Synopsis of the Ph.D. Thesis
Topic:
The Economic Development of Cochin (1790-1949)
The study, the Economic Development of Cochin ( 1790-1949), is an attempt to study the economic development of the Cochin state during the British Colonial period. The study deals with the growth of infrastructure that initiated changes in the economic sphere, which ultimately led to the overall development of the state. The thesis presents the manifold changes that were effected to augment the productive resources of the state in a historical perspective. As economic development has a wide range, stress has been given to economic factors like agriculture, industry, trade and commerce, transport and communication and banking and non-economic factors like education, growth of population, healthcare and administration which led to the economic development of the state.
The period under study constitutes a transitional stage in the economy of Cochin state. The change from the traditional to the modern society was effected during this period. Establishment of new departments to cater to the economic activities of the people like agriculture, industry, trade and commerce, public works, co-operation etc., the fostering of education, introduction of Cochin Legislative Council and development of transport and communication facilities helped the transformation of Cochin from traditionalism to modernism. It was within the British colonial framework that this development took place.
The study is an attempt to explore the various developmental issues of the region where the previous studies have not been concentrated. The deeper dimensions of the economic growth of Cochin following the challenges raised by the British and the multiple strands of responses given by the people of Cochin are analysed. How the different state departments and institutions were being utilized by the British for their colonial designs and how far the British tried to penetrate into the interior parts of Cochin by the introduction of railways, investment of British capital, entrepreneurship and provision of other infrastructure facilities to extract the resources of Cochin are looked into. How far the British intervention in Cochin was helpful for the modernization and development of Cochin and how far the infrastructure facilities provided by the British were beneficial for the economic development of Cochin is also studied. The methodology employed in this study is primarily analytical. The basic data, both pub
lished as well as unpublished for this study has been collected from Oriental and India Office Collections, British Library London, Regional Archives Ernakulam and many other libraries in Kerala as well as India.
