Economists have come to believe that using resources efficiently can lead to differences in the growth rates of economies. Efficient use of resources is known to improve the standard of living of the people thereby increasing their welfare. However, initially ‘capital’ and later on ‘labour’ attracted the attention of the economists. The need for the efficient use of resources was only recognized as an important determinant in the growth of economies in the fifties. Economists believe that the developing countries in particular need to concentrate on improving the efficiency of their use of resources, since these economies have an increasing number of people to feed and proportionally little resources at their disposal. Whenever there is talk of efficiency regarding the use of resources it means that all the resources that are used in the process of production should be used efficiently. These resources are: capital, labour, raw materials, power, fuel and the skills of the entrepreneur. Efficiency is reflected in the unit or average cost of production and in the quality of goods. Before the introduction of the reforms, the Indian industrial sector was characterized by numerous controls, which restricted internal as well as external competition. However, after the reforms such controls were loosened and it is now simply expected that the Indian industrial sector uses its resources efficiently. The present study examines whether there have been significant reductions in the components of the average variable cost in the post-reform period as compared to the pre-reform period. Furthermore, it analyses whether there has been any noticeable increase in advertising expenditure of the firms in the post-reform period.

This volume comprehensively captures trends in productivity and its determinants in the post-reform period for Indian manufacturing. It provides an up-to-date survey of different methods employed in measuring productivity and their applications across organized and unorganized sectors, including food, beverages, furniture, gems, chemicals, petroleum and rubber, metals and minerals, paper products, publishing, textiles, etc. The essays examine the uneven impact of economic reforms and growth on the performance of the manufacturing sector. This will be especially useful to students and scholars of economics, business and management, policymakers and governmental agencies, particularly those interested in Indian economy and manufacturing.

Kosaraju Leela Krishna, b. 1935, Indian economist; contributed articles.

This book focuses on Indian manufacturing industries and analyses the impact of inward foreign direct investment on the domestic sector on the one hand, and exports and outward foreign direct investment by Indian companies on the other. Although the emphasis is mostly general, specific industries, such as the automotive industry or the wind energy sector are also explored. The differences between low and high technology industries are also addressed. In terms of theoretical setting and analysis, the book draws both from international business and industrial organization literature. The various characteristics of Indian industries, such as the determinants and impacts of R&D, the effects of spillovers, the drivers of productivity and technical efficiency are thoroughly researched employing appropriate quantitative methodologies that are relevant to the specific domain and topic under investigation. The book also focuses on the bearing of policy on promoting manufacturing industries in India and is therefore of interest to researchers, industrialists and policy makers alike.

The book presents a comprehensive study of the impact of policy reforms on output, employment, and productivity growth across sectors of India since 1991. It showcases varied responses from different sectors as they faced different degrees of policy interventions, and challenges or opportunities as regards markets, technology, and availability of skills and other complementary resources. The book also discusses the contributions of the service sector on India’s GDP and employment. The book throws light on the phenomena of rising inequality and persistent poverty which continues to shadow and be a hallmark of post-reform India, despite high economic growth. It underlines the failure of these reforms to bring about major change in social and economic organizations and institutions. The book’s contents stress on the criticality of addressing these issues as they have a serious potential of jeopardizing the country’s ability to maintain high growth momentum. With these pertinent topics, the book would be of interest not only to the research community, but also to policy makers and practitioners of various sectors addressed here.

This book explains how government support and institutional set up facilitated the evolution of the Indian pharmaceutical industry and provides an economic analysis of firm strategies due to recent policy changes. The book is useful for researchers interested in understanding the transition of a lifeline sector for an emerging economy like India. Students of public policy, health administrators and health economists who are interested in the functioning of the pharmaceutical sector that produces life saving drugs in developing nations will find this book useful. The book also provides good coverage on data envelopment analysis (DEA), a useful technique for understanding productivity and efficiency. It can provide guidance to the research students on the applicability of DEA technique to address various research questions for analysis. The book will be a valuable addition to libraries in colleges of pharmacy and medicine as well as to all other academic and research centers.

Productivity and wages plays an important role in the economic development and ultimately determines the standard of living in the country. In a developing economy like India the wage policy is facing a real conflict between the need of the workers for larger consumption and the demand of the economy for higher rate of capital formation. The increasing productivity and its linking with wages is the best option available. The book examines the relationship between productivity and wages in selected industries of organised manufacturing. In this endeavour, the book examines (a) The trends in productivity; (b) The trends in distribution of productivity gains; (c) The trends in factor compensation (wages and rate of return). Contents: Introduction and Problem Setting, Data and Methodology, Wage Productivity Relationship Theoretical and Empirical Evidence, Productivity Trends in Selected Industries, Trends in Distribution of Productivity Gains, Trends in Wages and Earnings, Wage-Productivity R