Charlie Rose (PBS) talked to P. Chidambaram,
Finance
Minister of India, in September 2005. The discussion concerned the
growing Indian
economy, energy, outsourcing
and India's role in the world. India's GDP has grown at 9% over
the last three years, faster than the 7% Chidambaram noted in 2005; his
comments continue to be of much relevance today.
Articles and videos
by topic area
Topic: Economic
and social change
R. Nagraj examines India's recent economic
performance in this article from Economics
and Political Weekly
(April 12, 2008).
Prof.
Kaushik Basu discusses issues concerning India's growth in
this article from Economics
and Political Weekly
(February 2, 2008). You might want
to skip (or skim) section 3 of the article.
Two readings that
provide frameworks for understanding the changes in India. The first
is the 1971
Nobel Prize lecture by the American economist, Simon Kuznets, in
which he discusses the sources of modern economic growth. The six
factors Kuznets suggests as key to growth appear to be in place for
India. The second is a chapter on Schumpeter’s theory of economic
growth, in which he suggests long
waves of economic growth (Kondratiev waves).
Charlie Rose in conversation with Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Group.
Charlie Rose in conversation with Azim Premji,
Chairman, Wipro, on Feb. 10, 2009.
The following video, The
Other Side of
Outsourcing, looks at how the outsourcing business is changing
Indian society, especially the young men and women in India. The video
was made in 2005 by Thomas Friedman, who wrote "The
World is Flat."
Topic: Growth sectors
The following readings give
a broad perspective on seven key areas:
infrastructure, manufacturing, services, information technology,
retailing, telecommunications and banking. Numerous other
sector-specific
reports are available from theIndia Brand Equity
Foundation, and from McKinsey
on India. Please
check these
websites for reports on other sectors of interest to
you.
Banking
in India (reading)
IBEF reviews the changing Banking sector in India.
Topic: Innovation
The first reading below is
from Wikipedia. It provides a useful summary of several different views
about innovation. The other articles and videos
below give examples of recent innovations,
in both the public and private sectors, that have received notable
attention in India. Please note that we are concerned with innovation
in the broadest sense of value creation - the introduction of something
new and useful in a society or culture. It can include, for
example, innovations in technologies and/or their uses, value
propositions, business processes, business models, incentives and
administrative structures. The relation between innovation and economic
growth is also discussed in the Kuznets and Schumpeter readings noted
above.
$28
foot (reading) Time magazine story
about an artificial foot made for poor farmers and laborers. Read how
it
is being used. A related video is available here.
e-Choupal
- ITC Ltd. (reading)
e-Choupal is an IT innovation for
Indian farmers.
The following two-part video
shows how e-Choupal
is being used.
Riding
the earning horse: Indian Railways (reading and video)
Railways Minister Lalu
Prasad Yadav is hailed a hero for changing
Indian Railways from a perennial loss-maker to a striking success.
Indian Railways is the largest employer in the world. See the video
accompanying the story. Here is Mr. Yadav
in
India's Parliament, joking about his achievements.
In
Spite of the Gods, by Edward Luce (2007), Doubleday.
Presents a good overview of modern Indian society. A bit bleak, but
perceptive.
Additional resources
Please read in
greater detail about the Indian business
sector(s) most relevant to your interests. Some useful resources are
given below.
India Brand Equity
Foundationhas
recent reports on various aspects relating to Indian
business. These reports can be found under the research
section,
or by searching the web site. Several sector-specific
reports are available free of charge. See especially the Doing
Business in Indiasurveys.
Ernst and Young's Doing
Business India (2007)is a useful overview of India, the
recent changes in the country, and the opportunities it presents.
Goldman Sachs' famous BRIC reports
are available online (free).
Planning
Commission of India has published a series of sector-wise reports,
stating the goals and assessing the feasibility of changes over the
next five years. The latest plan, covering 2007-2012, is available here
(pdf).
New
York Times country overview and collection of stories on
India.