Old Regions, New States: Why is Governance Weak in the Indus-Ganges Plain?

Abstract

A region of states considered 'critical' and 'in danger' of state failure—Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh—lie on India's land borders. Although India itself is at low risk of state failure, a number of provincial Indian states in the Ganges plain—the so-called BIMARU states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh—share many features of state weakness and poor developmental performance. This article canvasses a range of explanations for why there are so many ineffective and weak national and provincial governments in this broad geographic region. The article looks at the evidence for pre-colonial influences (kinship, social and political organisation), colonial transformations (land settlements), and post-colonial developments.