Keshab Das – författare

This book presents a set of analytical and deeply policy-oriented articles on the dynamics of growth and performance of micro and small enterprises in India during the period of reforms. It provides fairly detailed analyses of policy changes for the micro and small enterprises secotr as well as empirical analyses of performance and efficiency of the unorganised manufacturing sector. it examines a range of emerging and persistent complex issues facing this crucial sector including credit, exports, trade regulations, capacity building, subcontracting, clustering, entrepreneurship and rural industrialisation. Focusing on the constraints facing this sector even during the economic reforms, most of the articles analyse how and why special attention, particularly by the state, needs to be paid towards enhancing firm competitiveness. Broad-basing the benefits of policy interventions to the overwhelmingly present yet left out micro enterprises, including rural areas, forms an important concern. This volume attempts to critically examine critical areas of intervention that could open up possibilities of developing a strong micro and small enterprises sector in India.

This book presents an in-depth analysis of the functional dynamics of Indian industrial clusters which have grown and stayed as hubs of business activity in India, thanks to a large calibrated domestic market for goods. The examples given contribute towards the understanding of theoretical underpinnings of small firm clusters in LDCs and also indicate steps towards effective policy making for SME development in general, and local economic regeneration in LDCs in particular. The industries studied include modern as well as traditional/artisanal sectors which span at least ten Indian states. They provide insights into informality, labour, inter-firm relationship (cooperation and competition), technological and organisational flexibility, and forms of supportive institutional arrangements and nature of linkages with agencies external to the cluster, among other things. This book will be of particular interest to SME practitioners and to students and researchers of economics, business management, regional development, economic geography, industrial sociology and industrial organisation.

Trajectories of Development: Odisha@100 offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary and interpretative analysis of Odisha’s tryst with the economic, social and governance challenges through policy and parastatal initiatives since the state’s formation in 1936 to the present day. Positioned within the global debates on uneven regional growth, the volume examines Odisha’s recent economic resurgence while probing its distributional, ecological and social implications.The book traces the Indian state’s historical antecedents—marked by colonial exploitation and disparate functioning of the myriad princely states—and its transformation into a formally unified subnational entity. Sector-specific chapters analyse agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and services, complemented by district-level insights. The volume explores developments in education, health, and demography, and examines possibilities of emerging frontiers of tourism, and tribal economy. Additional chapters assess poverty, unemployment, food security, fiscal management, disaster governance, neglect of natural resources, displacement, distress migration, unfolding of media, and roles of private and civil society actors.This volume will benefit scholars of development studies, economics, political economy, regional planning, and public policy, as well as practitioners and administrators of development. Readers will gain a nuanced, empirically grounded understanding of Odisha’s developmental journey and a forward-looking roadmap as the state approaches its centenary in 2036.

This book presents an in-depth analysis of the functional dynamics of Indian industrial clusters which have grown and stayed as hubs of business activity in India, thanks to a large calibrated domestic market for goods. The examples given contribute towards the understanding of theoretical underpinnings of small firm clusters in LDCs and also indicate steps towards effective policy making for SME development in general, and local economic regeneration in LDCs in particular. The industries studied include modern as well as traditional/artisanal sectors which span at least ten Indian states. They provide insights into informality, labour, inter-firm relationship (cooperation and competition), technological and organisational flexibility, and forms of supportive institutional arrangements and nature of linkages with agencies external to the cluster, among other things. This book will be of particular interest to SME practitioners and to students and researchers of economics, business management, regional development, economic geography, industrial sociology and industrial organisation.

This book presents a set of analytical and deeply policy-oriented articles on the dynamics of growth and performance of micro and small enterprises in India during the period of reforms. It provides fairly detailed analyses of policy changes for the micro and small enterprises secotr as well as empirical analyses of performance and efficiency of the unorganised manufacturing sector. it examines a range of emerging and persistent complex issues facing this crucial sector including credit, exports, trade regulations, capacity building, subcontracting, clustering, entrepreneurship and rural industrialisation. Focusing on the constraints facing this sector even during the economic reforms, most of the articles analyse how and why special attention, particularly by the state, needs to be paid towards enhancing firm competitiveness. Broad-basing the benefits of policy interventions to the overwhelmingly present yet left out micro enterprises, including rural areas, forms an important concern. This volume attempts to critically examine critical areas of intervention that could open up possibilities of developing a strong micro and small enterprises sector in India.

The changes following more than two decades of economic reforms and globalization of the Indian economy – at state, corporate sector, and consumer level – raise interesting questions on the ways in which the stakeholders will continue to engage on the world stage, politically, socially and economically.  One key feature of global trade over this period has been the growing importance of not only product standards but, importantly, labor, environmental, food safety and social standards.  Being essentially a non-tariff barrier,standards have often become critical to market access and essential to sustained competitiveness. This has a clear impact on the manner in which both global and Indian business is conducted now and in the future.  It also underlines the need for a new area of enquiry that addresses the following questions:  How are the Indian public and private actors – the state, domestic firms, local consumers and society – influencing and being influenced by such standards? Do standards really matter in an overwhelmingly informal production sphere, with consumers deeply segmented on the basis of a highly skewed distribution of income and with the rural population becoming further marginalized? We have limited knowledge about the challenges faced and strategies pursued by these key domestic actors, both public and private.  How have they been able to drive these processes and what are their implications for larger concerns with inequalities and the conditions of the poor?  How does the omnipresent informality influence compliance, encourage multiple standards and affect the chances of addressing institutional dysfunctionality?  What role does regulation play?  These are some of the issues dealt with in the book, which has chapters focusing on aspects of specific sectors such as microfinance, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, tea trading, the role of the state and changing consumer influence.We have limited knowledge about the challenges faced andstrategies pursued by these key domestic actors, both public and private.  How have been they able to drive these processes and what are the consequences of these changes for the Indian economy, other emergent economies and for the rest of the developing world?  In particular, what are their implications for the wider Indian society, especially on concerns with informality, inequalities and the conditions of the poor?  How does informality in its omnipresent form influence compliance, encourage multiple standards and chances of addressing institutional dysfunctionality?  What role does regulation play?  These are some of the issues dealt within the book wherein chapters focus on aspects of specific sectors, trading, role of the state and changing influence of the consumer.

The study delineates export patterns by firm and state and explores factors influencing export decisions according to sector, size and location.

The study delineates export patterns by firm and state and explores factors influencing export decisions according to sector, size and location.

It uses the evidence of innovation in the context of skewed or limited livelihood options and multiple knowledge systems to argue that if inclusive innovation is to happen, the actors and the nature of the innovation system need reform.

This book examines the nature, extent and implications of rapid strides digitalization has made in India since the turn of the millennium.  These have been examined not merely in the sphere of information and communication technology (ICT) but its multifarious applications spreading across almost all aspects of production, services and institutions which have profound repercussions for the transformation of the society and economy at the micro, meso and macro levels. With contributions from both ICT scholars and social scientists, this book presents diverse scenarios and unravels challenges faced in the process of technical applications, access by the users of these disruptive technologies (automation, e-commerce, big data analytics & algorithms, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, etc.) which, unlike heavy machines (embodied technology), mostly defy physical space, pace of mobility and inoperability between technologies.  Chapters in this volume address challenges and possibilities in establishing and operating intricate engineering infrastructure, technical and societal constraints encountered in broad-basing digitalization across layers of educational and social skills conducive to difficult geographies.  Issues dealt within this book include farming, healthcare, education, food processing, e-commerce, labour, rural community development, open source data and information democracy. The chapters also reflect upon implications on local economy and society, of the very global nature of these seamless technologies where inter-operability remains the quintessential advantage of digitalization whether promoted or spearheaded through the state, private sector or global capital.  The book critiques policy inadequacies and suggests plausible policy approaches to reduce the adverse impacts of fast digitalization and broad-base potential benefits across space and levels of socio-economic development of regions and society.  This bookwould be of interest to scholars, practitioners, technocrats, industry analysts, policy makers and civil society agencies.