Health Empirics

For some time now, India has been known for the paradoxical combination of high rates of child malnutrition, anaemia, and healthcare need despite economic growth. Following the post-2015 adoption of SDGs as the key international goals, researchers have turned their attention to the issue of inequalities in India. While there is a considerable body of research about failures of Indian healthcare system (Balarajan et al., 2011) or the country's demographic advantage (Bloom, 2011), there are few studies which seek to establish links between demographics, healthcare, and inclusive development. This is what Paradigm Shifts in Population and Health in India addresses.

The volume is edited by Sanghmitra S. Acharya, Sampurna Kundu, and Sampurna Singh, the academics associated with the Jawaharlal Nehru University and the University of Exeter respectively. The book was produced by the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health. The volume stands out due to the fact that the authors do not present population health issues only from the epidemiological or bio-statistical perspective. On the contrary, the book critically assesses the ways in which hierarchical structures result in suffering that could be easily prevented.