Economic reasons for the collapse of the british empire

Greetings! This is certainly an interesting question, and I do hope that I’m not too late in recommending the following literature which may be helpful as sources in your project (best of luck with that as well). Of course, there are hundreds if not thousands of articles, books, and documents which deal with the economic aspects of the British Empire, and an equally staggering number of publications which focus on the reasons for Indian independence following the Second World War. These works should serve as a good starting point for your investigations, and feel free to pm me for any follow-up recommendations or questions on them:

Larger Works/Sources:

The Empire Project: The Rise and Fall of the British World-System, 1830-1970 by John Darwin (2009): One of my personal favourite works on the British Empire as a whole, this book combines engaging narratives and scholarly analysis incredibly well throughout its 800 or so pages worth of history. In particular, Darwin outlines the period of decolonisation in great detail, taking into account the various motivators and conditions which led to the world-system’s decline in the latter half of the 20th century. Chapter 12 - ‘The price of survival, 1943-1951’, should be of particular interest to your research. A quick search of “India” in the table of contents should also turn up related sub-topics which may be relevant to the project (but also makes for great history reading in general).
The Decline and Fall of the British Empire: 1781-1997 by Piers Brendon (2007): A bit more of a popular history work than Darwin’s tour de force, this book provides the more narrative-driven accounts of the turbulent British departure from India following the Second World War. Two chapters here should be worth a quick skim and maybe a deeper read: ‘An English Barrack in the Oriental Seas: Britannia’s Indian Empire’ and ‘Spinning the Destiny of India: The Route to Independence’. The first will help provide some context to the value and role of India (or the British Raj from 1858-1947, to be pedantic) in the British Empire, whilst the second is a good account of the various independence movements and figures (Gandhi, Jinnah, etc.) as well as a review of the larger economic/geopolitical forces which necessitated letting go of the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of the empire.
Britain’s Declining Empire: The Road to Decolonisation, 1918-1968 by Ronald Hyam (2007): Yet another expert when it comes to the British Empire (alongside John Darwin), Hyam’s work is much more academic than the two above. As the title suggests, the focus here is specifically on the causes and consequences of decolonisation at various stages (and geographical areas) of the 20th century. Hyam follows a chronological structure, looking at how the successive British cabinets of the postwar era (Attlee, Eden, Macmillan, etc.) dealt with the empire’s breakup. With regards to India and the imperial economy in general, the following chapters and subchapters are worth looking into: ‘“British imperialism is dead”: the Attlee government and the end of empire, 1941-1951’ (chapter, ‘The transfer of power in Asia: India, Burma, and Ceylon’ (subchapter), ‘Economic problems and geopolitical imperatives’ (subchapter).

As a smaller work, I would also recommend ‘The Economics of Empire’ by A.R. Dilley, a chapter in the larger work The British Empire: Themes and Perspectives (2008) for a good overview of the historiographical treatment of the Empire’s economy. On the other hand, steer somewhat clear of Lawrenence James’ The Rise & Fall of the British Empire and his Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India, both of which are noticeably more sympathetic to the imperial ‘rise’ than the decolonisation efforts (the ‘fall’). Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any follow-ups or pm me for further recommendations as you see fit.