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Informal tradables and the employment growth of Indian manufacturing

Author

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  • Ghani,Syed Ejaz
  • Kerr,William Robert
  • Segura,Alex

Abstract

India's manufacturing growth from 1989 to 2010 displays two intriguing properties: 1) a substantial fraction of absolute and net employment growth is concentrated in informal tradable industries, and 2) much of this growth is connected to the development of one-person establishments. This paper investigates the causes and determinants of these growth patterns. The rapid urbanization of the informal sector plays the strongest role, while there is some evidence for subcontracting by the formal sector and a"push"entrepreneurship story. The paper also finds modest connections of this growth to rising female labor force participation. The connection between the presence of informal manufacturing and local productivity levels is strong, and varies across urban and rural areas in ways that bolster urbanization and subcontracting hypotheses.

Suggested Citation

  • Ghani,Syed Ejaz & Kerr,William Robert & Segura,Alex, 2015. "Informal tradables and the employment growth of Indian manufacturing," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7206, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:7206
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Natalie Bau & Adrien Matray, 2023. "Misallocation and Capital Market Integration: Evidence From India," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 91(1), pages 67-106, January.
    4. Desai, Raj M. & Rudra, Nita, 2019. "Trade, poverty, and social protection in developing countries," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    5. Jonathan Colmer, 2021. "Temperature, Labor Reallocation, and Industrial Production: Evidence from India," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 13(4), pages 101-124, October.
    6. Duranton,Gilles & Ghani,Syed Ejaz & Grover,Arti Goswami & Kerr,William Robert & Duranton,Gilles & Ghani,Syed Ejaz & Goswami,Arti Grover & Kerr,William Robert, 2015. "Effects of land misallocation on capital allocations in India," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7451, The World Bank.

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