the world economic and political order in the near future. These changes, however, will not only be an outcome of the current health pandemic, but also of the economic and political pandemics that have grown worse over a period of time. This paper identifies two far-reaching consequences of the accumulating pandemics that have the potential to lead the world towards a qualitatively better future. The first is the possible death of neoliberal capitalism that will lead to higher state intervention. The second is the end of the unipolar imperialist world order and subsequent emergence of a bipolar world with a rising China as a probable occupant of the non-imperialist pole. Both these outcomes are subject to the people's resistance for a better future, and China's alacrity in undermining the hegemony of imperialist-led globalization.
Studies in Political Economy, 2020
India has been at a precarious crossroad since 2014. Prime Minister Modi, who stands as a symbol ... more India has been at a precarious crossroad since 2014. Prime Minister Modi, who stands as a symbol of the alliance between Right-wing extremist forces and neoliberal capital, has not only undermined the political freedom of the citizens of this country, but also annihilated the economic sovereignty of the nation. A Right-wing extremist state has tightly controlled the political sphere in order to submit the economic sphere to monopoly capital. The Modi government has given birth to a twofold crisis in the country: recessionary tendencies in the economy and political unfreedom in the society. This paper deals with the economic consequences of the aforementioned alliance.
Capitalist Mode of Production: A Basic Interpretation
Global Political Economy: A Critique of Contemporary Capitalism, 2020
Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, 2020
This article addresses the dynamics between three interrelated questions of agrarian transition i... more This article addresses the dynamics between three interrelated questions of agrarian transition in Punjab. The first concerns the role and nature of the state and the market mechanism for the transformation of traditional agriculture into its capitalist counterpart, by the development of the productive forces and changes in production structure. The second dwells on the impact of the state-driven capitalism on the production structure of agriculture and its contradictions. The third deals with the process of class formation and the precise nature of emerging classes in rural Punjab.
Journal of Asian and African Studies , 2020
Despite impressive performance in terms of GDP growth after the introduction of neoliberal reform... more Despite impressive performance in terms of GDP growth after the introduction of neoliberal reforms, India continues to be the home of the largest number of hungry people in the world. The present paper is an attempt to understand two interrelated issues in this context: the impact of neoliberal reforms on agricultural development and the implication of an open economic regime on food security in India. The study reveals that the austerity measures introduced by the state in the form of decline in capital formation and public sector expenditure in agriculture have undermined the livelihood of the majority of the population in India. The implementation of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Agriculture along with the retreat of the state in the name of fiscal discipline has significantly reduced the bargaining power of the peasants in general and the food security of the majority of the population in particular.
Economic and Political Weekly, 2020
Imperialism and Punjab’s Peasantry: Then and Now
Critical Sociology, 2024
How to differentiate peasant classes in capital-intensive agriculture?
Journal of Agrarian Change, 2023
This paper highlights the relevance of Marxian class analysis to understand the changing nature o... more This paper highlights the relevance of Marxian class analysis to understand the changing nature of agrarian classes under capital-intensive agriculture. It is a methodological exercise that builds on Patnaik's labour exploitation index (E-criterion) in three major respects to construct a new index, namely, the Modified Labour Exploitation Index (MEI), to differentiate peasant classes. First and most important, it incorporates the role of mechanisation, which, so far, has been ignored in the methodological attempts to differentiate within the peasantry. Second, it underscores the importance of non-agricultural (and non-rural) bases of simple reproduction in the countryside by incorporating hired-out labour by agricultural households to the non-agricultural sector into the classification criteria. Finally, it makes surplus labour exploited through land leasing empirically testable by using Marx's differential and absolute rent to differentiate between subsistence and commercial leasing. The new index is then empirically tested using primary data collected from rural Haryana, India. The paper argues that MEI is an effective criterion for understanding changing class dynamics, the shifting modes of the livelihood of the poor peasantry and the largely hidden accumulation processes in agrarian societies.
Who Is Responsible for the Climate Crisis? A Perspective from the Global South
International Critical Thought, 2023
This article argues that insistence on adaptation to climate change, popularised by the rich nati... more This article argues that insistence on adaptation to climate change, popularised by the rich nations of the Global North, is crowding out discussions on mitigation strategies. Mitigation (or degrowth) is central to formulating a fair and collective strategy to tackle the climate crisis at the global scale. In this context, we have calculated the historical cumulative emissions, material footprints, and carbon debt, which are essential prerequisites to tackling the climate crisis. This article empirically proves that the Global North owes a huge carbon debt based on historical cumulative emissions. We estimate the carbon debt of all the outlier countries (carbon debtors) to be US$ 3127.28 trillion, of which the US (the United States) and EU (European Union, including 28 countries) owe US$ 1174.19 and US$ 771.90 trillion, respectively. The paper concludes that any adaptation policy requires settling this debt through directly financing adaptation operations in the poor countries of the Global South and effective mitigation (de-growth) policies in the Global North.
World Review of Political Economy, 2023
His area of interest includes critical development studies and Marxian political economy. He is t... more His area of interest includes critical development studies and Marxian political economy. He is the co-editor of Global Political Economy: A Critique of Contemporary Capitalism (2022). He has published widely in reputed international and national academic journals.
Sikh Formations, 2022
This paper situates peasant struggles in a larger context to unravel the consequences of the accu... more This paper situates peasant struggles in a larger context to unravel the consequences of the accumulated agrarian distress in Punjab. The Punjab peasantry has a rich legacy of resistance against the injustice of the statecraft. The all-inclusive character of the present peasant movement, to engage people across castes, classes, creeds, gender, regions, religions and ethnicity is an outcome of this legacy. Beyond these features, the significance of the movement also lies in the understanding of the protesting people about the importance of land, food sovereignty and the responsibility of the democratic state to ensure food security for the marginalized.
Economic and Political Weekly , 2022
Punjab Times, 2022
iksfnF ny lM my smy N qo N cw l irhf Go l afKrkfr ijw q ilaf pr hu x svfl hY ik ies qo N aglf kdm... more iksfnF ny lM my smy N qo N cw l irhf Go l afKrkfr ijw q ilaf pr hu x svfl hY ik ies qo N aglf kdm kI ho vy ? ies vkq smu w cy Bfrq ijs ivc pM jfb vI Èfiml hY , ivc Ky qI sM kt isKrF CU h irhf hY. mfVI gw l ieh ho eI hY ik lo kF dy hw k ivc KVH n df dfavf krn vfly bu w DIjIvI vI ies df hw l py È nhIN kr sky. ienH F aihm nu kiqaF bfry crcf nO jvfn ivdvfnF prmjIq isM G aqy prgt isM G ny ies ly K ivc kIqI hY. Au nH F aw j dy hflfq mu qfibk aY n inqfr ky gw l kIqI hY qy ies msly dIaF jVH F dI inÈfndy hI krn df Xqn kIqf hY. ies lM my ly K df pihlf ihw sf asIN pfTkF leI Cfp rhy hF. Ky qIbfVI sM kt, iksfn aM do ln aqy pfpU ilËm prmjIq isM G Po n: +91-94646-16395 prgt isM G Po n: +91-94178-62967 Bfrq ivc iksfnI aM do ln ny 1990 qo N bfad cly af rhy Ky qIbfVI Ky qr dy sM kt ƒ mu V Au jfgr kr idw qf hY. iksfnI aM do ln dI Bfrq srkfr du afrf pfs kIqy iqM n Ky qI kfƒnF ƒ vfps krfAu x dI ijw q Au nH F sfry lo kF dI ijw q hY ijnH F ny PfÈIvfdI aqy pU M jIvfdI qfkqF dy gTjo V dIaF Ky qIbfVI Ky qr ƒ kfrpo ry t hw QF ivc dy x dIaF nIqIaF ƒ Tw lH pf idw qI. ies ivc ko eI Èw k nhIN ik iksfnI aM do ln dI Èfndfr ijw q df ishrf iksfn aqy Ky q mËdU r jQy bM dIaF ƒ jFdf hY ijnH F ny
Indian Journal of Economics and Development, 2021
The present study attempted to present an alternative paradigm to understand the agrarian changes... more The present study attempted to present an alternative paradigm to understand the agrarian changes in Haryana. The findings of the
study highlighted that the introduction of neoliberal reforms during the 1990s gave way to the process of dispossession and
proletarianization in Haryana's agriculture. The class analysis of agrarian changes highlighted the increase in the use of market-based
agro-inputs and the incidence of indebtedness among all the peasant classes. There was persistence and continuity of a high
level of capitalisation and inequality among different peasantry classes. Hence, there is an urgent need for state intervention to
regulate the uncontrolled development of capitalism in Haryana's agriculture, which was not only harmful to sustainable
agricultural practices but also aggravated the problem of inequality among peasant classes
Neoliberal Capitalism and Misery of Small Peasantry and Agricultural Labourers in India
Human Geography
This article argues that, till date, a single paradigm dominates the discourse on agrarian crisis... more This article argues that, till date, a single paradigm dominates the discourse on agrarian crisis and farmers’ movement against the anti-farmer dictates of the Indian state. There is a pressing need for the organic intellectuals of the masses to build an alternative discourse to examine the agrarian crisis and its roots. To this end, the present article reasons that the neoliberal resolution of the agrarian crisis that the authoritarian-corporate nexus has imposed on the farming community will produce mass dispossession and displacement in India. It exposes the misery of traditional consciousness that rules over the current farmers’ movement in India. The article concludes that the agrarian crisis which is actually a crisis of small farmers and agricultural labourers requires modern consciousness for egalitarian and long-term resolution.
Demographic Dividend in the Age of Neoliberal Capitalism: An Analysis of Employment and Employability in India
Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 2021
After examining the concept of demographic dividend and in-depth analysis of the changing demogra... more After examining the concept of demographic dividend and in-depth analysis of the changing demographic profile of Indian population in a comparative framework, in this study it has been argued that the transformation of demographic potential into demographic dividend is predicated on the premise that India adopts state sponsored social-economic policy regime for public health and education for its youth to acquire skills which will be required in the twenty-first century and adopts macroeconomic policies which ensures optimal use of human resources. Otherwise demographic dividend will be a myth and a mirage.
World Review of Political Economy, 2020
Classical Theory of Imperialism and Contemporary Capitalism
Journal of Contemporary Asia, 2021
Despite its comprehensiveness, Lenin’s classical analysis of the imperialistic nature of capitali... more Despite its comprehensiveness, Lenin’s classical analysis of the imperialistic nature of capitalism deserves to be considered under a new lens. This article is an attempt to highlight some important features of late imperialism. While Lenin’s analysis is the focal point of critical inquiry, the article goes beyond his account to examine some important features of classical theory that remained unaddressed by Lenin. The attempt is to dialectically sublate Lenin’s theory with the analysis of contemporary imperialism. It is suggested that the mechanism of financial accumulation, concentration and centralisation of finance capital is broader than classical conception of finance capital. Another important driver of contemporary imperialism is the globalisation of industrial capital driven by transnational corporations and arm’s length production. The central feature of this new form of production is global monopoly capital resulting from combined interplay of concentration and internationalisation. The article also endeavours to understand the global proletarianisation of labour as a consequence of the accumulation at the world scale; a point only obliquely addressed by Lenin. The article concludes by comparing capitalism’s crisis and decay in Lenin’s analysis with the capitalism of present times.
International Critical Thought, 2021
This paper argues that the COVID-19 outbreak is a "nodal point" that will lead to certain irrever... more This paper argues that the COVID-19 outbreak is a "nodal point" that will lead to certain irreversible changes in the world economic and political order in the near future. These changes, however, will not only be an outcome of the current health pandemic, but also of the economic and political pandemics that have grown worse over a period of time. This paper identifies two far-reaching consequences of the accumulating pandemics that have the potential to lead the world towards a qualitatively better future. The first is the possible death of neoliberal capitalism that will lead to higher state intervention. The second is the end of the unipolar imperialist world order and subsequent emergence of a bipolar world with a rising China as a probable occupant of the non-imperialist pole. Both these outcomes are subject to the people's resistance for a better future, and China's alacrity in undermining the hegemony of imperialist-led globalization.
Studies in Political Economy, 2020
India has been at a precarious crossroad since 2014. Prime Minister Modi, who stands as a symbol ... more India has been at a precarious crossroad since 2014. Prime Minister Modi, who stands as a symbol of the alliance between Right-wing extremist forces and neoliberal capital, has not only undermined the political freedom of the citizens of this country, but also annihilated the economic sovereignty of the nation. A Right-wing extremist state has tightly controlled the political sphere in order to submit the economic sphere to monopoly capital. The Modi government has given birth to a twofold crisis in the country: recessionary tendencies in the economy and political unfreedom in the society. This paper deals with the economic consequences of the aforementioned alliance.
Capitalist Mode of Production: A Basic Interpretation
Global Political Economy: A Critique of Contemporary Capitalism, 2020
Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, 2020
This article addresses the dynamics between three interrelated questions of agrarian transition i... more This article addresses the dynamics between three interrelated questions of agrarian transition in Punjab. The first concerns the role and nature of the state and the market mechanism for the transformation of traditional agriculture into its capitalist counterpart, by the development of the productive forces and changes in production structure. The second dwells on the impact of the state-driven capitalism on the production structure of agriculture and its contradictions. The third deals with the process of class formation and the precise nature of emerging classes in rural Punjab.
Journal of Asian and African Studies , 2020
Despite impressive performance in terms of GDP growth after the introduction of neoliberal reform... more Despite impressive performance in terms of GDP growth after the introduction of neoliberal reforms, India continues to be the home of the largest number of hungry people in the world. The present paper is an attempt to understand two interrelated issues in this context: the impact of neoliberal reforms on agricultural development and the implication of an open economic regime on food security in India. The study reveals that the austerity measures introduced by the state in the form of decline in capital formation and public sector expenditure in agriculture have undermined the livelihood of the majority of the population in India. The implementation of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Agriculture along with the retreat of the state in the name of fiscal discipline has significantly reduced the bargaining power of the peasants in general and the food security of the majority of the population in particular.
Economic and Political Weekly, 2020
City: On the Western Dynamic by Pierre Manent, Cambridge, MA/ London: Harvard University Press, 2... more City: On the Western Dynamic by Pierre Manent, Cambridge, MA/ London: Harvard University Press, 2013; pp vi+376 , $39.95.
What and Who Destroyed the Essence of Economics: Some Insights for a Political Economist
Lenin’s Theory of Imperialism: Then and Now
The Question of Unemployment under Capitalism
Global Political Economy: A Critique of Contemporary Capitalism, 2020