Book Description

"The book strongly advocates intensification of exports through a radical review of the policies that have regulated Indian industry since independence1⁄4. The authors have presented a vivid exposition of India's trade policy since independence and the performance of the Indian companies therein. The book is a timely contribution to the ongoing debate on India's foreign trade policies." --The Indian Journal of Social Science "The authors have given a good account of India's export efforts. The volume should prove a valuable asset in the formulation of relevant Indian strategies to promote exports in the regime of the new World Trade Organisation." --The Journal of Entrepreneurship "This book constitutes a strong and cogent case for further intensifying India's export thrust through a radical review of the policies that have regulated Indian industry since 1947. It also provides a background to understand the economic reforms that have been initiated since 1990. It will be of immense use to those studying international trade, political economy and development economics." --Finance India Virtually all developing countries have endeavored to increase their exports to pay for the wide range of essential goods that many of them need to import. The policies that impact vary from country to country. In the case of India, the country's planners emphasized import substitution combined with restrictions on imports and the development of indigenous industries. As this volume reveals, such inward-oriented and protectionist policies severely limited the role of international trade in India's economy. Focusing on the 1970s and 1980s, this study analyzes the export performance of India's manufacturing sector and the efforts made to encourage Indian industry to contribute to export earnings in a more substantial manner. The first part of the study provides macro-economic data and the second part presents data relating to the export performance of more than 400 Indian companies in the private sector. A book providing a strong and cogent case for further intensifying India's export thrust, India's Trade Policy and the Export Performance of Industry will appeal to those interested in the subjects of political economy, international trade, and development economics. "The timely and valuable contribution of the authors to the crucial issues of India's trade policy and its export performance is highly commendable. The pertinent questions raised by the authors in the course of their analysis require serious consideration." Southern Economist "Highly interesting book . . . With liberalization and a free market economy poised to bring about a sea of change in the situation, the historical background of India's export policy will make good reading for a long time to come." -The Economic Times "The book is a useful addition to the empirical literature on India's trade policy. The book is particularly helpful for students and policymakers, who may ant to study the implications of trade policy on exports at a sectoral and industrial level of disaggregation." -Deccan Herald