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PurposeThe present study evaluates the impact of special economic zones (SEZs) on poverty, both rural and urban with special reference to Andhra Pradesh in India, using household consumption expenditure data. In addition to estimating the effects of the SEZs on poverty, the authors explore some of the possible mechanisms generating these effects.Design/methodology/approachThe authors apply a difference-in-differences (DID) technique on a pooled, cross-sectional, district-level dataset based on official annual household surveys for the period from 2001 to 2012 to estimate the average effects of SEZs on household expenditure per capita, a commonly used measure of household poverty.FindingsThe establishment of the SEZs constituted a major exogenous shock to rural economies by creating demand for large chunks of land, which had an immediate impact on the economic and social settings of these economies and aggravated rural poverty. However, over time the poverty aggravating effects of SEZs in rural areas dampened. The effects of SEZs on urban poverty are found to be different from those on rural poverty. It is also revealed that the districts with multiple SEZs experienced larger effects than those with only one or two SEZs. Overall, the SEZs did have positive expenditure effects, but this transition might have been accompanied by heightened inequality between the rural and urban areas.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the authors did not have access to village or municipal-level consumption data. It is therefore assumed here that district level performance is a reliable proxy for the relevant impacts of SEZ operations. Second, panel data, which would allow more precise measurement of effects than the pooled cross section data used in this study, are not available. Third, the authors’ econometric analysis is essentially comparative statics in nature and does not capture possible spillover dynamics, issues of relocation of economic activity, or migration.Practical implicationsFirst, land acquisition is likely to emerge as a major political and social challenge for the localities that host SEZs. For effective policy implementation, it is necessary to establish legal institutions to address this challenge. Second, governments in developing countries often announce new SEZ programmes on a very large scale and insist that they be implemented over short periods of time. The authors recommend that the government should adopt an experimental approach in implementing the policy. Third, the authors provide evidence that in the long run, effects of SEZs hinge on the success of SEZs in attracting investment and generating additional employment. The policy must therefore be informed by rigorous analysis of the potential of SEZs in the country, as well as alternative policy options.Social implicationsThe authors’ results show that large-scale land acquisitions to implement large industrial projects are likely to result in shocks to the rural economy exacerbating rural-urban inequalities: village communities lose their resource base, are marginalised in the process, and, as a result, face economic deprivations. It may lead to severe economic, social and political consequences. The authors’ study implies that any strategy for large-scale industrialisation should take cognisance of its effects on the affected communities and should be designed to include strategies to improve their economic opportunities and to ensure social inclusion.Originality/valueSEZs are one of the most controversial topics within development policy discourse. Their regional development effects are subject to intense debate. Yet, there is surprisingly little systematic evaluation to inform the debate and to guide policymakers. This is one of the earliest studies to assess the poverty effects of SEZs and is the first for India, using household consumption data.

This study applies quasi-experimental designs to assess how successful the special economic zones (SEZs) have been in offering a better investment climate than what is available to firms outside of them in three South Asian countries: India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The World Bank Enterprise Surveys’ data for 2013–2014 on 68 investment climate factors for all the three countries have been organized into 50 onsite and offsite investment climate variables for the assessment. The study is the first to provide causal evidence based on the matching and weighting methods. The key argument is that what sets SEZs apart from other economic zones is their ability to overcome growth impeding institutions. The results however show that the SEZs could not be insulated from the wider institutional contexts in which they are embedded. There are gaps between promises and implementation on the one hand and perceived and actual improvement on the other. The paper has important implications for policy makers who seem to be in a rush to set up SEZs as a development panacea.

Since the late 1990s, industrialization in India has been driven by the rural organized manufacturing sector. This paper examines the effects of firms’ dynamics on rural industrialization in India, using plant-level panel data, to investigate the characteristics of rural industrialization in India in recent years. In particular, the paper focuses on productivity differences among continuing, entering, and exiting firms. The results show that both labour and total factor productivity of the organized manufacturing sector in rural areas increased during 2000–2006 and the aggregate productivity growth is supported by the productivity growth of the continuing firms, the entry of productive firms, and the exit of less-productive firms. The paper can conclude that firms’ productivity dynamics contributed to the current rural industrialization in India. JEL: O14, O47, O53

This study presents a three-pillared analytical framework for the success factors and development outcomes of special economic zones (SEZs). The core argument is that countries that adopt a well-structured approach towards SEZs that they can align with the broader development strategy, executive effectively, and continuously evaluate and manoeuvre over time, are more successful in achieving SEZ-led economic transformation than others. This requires strategic bureaucratic competencies to make the right choices and set clear strategic directions; strategic bureaucratic learning to dynamically and interactively engage in adjusting the strategies when needed; and strategic bureaucratic strengths to implement the strategy effectively. These elements in turn need an effective political leadership with a strong development focus that can energise and motivate bureaucracies. The study revisits the experience of successful, not-so-successful and least successful countries across the globe within this framework and concludes by raising some pertinent concerns about SEZ-led development strategy that emerge from the analysis.

This study explores the relationship between special economic zones and regional integration in ASEAN countries, and identifies how to leverage the attributes of SEZs to deepen regional integration for regional development. The key argument is that SEZs can play a vital role in promoting regional integration if ASEAN member nations join hands to craft a visionary strategy.

This chapter focuses on the complex relationships between structural change on the one hand and employment creation and poverty reduction on the other hand. It argues that globalization may have ambiguous effects on the relationships between growth and structural change by distorting domestic intersectoral linkages in the developing economies. As a result, structural change accompanied by the growth of output may not necessarily create additional employment and contribute to reductions in poverty. The key hypothesis of the chapter is that if economic growth is accompanied by productivity-enhancing structural change, it serves to generate high-productivity employment and ensures poverty reduction. The empirical results provide weak support for the hypothesis.

This chapter compares and contrasts the SEZ experiences of China and India, two fast-growing major economies of the world, by revisiting the evolutionary process, institutional arrangements, and performance of SEZs from a political-economy perspective. The objective is to reveal the contextual factors that determine the outcome of the SEZ policy. Our analysis suggests that it is the broader political and economic contexts within which SEZs are embedded that underlie the differences in the SEZ experiences of China and India. The study enriches the literature that focuses on the conditions determining success and failures of SEZs.

This study assesses the impact of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) on the transfer of clean technology in India. The reason this study is unique is because firstly, it adopts an outcome-oriented approach to define ‘technology transfer’, which means that technology transfer occurs if firms are able to upgrade their ‘dynamic capabilities’. It uses three indicators of firms’ dynamic capabilities: R&D expenditures to sales ratio, fuel consumption to sales ratio and total factor productivity growth. Secondly, it moves away from the analysis of technology transfer claims made in either Project Development Documents or primary surveys to using actual information on firms’ performance for the analysis. The empirical analysis is based on a difference-in-difference design. It draws on the balance sheet data of 612 firms from India between 2001 and 2012 from the PROWESS database. The results reveal that CDM has the potential of laying a foundation for capability building in developing countries but in its current form, it is not effective.

This article presents a quantitative analysis of growth, structural change and employment linkages at the aggregate level and by sector under the state- and market-led regimes in India. The underlying objectives are: (a) to understand how economic liberalization has affected the economic and labour market structures, and linkages thereof; and (b) to analyse how these dynamics have affected the generation of productive employment in the economy. The analysis is based on Shapley decompositions. Our results suggest that the contribution of structural change in employment to growth declined drastically and secularly as the country transitioned to a high-growth regime driven by globalization. The sector-level analysis indicates that employment opportunities are not being created in high-productivity sectors and segments. Thus, despite a high-growth rate in GDP per capita and productivity-enhancing structural transformation in GDP, a vast population is still trapped in employment that cannot be qualified as productive employment. The study attributes it to trade-induced economic specialization accompanied with weakening of internal inter-sectoral linkages. The article makes a strong case for strategic government intervention to broad base structural change for generating productive employment, which is at the core of poverty reduction. JEL codes: E24, O14, O4

Aradhna Aggarwal in examining the formation and evolution of SEZ policy and its contribution to Indian industrialization over different phases draws lessons for new policies. Contextual solutions require experimentation, but continuity of government support over the political cycles is also essential. Commercial sustainability with some legal backing may be the way for policy consistency, making special initiatives independent of the government. To the extent special concessions are given, some sunset clause, or else use of competition, and appropriate regulation to prevent rent-seeking, would be required. Tax concessions could be reduced as other constraints ease. A CAG report that highlighted the large tax losses, and the large percentage of unutilized land in SEZs, points to the necessity of both proper design and implementation. But a blind anti-industry position is counterproductive when employment generation is the way to reduce poverty. Strategic vision and dynamic learning must combine with a political will to implement.

This paper, starting from the historical evolution of global special economic zones, analyzes the various structures, space, functions and management dimensions of the special economic zones with the evolution of the global economic environment. This paper makes a thorough research on the developmental characteristics and the important factors for the success of the special economic zones in the selected countries. This paper inspects the correlation of the special economic zones in the current world again, summarizes the experience of successful special economic zones based on the analysis of the root causes of the current increase in the special economic zones, and then puts forward the key factors for developing successful special economic zones.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamic relationship between policies related to educational provision and both educational participation and occupational outcomes in Brazil, using PNAD and RAIS-Migra data. Design/methodology/approach Outcomes are examined using: static multinomial logit analysis, and structural dynamic discrete choice modelling. The latter approach, coupled with the quality of the RAIS-Migra data source, allows the authors to evaluate the education policy impacts over time. Findings The main results show that the education level raises the propensity that the individual will be in formal sector work or still in education, and reduces the probability of the other outcomes. Transition into non-manual formal sector work following education may, however, occur via a spell of manual work. Originality/value This is the first study of occupational destination to be conducted in a rapidly developing country using high-quality panel data and appropriate dynamic methods, and as such makes an important contribution in confirming that increased supply of highly skilled workers enhances occupational attainment in this context.

This paper studies the decomposition of GSDP growth per capita in Punjab via-a-vis 15 other states in India during 1993–94 and 2011–12 in terms of employment and productivity growth. Specifically, it focuses on the role of employment growth and structural change in employment on economic growth. It reviews the theoretical rationale, presents the growth patterns in GSDP and employment, and estimates the employment-productivity components of GSDP growth per capita using the Shapley decomposition analysis. The results show that Punjab has slipped in terms of GSDP per capita over this period but structural shifts have paid off well in terms of diversification of the economy and their contribution to labour productivity especially for manufacturing. Overall employment effect had been negative but this was essentially due to contraction in the labour force; the employment rate effect turned out to be positive. Finally, while the state was outpaced by other states in terms of growth rate in GSDP per capita and even employment, structural change in the economy has been a positive feature of growth in the state.

This article investigates the effects of plants’ dynamics on productivity growth in the Indian pharmaceutical industry across five regions, north, northwest, west, south, and the rest of India, during the period from 2000–01 to 2005–06, using the unit-level panel database drawn from the Annual Survey of Industries. The selected regions differ in the degree and age of agglomeration of the pharmaceutical industry. The empirical analysis is based on the decomposition methodology of aggregate productivity growth. This methodology decomposes productivity growth between two points in time into the contribution from four broad factors: improvement in incumbents’ productivity (within effect), reallocation of resources from less productive to more productive producers (reallocation effect), entry of more productive firms (entry effect), and exit of less productive firms (exit effect). Our empirical findings reveal that productivity growth is relatively higher in the agglomerated regions. Furthermore, the effects of plant dynamics on productivity growth differ with the age of the agglomeration. Rather large positive entry effects are found in the region where the formation of agglomeration is a recent phenomenon. In the mature region, reallocation effects of surviving plants are large and robustly positive. In other areas, however, ‘within effects’ of surviving plants are robustly positive.

The present study examines the ingredients of strategic state intervention in growth driven by special economic zones (SEZs). Analyzing the experiences of Taiwan, South Korea, and India, the research reveals that essential components of a strategic SEZ policy include the spirit of experimentation with strategic policy making informed by a medium- to long-term vision, as well as a strong commitment, pragmatic approach, dynamic learning, and institution-building.

This article analyses equity in enrolment, renewal of enrolment, and utilisation of community-based health insurance with special reference to the Yeshasvini health care programme. The analysis employs a primary survey conducted in rural Karnataka using a random sample of 4109 households. The study identifies quantifiable variables covering various dimensions of vulnerability and assesses their relationship with enrolment, renewal of enrolment, and utilisation using logistic regression techniques. The results demonstrate that inequities do exist even though they are less pronounced in utilisation than in enrolments and renewals. While community-based health insurance (CBHI) may be used as a mechanism to reach the disadvantaged population, they can not be considered as substitute for government-created health infrastructure.

This paper argues that traditional theoretical approaches to SEZs are unable to adequately explain the rationale and economic contribution of SEZs in India and proposes an alternative approach based on the economics of agglomeration, in general, and industrial clustering, in particular. It argues that although SEZs are not treated as clusters in the SEZ literature, they share characteristics with the latter. It uses the proposed approach to evaluate the role of SEZs in promoting cluster-based industrialisation and entrepreneurship in the country. The analysis presented in the paper is based on observations during field visits to selected operational SEZs across nine states and in-depth interviews with bureaucrats, developers, entrepreneurs and employees.

This article assesses the trade effects of anti-dumping (AD) duties levied on 177 (8-digit) products by India during the period 1994 to June 2001. A panel regression has been applied to quantify the effects of AD actions on import volumes, values, and prices. It finds that the investigation effects of AD actions are not substantial. The imposition of AD duties restrains trade (both volume and value) and raises import prices. While trade effects start dissipating in subsequent years, import prices from both named and unnamed countries rise significantly in the post-duty years. There is little evidence that trade is diverted from unnamed to named countries. Thus, the domestic industry is benefited due to the price rise. Their financial position improves at the expense of both consumers and downstream industries. Since anti-dumping is an expensive form of protection, only large and dominant producers in concentrated industries emerge as the major beneficiaries of this protection. Finally, the developing trad...

edited by Preet Rustagi, New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2009, 350 pp., Rs. 1250 (hardback), ISBN‐13: 978‐0‐19‐8060246 About 60 years ago, the Indian constitution made a commitment to provide a...

Over the past two decades, considerable interest has grown in high growth firms (HGFs). However, the concept of HGFs still remains controversial. One of the most controversial issues is size and age of these firms. The present study argues that the current literature on HGFs may offer little help in addressing this issue given the constantly changing population of HGFs. This study uses an alternative conceptual framework and proposes a concept of ‘High Impact Group of Firms’ (HIGF). It explains the HIGFs in the framework of a new stream of literature that focuses on business dynamics, productivity growth and industry evolution, formulates testable hypotheses, and uses a novel methodology to identify it. The empirical analysis is based on the plant level panel data of 22 manufacturing industries in Indian manufacturing during the period 2000-01 to 2005-06. Our empirical results reveal that much depends on the industry/sector specific characteristics.

In an increasingly globalizing and knowledge-based world economy, the declining importance of R&D activity in India is a matter of concern. This paper analyzes the determinants of R&D behaviour of Indian enterprises over the 1990s in the context of the reforms of 1991 and their impact on the R&D behaviour of MNE affiliates and local enterprises. The analysis suggests that although average levels of spending have fallen, increased competition due to liberalization seems to have pushed local firms to rationalize their R&D activity and make it more efficient. Also, R&D spending seems to rise more than proportionally with firm size after a certain threshold level has been reached. The analysis brings out differences in the nature of R&D activity of MNE affiliates and local firms. Local firms direct their R&D activity primarily towards the assimilation of imported technology, and to providing a backup to their outward expansion via exports and FDI. MNE affiliates, on the other hand, focus on exploiting the advantages of India as an R&D platform for their parents. The paper is concluded with some policy implications of the findings.

This study examines how macro factors influence the use of antidumping in developed and developing countries. A panel data analysis of 99 countries over 1980–2000 reinforces the view that the primary jurisdiction for the antidumping law is really more political than economic. Furthermore, it suggests that once the WTO is fully enforced, the use of antidumping will spread among developing countries not only due to greater liberalization pressures but also as many countries would like to create an antidumping ability so as to counter its use against them. This may reverse the trade gains that liberalization may ensure to them. This paper thus calls for the granting of the special and differential treatment to developing countries in this provision. Finally, based on its findings, the paper argues that future negotiations should be directed toward revising safeguard rules and replacing antidumping by this new clause.

This article tests two empirical hypotheses: one, MNE affiliates perform distinctly better than their local counterparts in the export markets in a globalised economy, and two, the MNE affiliates have greater comparative advantages in high-tech than in low- and medium-tech industries. Tobit estimates of a large data set of Indian manufacturing firms for the late 1990s provide relatively weak support to the first hypothesis. A disaggregated industry-group-wise analysis indicates that MNE affiliates perform no better than their local counterparts in high-tech industries. Thus, even with a higher level of integration with the global economy in the 1990s India appears to have failed in attracting efficiency-seeking FDI on a significant scale, particularly in high-tech industries. R&D and efficiency of manpower emerge as two significant determinants of international competitiveness in technology-based sectors (high- and medium-high tech sectors). Imports of raw materials enhance the export competitiveness of f...

This paper reviews the science and technology policy of India and Korea in a comparative perspective to draw relevant lessons for India. It shows that policies, strategies and struc tures of science and technology evolved under a planned development approach in both Korea and India. However, while Korea created a strong national innovation system and acquired phenomenal technological capabilities, India had vital links missing that weak ened the performance of this system and resulted in a poor R&D performance of firms in the industrial sector. Four conditions need to be satisfied for building an effective national innovation system: (a) strong competitive pressures on domestic firms; (b) the presence of high-quality human capital; (c) well-developed industry-institutes-academia links; and (d) access to foreign technologies. While Korea tailored its policies to accommodate these conditions in each stage of its development, India failed to evolve an appropriate mix of these critical ingredients. The paper proposes to adopt a more focused but a multidimen sional integrated approach to create technological dynamism within the country.

This paper analyses the effects of the deregulation policy introduced in India in the mid-1980s on the relationship between technology imports and in-house R&D efforts. Using appropriate statistical techniques, it examines the interactions between policy regime, economic environment and the determinants of inter-industry variation in technology imports in Indian manufacturing. In doing so, it introduces R&D efforts as one of the main determinants. Literature suggests that there is simultaneity in the relationship between technology imports and R&D efforts. To tackle this problem, lagged R&D expenditure intensity is adopted as a proxy for in-house R&D efforts. The empirical results reveal that technology imports were only weakly related with the past in-house R&D efforts in the protective regime. Deregulation promoted complementarity between technology imports and R&D efforts significantly. The results also suggest that after deregulation, the impact of product differentiation, demand conditions and technology-related factors increased significantly in determining the inter-industry patterns of technology imports. Thus, unlike in a regulated regime where technology imports are viewed important for filling gaps in domestic technological capabilities, in a deregulated regime technology upgradation seems to be the major role of technology imports.

This paper examines the effects of firms dynamics on industry level productivity growth in India during the period 2000-01 to 2005-06 using plant level panel data of 22 manufacturing industries. The empirical analysis is based on decomposition techniques of aggregate productivity growth. The analysis is confined to large sector plants. Results suggest that the contribution of entry of new plants to aggregate productivity growth is positive in most industries. While newly established plants have rather small entry effect, small plants that grow and enter the large size class have substantial effects on industry level productivity growth. In low tech matured industries entry effects are supported by the productivity growth of the continuing firms. In medium tech industries entry effects are modest; productivity growth of the continuing firms is supported by reallocation effects. In high tech industries all the three effects seem to reinforce productivity growth.

The effect of education on labour market outcomes is analysed using both survey and administrative data from The Brazilian PNAD and RAIS-MIGRA series, respectively. Occupational destination is examined using both multinomial logit analyses and structural dynamic discrete choice modelling. The latter approach is particularly useful as a means of evaluating policy impacts over time. We find that policy to expand educational provision leads initially to an increased take-up of education, and in the longer term leads to an increased propensity for workers to enter non-manual employment.

Using propensity score matching techniques, the study evaluates the impact of India's Yeshasvini community-based health insurance programme on health-care utilisation, financial protection, treatment outcomes and economic well-being. The programme offers free out-patient diagnosis and lab tests at discounted rates when ill, but, more importantly, it covers highly catastrophic and less discretionary in-patient surgical procedures. For its impact evaluation, 4109 randomly selected households in villages in rural Karnataka, an Indian state, were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. A comprehensive set of indicators was developed and the quality of matching was tested. Generally, the programme is found to have increased utilisation of health-care services, reduced out-of-pocket spending, and ensured better health and economic outcomes. More specifically, however, these effects vary across socio-economic groups and medical episodes. The programme operates by bringing the direct price of health-care down but the extent to which this effectively occurs across medical episodes is an empirical issue. Further, the effects are more pronounced for the better-off households. The article demonstrates that community insurance presents a workable model for providing high-end services in resource-poor settings through an emphasis on accountability and local management.

The impact of education on labour market outcomes is analysed using data from various rounds of the National Sample Survey of India. Occupational destination is examined using both multinomial logit analyses and structural dynamic discrete choice modelling. The latter approach involves the use of a novel approach to constructing a pseudo-panel from repeated cross-section data, and is particularly useful as a means of evaluating policy impacts over time. We find that policy to expand educational provision leads initially to an increased takeup of education, and in the longer term leads to an increased propensity for workers to enter non-manual employment.