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Economic growth of nations, communities and organizations consciously or unintentionally ignore the human side of the development story. Development with equity now seems to be a cliché, leaving behind, in most instances, a trail of adversities as fallouts of the process of development itself. On the flip side, however, are success stories, gloriously carved out of the tireless efforts of visionaries, at times unsung, providing shining examples of development for welfare. This monograph, with a consciousness of the overlap of different social sciences in understanding complex social processes, borrowed freely concepts and analyses underlying development, from several social sciences. Numerous development phenomena are viewed within the specific socio-cultural context putting forth issues and dilemmas encountered in the process.

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Nalini Bikkina is a Ph.D. in Psychology and is currently Assistant Professor at GITAM University. A former ICSSR Doctoral Fellow, she is a researcher with an interdisciplinary interest and is currently working on several voluntary projects of social relevance.

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