Most of the data collation and writing of this work was done in 1972–74, while I was a Graduate Assistant at the Centre of South Asian Studies, University of Cambridge. I am deeply obliged to Mr B. H. Farmer, Director of the Centre, for his unfailing support and encouragement both at the time, and since, in bringing this work to completion. I should also like to thank the staff of the Centre for assisting my research in innumerable ways.

Dr P. P. Howell, Secretary of Cambridge University's Overseas Studies Committee, was instrumental in making possible my second research visit to India in early 1976 and kindly spared me from other duties while writing up was finished.

I began my work on Indian public expenditure as a Research Fellow of the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. I am grateful to the School for help in arranging study leave in India in 1971–72. The help of many officers of the Government of India's Central Statistical Organization and of the state governments' Statistical Bureaux during my visit was freely given, and is gratefully acknowledged.

Over the years I have enjoyed and benefited from conversation with colleagues and friends on the topics covered in this work. It would be impossible not to mention Terry Byres (who criticized the first draft with great acuteness), Valpy FitzGerald, David Lehmann, Suzy Paine, Prabhat and Utsa Patnaik and the late Bill Warren. Ashwani Saith furnished me with some useful Indian statistics and Tom Tomlinson was good enough to comment in detail on an earlier version of Chapter 2.