Labor, Democratization and Development in India and Pakistan: Workers and Unions

In this first comparative study of organized labor in India and Pakistan, the author analyses the impact and role of organized labor in democratization and development. The study provides a unique comparative history of Indian and Pakistani labor politics. It begins in the early twentieth century, when permanent unions first formed in the South Asian Subcontinent. Additionally, it offers an analysis of changes in conditions of work and
terms of service in India and Pakistan and of organized labor’s response.

The conclusions shed new light on the influence of organized labor in national politics, economic policy, economic welfare and at the workplace. It is demonstrated that the protection of workers has desirable outcomes not only for those workers covered but also for democratic practice and for economic development.

Christopher Candland is Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Co-Director of South Asia Studies at Wellesley College, USA. He has served as an advisor on international labor affairs and trade to Democratic Party leadership in the US House of Representative's Subcommittee on Trade and to a federal advisory committee reporting to the US Secretary of State.