Study conducted at Dindigul and Madurai districts of Tamil Nadu, India.

India is the second most populous country in the world and also one of the poorest. From the late 1940s to 1980, India's per capita income grew at an average annual rate of only two percent. Expansionist economic reforms during the 1980s boosted economic growth but also unfortunately resulted in high inflation and a balance of payments crisis. As a consequence, in 1991 the government announced sweeping new changes in economic policies. Economic Policy Reforms and the Indian Economy evaluates the effects of those changes and identifies areas of the Indian economy still in urgent need of reform. After an overview of Indian economic policies and development since independence, papers focus on the country's fiscal situation, the environment for private economic activity, education, the reservation of certain activities for small-scale industry, and determinants of differentials in rates of growth across the different Indian states. Contributors include respected academic specialists on India and policy reform, high-level Indian administrators, and present and past policymakers.

This book takes issue with existing theories of the relationship between democracy and economic liberalisation.

The Indian Economy Since 1991: Economic Reforms and Performance is the outcome of a collaborative effort by 28 experts who have made significant contributions in research toward the Indian economy. Using a data-based, analytical approach to key economic issues and problems, coupled with extensive coverage and a critical and in-depth analysis of the developments in all major sub-sectors of the Indian economy, this edited volume examines the impact of the reforms on various fronts such as economic performance, employment, unemployment, planning process, financial and fiscal sectors, external sector, agriculture, industry, infrastructure, health, education, poverty and federal finance since 1991.

The vibrancy of an economy depends on the constant flow of entrepreneurs who can take up challenges in business and industry. An entrepreneur is one of the important segments of economic growth. Schumpeter observes that economic development consists of employing resources in a different way in doing a new combination of means of production. He contends that economic growth depends on the rate of applied technical progress i.e. innovation rate of applied technical progress in the economic field which in turn depends on supply of entrepreneurs in society. Thus entrepreneur becomes the agent of change in society[1]. Entrepreneur’s motivations & aspirations are conducive to development. Entrepreneurial competence makes all the difference in the rate of economic growth. A broad based entrepreneurial class in India is a felt need and such an entrepreneurial class would speed up the process of activating the factors of production leading to a higher rate of economic growth dispersal of economic activities, development of backward & rural tribal areas, creation of employment opportunities, improvement in the standard of living of the weaker sections of the society and involvement of all sections of the society in the process of growth[2]. An entrepreneur plays a critical role in the process of socioeconomic change by envisaging new opportunities new techniques, new products & by coordinating all other activities.

Papers presented at the Seminar: Emerging Trends in Indian Economy, held at Amritsar during 28-29 March 1997 and Seminar: Economic Reforms in India, held at Jalandhar during 3-4 April 1998.

This book incorporates select papers presented at the two day seminar titles Economic Reforms in India and China. The China National School of Administration (CNSA) and Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE) jointly organized the two day seminar. The Chinese papers dealt with prospects of economic development, development approach similarity between China and India, economic growth and policy, industrialization dilemma and civilization model innovation under resource, etc. The Indian papers dealt with economic reforms in agriculture, second generation reforms, performance of public enterprises, political economy in state enterprises, financial sector reforms, social sector reforms, etc. These papers have been authored by renowned policy makers, researchers and practitioners from India and China.|

Introduction -- Stabilization policy -- Fiscal policy and trade policy -- Financial sector reform -- Industrial policy and factor markets -- The social sectors, poverty, and reform -- Summary and afterthoughts.

While South Asia’s economic reform initiatives of the last two decades were often born in crisis, this alone does not account for their occurrence. This book looks at the processes and institutional arrangements behind these reforms, and analyses what lessons can be learnt about how South Asia can improve its policy efficiency. The book develops ideas about how to overcome the political restraints to reform by drawing on recent theories of political economy and policy learning. It tests these ideas against authoritative case studies of actual reform initiatives in South Asia, which illustrate processes and institutional arrangements that have helped South Asian governments to sustain reform efforts, even in the absence of a strong political base. This offers valuable lessons for the global economy as it moves into a phase of rebalancing, with the structural adjustments that this will require. The book goes on to identify weaknesses that could be addressed by South Asian national governments and regional forums. It is an important contribution to studies on South Asian Politics and International Political Economy

In Indian context.