EGS for Growth with Justice

Consensus eludes as to what constitutes a single explanation of inclusive growth and development. Is it development of all through equal share in growth and distribution? Is it inclusion of excluded in the growth process? Is it growth and development with equity, in other words, growth with justice? In the vast literature on development, inclusive growth is generally spelt out in economic terms, and explained as “pro-poor growth”, “growth with distribution”, “equal growth” and so on. In contrast, growth with justice is a comprehensive approach that emphasizes creating enabling conditions for participation of excluded and addresses the problem of structural inequality. It also aims at removing barrier to equal participation. This chapter explains Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) as a component of a strategy of promoting employment-centric inclusive growth and development in the context of a labour abundant economy in which wage labour is the principal source of livelihoods to a large section of the population, and yet, lack of productive employment is a major deficit. It treats EGS as a labour market intervention and identifies labour market as a major site of exclusion.