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The economic reforms in India which were initiated in the mid-1980s, albeit mildly, but gained momentum since the early 1990s, have undoubtedly accelerated the GDP growth rate, but their impact on poverty, inequality and employment have been controversial. This book examines in detail these aspects of post-reform India, and traces the changes and trends which these new developments have created. Providing an original analysis of unit-level data available from the quinquennial National Sample Survey, the Annual Survey of Industries and other basic data sources, the authors analyse and compare the results with other works written on the matter. While describing the overall situation for India, the book highlights regional differences, and studies the major sectors of agriculture, manufacturing and services. The important issue of labor market institutions, both in the organised and the unorganised sector, is considered as well as the possible adverse effects on employment growth. Since any reform of this framework must go hand in hand with more proactive state intervention in the informal sector in order to have any chance of political acceptance, some of the major initiatives in this area are critically explored. The book will be of great interest to development economists, labour economists and specialists in South Asian Studies. This book is based on the results of a collaborative research project undertaken at the Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi, with support from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa. Table of Contents List of figures List of tables List of maps 1. Introduction: An Overview of Globalization, Reforms and Macro-Economic Developments in India Part 1: Trends in Poverty, Inequality, Employment and Earnings 2. Poverty, Growth and Inequality in the Pre- and Post-Reform Periods and the Patterns of Urbanization in India: An Analysis for All-India and the Major States 3. Trends in Employment and Earnings 1983-2000 4. Accounting for the Decline in Labor Supply in the Nineties Part 2: Regional Dimensions 5. Some Implications of Regional Differences in Labor Market Outcomes in India 6. Trend in Regional Disparities in Poverty, Incidence: An Analysis based on NSS Regions Part 3: Employment and Earnings in the Major Sectors 7. Agricultural Productivity, Off-Farm Employment and Rural Poverty: The Problem of Labor Absorption in Agriculture 8. Employment Elasticity in Organized Manufacturing in India 9. Dualism in Indian Manufacturing: Causes and Consequences 10. Growth of Employment and Earnings in the Tertiary Sector Part 4: Labor Market Institutions 11. Regulations, Enforcement and Adjudication in Indian Labor Markets: Origins, Consequences and the Way Forward 12. Strengthening Employment and Social Security for Unorganized Workers 13. Epilogue 14. Conclusions Notes References Index