Book Review: Pralok Gupta (ed.), Emerging Services Sector and Inclusiveness: Evidence from India
| Published date | 01 August 2016 |
| Date | 01 August 2016 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0015732516646216 |
| Author | Debashis Chakraborty |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
268 Book Reviews
The compilation touches various dimensions of the triad between technology,
innovation and economic growth under three broader themes. Most of the papers
are contextual studies with varied levels of methodological mixes from case studies
to highly rigorous econometric models. Most of the studies are in the context of
developing economies covering several sectors. It is well crafted in terms of the
flow of concepts. Since the book is in the honour of Robert E. Evenson, who is
known for his contribution in the domain of agriculture, more cases on this sector,
instead of IT and pharmaceuticals in only developing countries’ context, could
have added more flavour. Overall, there are lots of interesting substantiated
insights on the topics underlined and this is a genuine read for any scholar or
practitioner, and particularly for policymakers who appreciate stronger innova-
tion system as the pillar for the sustained growth of a developing economy.
O.P. Wali
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
Pralok Gupta (ed.), Emerging Services Sector and Inclusiveness: Evidence
from India. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge Scholars
Publishing, 2015, £47.99, 191 pp., ISBN (13) 978-1-4438-7614-8.
DOI: 10.1177/0015732516646216
The recently concluded Nairobi Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) contributed little towards breaking the stalemate at the Doha
Round negotiations. While Food Security issues, reform modalities under
Agriculture and Non-agriculture and introduction of new areas under the wings of
WTO were among the major points of discussion, pending reforms under the
General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) are no less important. The mul-
tilateral reforms under services are particularly important for India owing to the
contribution of this sector in the country’s export basket since mid-1990s. Within
trade in services, reforming the entry of professionals (i.e., Mode 4 of GATS) is of
India’s prime interest. The recent proposed stringency of the H1B visa provisions
in the US and the evolving framework in the European Union (EU) therefore pose
a major challenge for the country and the continued stalemate at the multilateral
forum needs to be viewed in that light. In addition, the business process outsourc-
ing (BPO) sector is also facing both opportunities and challenges.
Domestically, there is a growing need to understand the importance and link-
age effects that the service sector in general and various sub-sectors in particular
exert on the Indian economy for effective policymaking. In this context, the recent
volume edited by Pralok Gupta is a timely contribution to the literature, which
analyzes various research and policy issues pertaining to service sector in the
Indian context.
While the contribution of service sector has risen in India’s gross domestic
product (GDP), it has been a ‘jobless’ growth so far. The first chapter by Pralok
Gupta analyzes the contribution of the service sector in organized employment
and efficacy of various government strategies. The analysis reveals that so far the
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