Rethinking Development

The region of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has faced fragile political conditions dating back to the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, with a significant escalation in large-scale violence from 1989 onwards. When examining the impact of this protracted violence on development indicators, particularly poverty, it is commonly argued that the effects have not been severe. This argument is often supported by comparing J&K’s development indicators to interstate and national averages. However, such comparisons are misleading. The impact of violence is usually localised. Estimates of the effects of such fragility are never straightforward. It’s effects can either be overestimated if measured only at the epicentre or underestimated if considered only at the periphery. Accordingly, measurement of the impact of conflict on the one hand and drawing comparative conclusions on the other are not to be confused with one another. In this regard, this chapter aims to investigate the effects of violence on poverty levels, specifically in the regions of Kashmir and Jammu, employing a disaggregated regional-level analysis.