Globalization, Labor Markets and Inequality in India

India started on a program of reforms, both in its external and internal aspects, sometime in the mid-eighties and going on into the nineties. While the increased exposure to world markets (‘globalization’) and relaxation of domestic controls has undoubtedly given a spurt to the GDP growth rate, its impact on poverty, inequality and employment have been controversial. This book examines in detail these aspects of post-reform India and discerns the changes and trends which these new developments have created. Providing an original analysis of unit-level data available from the quinquennial National Sample Surveys, the Annual Surveys of Industries and other basic data sources, the authors analyse and compare the results with other pieces of work in the literature. As well as describing the overall situation for India, the book highlights regional differences, and looks at the major industrial sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and tertiary services. The important topic of labor market institutions - both for the formal or organized and the unorganized sectors - is considered and the possible adverse effect on employment growth of the regulatory labor framework is examined carefully. Since any reform of this framework must go hand in hand with better state intervention in the informal sector to have any chance of acceptance politically, some of the major initiatives in this area are critically explored. Overall, this book will be of great interest to development economists, labour economists and specialists in South Asian Studies.

Dipak Mazumdar is Senior Research Associate, Munk Centre for Internatiuonal Sudies at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is the author of numerous publications on development economics. His co-authored book, with Ata Mazaheri, The African Manufacturing Firm was also published by Routledge in 2003.

Sandip Sarkar is currently working as a Fellow with the Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi, India. His main areas of research interest are industry, poverty, labour and employment on which he has experience of over two decades. His recent major research project was on the impact of globalisation on labour market in India which is sponsored by International Development Research Council (IDRC), Canada. He has been extensively involved in several large research projects funded by reputed national and international agencies.