India`s is a tale of private success & public failure. Prosperity is, indeed, spreading across the country even as governance failure pervades public life. But how could a nation become one of the world`s fastest-growing economies when it`s governed by a weak, ineffective state? & wouldn`t it be wonderful if India also grew during the day-in other words, if public policy supported private enterprise? What India needs, Gurcharan Das argues, is a strong liberal state. Such a state would have the authority to take quick, decisive action; it would have the rule of law to ensure those actions are legitimate; & finally, it would be accountable to the people. However, India has always had a weak state & a strong society, says Das, which means that achieving something better will be an uphill struggle.