Kerala Model of Development offers a viable alternative in the post-liberalisation era: K. Jayakumar

The Kerala Model of Development offers a viable alternative in the post-liberalisation era where market-led economy is not sensitive to the social and emotional needs of the people, but merely concerned with profits, former Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar has said.

Mr. Jayakumar, who is currently president, Travancore Devaswom Board, was giving a public lecture on Saturday on ‘Has the Kerala Model of Development Outlived its Relevance?’ at the 92nd annual meeting of the Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc) held at the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS).

“The Kerala Model has not run its course. Rather, it needs renewal. It has to rediscover itself by synthesising with the power of the private sector. Private sector has given us a lot of facilities, but it cannot be trusted in times of crises,” he said.

Mr. Jayakumar said that the case is not for suppressing private enterprise, but for strengthening public capacity. Crises reveal what markets cannot reliably guarantee. Effective public utilities are a social safety net, especially for those least able to absorb shocks. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Keralam floods demonstrated that the capacity of the government is something on which the people can place their trust on.

Climate change will intensify risks to health, livelihoods and infrastructure. Preparedness requires capable public institutions and universal systems, he said, adding that “over-dependence on the private sector in times of crises can only yield zero results.”

A democracy is diminished when citizens lose meaningful space to shape the agenda, he said. Market-first policies can weaken democratic and social safeguards. Environmental clearances risk becoming more accommodating to investment than to ecological protection. Labour reforms can shift bargaining power towards employers and away from workers. When policy priorities are shaped elsewhere, public deliberation and social development can be pushed to the margins, he said.