The Left should study the changes in Kerala society during the neoliberal era: an economist

The Left should be able to carefully analyze the changes that have taken place in Kerala society during the neoliberal era, economist R. Ramakumar said here on Saturday (Jun 13, 2026).

“Neoliberalism is creating new environments. The recent changes in Kerala society are remarkable. A serious study needs to be done on the class structure of Kerala,” he said at the EMS Memorial Lecture on ‘India and the Left’, organized by the EMS Memorial Study and Research Center here.

Mr. Ramakumar said the middle class has emerged in a new form as part of neoliberalism. “A new class of wealthy individuals has emerged as part of this upper middle class, including owners of new educational institutions, large private hospitals, tourism businesses and construction firms,” ​​he said in a statement.

He said that the number of unorganized workers scattered across various platforms has increased tenfold instead of organized workers.

Published – 13 Jun 2026 22:25 IST