One theme that recurs throughout this book is the consideration of whether tax incentives have so... more One theme that recurs throughout this book is the consideration of whether tax incentives have some impact on firm location decisions, when compared to the impact of infrastructure incentives. As we have discussed in earlier chapters, the GC approach is a test of the alternative to the tax war, and competition in providing infrastructure and public services, among the states. As stated earlier, there is considerable scepticism in policy circles regarding India’s GCs and their effectiveness in attracting firms. Commentators’ views have varied from a perception of the programme having been a colossal failure in attracting firms to one that strongly believes in their effectiveness because of the infrastructure incentives available to firms that locate there. Chapter 6 presented empirical evidence, based on secondary data, regarding the effect of GCs on the unemployment rate and their impact on firm location, where they exist in India. In this chapter, I attempt a qualitative assessment of the impact of GCs, based on primary data collected from field visits to several GCs, discussions with state governments, and visits to agencies administering the programme and to several firms located in the GCs. In this way, I account for factors and observations that might be missed in a purely quantitative approach which has been the focus of the previous chapters.
China domestically and internationally on its approach towards one country, two systems. Nobody c... more China domestically and internationally on its approach towards one country, two systems. Nobody could have foreseen the meteoric pace of growth of China’s economy by the time Hong Kong’s future was resolved in the 1980s. Even the most far-sighted observers during the transition period could not have envisaged the threat of an unabated flow of consumers and tourists to Hong Kong and their disruptive impact on the local supply of services and goods, for example. The twists and turns of China’s marketization process were also beyond our imagination. While the majority did not expect China’s marketization trajectory to be a linear process, few foresaw the return of the statist approach from the late 1990s onwards. In the face of the threat of economic federalism in the domestic scene and the challenge of global financial crises, the party leadership has resumed its proclivity towards recentralization and control. The domination of mega state-controlled enterprise groups as the champions...
Review of Urban & Regional Development Studies, 2016
Urban areas contribute to nearly two-thirds of India's gross domestic product, but only const... more Urban areas contribute to nearly two-thirds of India's gross domestic product, but only constitute 31% of the country's population. In this paper, I address the following questions: What are the specializations of Indian cities and towns, and how have these changed over time; and what part of the specialization identified is a result of local advantages versus industry or national economic growth? Answers to these questions are basic to sustaining the competitiveness of India's cities. I used standard Census of India data at city level to compute location quotients for India's cities and towns, and examined changes in their economic base over time. Further, I performed shift-share analyses for selected large cities to disaggregate their employment growth. On average, over 1991–2001, specialization in all sectors, with the exception of trade, decreased. I found evidence of persistence in the sectoral specialization of Indian cities during 1991–2001. Further, in all non-agricultural economic sectors, cities in states know to be backward and lagging are specialized in most sectors. Based on location quotient analyses, I find that Mumbai is the financial capital of the country, Delhi is the seat of public administration, and Bengaluru specializes in transport, storage, and communications.
Yuko Aoyama and Balaji Parthasarathy, The Rise of the Hybrid Domain: Collaborative Governance for... more Yuko Aoyama and Balaji Parthasarathy, The Rise of the Hybrid Domain: Collaborative Governance for Social Innovation. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2016, 232 pp., $120.00 (cased) and $108.00 (e-book). ISBN: 978 1 78536 042 8 (cased). ISBN: 978 1 78536 043 5 (e-Book).
In the light of this debate, this study proposes to examine the differences be-tween government a... more In the light of this debate, this study proposes to examine the differences be-tween government and private schools. The specific objectives of the study are as follows: (1) Examination of disparities across government and private schools with re-gard to various performance aspects. ...
Given the digital divide between the developed and developing world, and recent findings that mob... more Given the digital divide between the developed and developing world, and recent findings that mobile phones can bridge this divide, we develop a causal model that analyses the effect of telecom penetration on economic development in developing economies. The paper addresses the following questions to understand the dynamics of this causal connection, i e, is it telecommunication services that accelerates economic growth or overall economic growth that creates the demand for more telecommunication services for their growth to occur? In the context of developing economies, what are the factors that determine demand for and supply of telecom services? Finally, given the importance of telecom infrastructure in growth, what determines changes in telecom penetration in these economies? We present select quantitative and qualitative evidence from a few developing countries to understand the nature of the impact telecommunications has on their economy and society.
Public Affairs Centre (PAC) is a not for profit organization, established in 1994 that is dedicat... more Public Affairs Centre (PAC) is a not for profit organization, established in 1994 that is dedicated to improving the quality of governance in India. The focus of PAC is primarily in areas where citizens and civil society organizations can play a proactive role in improving governance. In this regard, PAC undertakes and supports research, disseminates research findings, facilitates collective citizen action through awareness raising and capacity building activities, and provides advisory services to state and non-state agencies.
This chapter looks at the budgeting process in eight different agencies that are involved in tran... more This chapter looks at the budgeting process in eight different agencies that are involved in transport infrastructure development or provision of transport services. The former consists of the Public Works Department (PWD) of Delhi, the Corporation of Chennai and the Tamil Nadu Highways Department. The latter are Transport Corporations providing bus services. We evaluated the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). In the State of West Bengal, we scrutinized the Calcutta, North Bengal and South Bengal State Road Transport Corporations. The budget process is assessed using seven indicators. Overall, 41 of the 56 indicators evaluated only managed a ‘low’ score. PWD Delhi fared better than other agencies. While the Accountability and Capacity indicators had some ‘low’, ‘medium’ and even a few ‘high’ scores, we find that all Public Participation indicators and all but two of the Transparency indicators scored a ‘low...
One theme that recurs throughout this book is the consideration of whether tax incentives have so... more One theme that recurs throughout this book is the consideration of whether tax incentives have some impact on firm location decisions, when compared to the impact of infrastructure incentives. As we have discussed in earlier chapters, the GC approach is a test of the alternative to the tax war, and competition in providing infrastructure and public services, among the states. As stated earlier, there is considerable scepticism in policy circles regarding India’s GCs and their effectiveness in attracting firms. Commentators’ views have varied from a perception of the programme having been a colossal failure in attracting firms to one that strongly believes in their effectiveness because of the infrastructure incentives available to firms that locate there. Chapter 6 presented empirical evidence, based on secondary data, regarding the effect of GCs on the unemployment rate and their impact on firm location, where they exist in India. In this chapter, I attempt a qualitative assessment of the impact of GCs, based on primary data collected from field visits to several GCs, discussions with state governments, and visits to agencies administering the programme and to several firms located in the GCs. In this way, I account for factors and observations that might be missed in a purely quantitative approach which has been the focus of the previous chapters.
China domestically and internationally on its approach towards one country, two systems. Nobody c... more China domestically and internationally on its approach towards one country, two systems. Nobody could have foreseen the meteoric pace of growth of China’s economy by the time Hong Kong’s future was resolved in the 1980s. Even the most far-sighted observers during the transition period could not have envisaged the threat of an unabated flow of consumers and tourists to Hong Kong and their disruptive impact on the local supply of services and goods, for example. The twists and turns of China’s marketization process were also beyond our imagination. While the majority did not expect China’s marketization trajectory to be a linear process, few foresaw the return of the statist approach from the late 1990s onwards. In the face of the threat of economic federalism in the domestic scene and the challenge of global financial crises, the party leadership has resumed its proclivity towards recentralization and control. The domination of mega state-controlled enterprise groups as the champions...
Review of Urban & Regional Development Studies, 2016
Urban areas contribute to nearly two-thirds of India's gross domestic product, but only const... more Urban areas contribute to nearly two-thirds of India's gross domestic product, but only constitute 31% of the country's population. In this paper, I address the following questions: What are the specializations of Indian cities and towns, and how have these changed over time; and what part of the specialization identified is a result of local advantages versus industry or national economic growth? Answers to these questions are basic to sustaining the competitiveness of India's cities. I used standard Census of India data at city level to compute location quotients for India's cities and towns, and examined changes in their economic base over time. Further, I performed shift-share analyses for selected large cities to disaggregate their employment growth. On average, over 1991–2001, specialization in all sectors, with the exception of trade, decreased. I found evidence of persistence in the sectoral specialization of Indian cities during 1991–2001. Further, in all non-agricultural economic sectors, cities in states know to be backward and lagging are specialized in most sectors. Based on location quotient analyses, I find that Mumbai is the financial capital of the country, Delhi is the seat of public administration, and Bengaluru specializes in transport, storage, and communications.
Yuko Aoyama and Balaji Parthasarathy, The Rise of the Hybrid Domain: Collaborative Governance for... more Yuko Aoyama and Balaji Parthasarathy, The Rise of the Hybrid Domain: Collaborative Governance for Social Innovation. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2016, 232 pp., $120.00 (cased) and $108.00 (e-book). ISBN: 978 1 78536 042 8 (cased). ISBN: 978 1 78536 043 5 (e-Book).
In the light of this debate, this study proposes to examine the differences be-tween government a... more In the light of this debate, this study proposes to examine the differences be-tween government and private schools. The specific objectives of the study are as follows: (1) Examination of disparities across government and private schools with re-gard to various performance aspects. ...
Given the digital divide between the developed and developing world, and recent findings that mob... more Given the digital divide between the developed and developing world, and recent findings that mobile phones can bridge this divide, we develop a causal model that analyses the effect of telecom penetration on economic development in developing economies. The paper addresses the following questions to understand the dynamics of this causal connection, i e, is it telecommunication services that accelerates economic growth or overall economic growth that creates the demand for more telecommunication services for their growth to occur? In the context of developing economies, what are the factors that determine demand for and supply of telecom services? Finally, given the importance of telecom infrastructure in growth, what determines changes in telecom penetration in these economies? We present select quantitative and qualitative evidence from a few developing countries to understand the nature of the impact telecommunications has on their economy and society.
Public Affairs Centre (PAC) is a not for profit organization, established in 1994 that is dedicat... more Public Affairs Centre (PAC) is a not for profit organization, established in 1994 that is dedicated to improving the quality of governance in India. The focus of PAC is primarily in areas where citizens and civil society organizations can play a proactive role in improving governance. In this regard, PAC undertakes and supports research, disseminates research findings, facilitates collective citizen action through awareness raising and capacity building activities, and provides advisory services to state and non-state agencies.
This chapter looks at the budgeting process in eight different agencies that are involved in tran... more This chapter looks at the budgeting process in eight different agencies that are involved in transport infrastructure development or provision of transport services. The former consists of the Public Works Department (PWD) of Delhi, the Corporation of Chennai and the Tamil Nadu Highways Department. The latter are Transport Corporations providing bus services. We evaluated the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). In the State of West Bengal, we scrutinized the Calcutta, North Bengal and South Bengal State Road Transport Corporations. The budget process is assessed using seven indicators. Overall, 41 of the 56 indicators evaluated only managed a ‘low’ score. PWD Delhi fared better than other agencies. While the Accountability and Capacity indicators had some ‘low’, ‘medium’ and even a few ‘high’ scores, we find that all Public Participation indicators and all but two of the Transparency indicators scored a ‘low...
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Papers by Kala Seetharam Sridhar