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Services-Led Industrialization in India: Assessment and Lessons

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  • Singh, Nirvikar

Abstract

This paper provides an integrated analysis of the role of the service sector in recent Indian economic development. It discusses the nature of services, their distinction from products, and their categorization. It provides an overview of India’s overall growth experience, and a detailed examination of the contribution of the service sector to growth. It includes an examination of the potential for spillovers from IT, ITES and other service sectors such as financial services, to the rest of the economy, drawing on econometric work, as well as input-output analysis of linkages to understand these possible spillovers and growth potentials. Based on this evidence, it appears that India’s manufacturing sector development may have been constrained in part by weaknesses in key service sectors such as transportation and electricity. The paper also considers the particular role of international trade in services, which is of growing importance. It discusses the consequences for employment of different growth paths, the challenges of education and manpower training to support and sustain India’s development path, and social and environmental issues, including regional inequality issues. The Indian experience is related to recent discussions of industrial policy, and development policy more generally.

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  • Singh, Nirvikar, 2006. "Services-Led Industrialization in India: Assessment and Lessons," Santa Cruz Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt8jn2b8z6, Department of Economics, UC Santa Cruz.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:ucscec:qt8jn2b8z6
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    Cited by:

    1. Sohini Sahu, 2015. "Source of Service Sector TFP Growth in India: Evidence from Micro-data," South Asian Journal of Macroeconomics and Public Finance, , vol. 4(1), pages 62-90, June.
    2. Singh, Nirvikar, 2008. "India’s Development Strategy: Accidents, Design and Replicability," MPRA Paper 12453, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Bart Ark & Dirk Pilat, 2024. "Productivity drivers and pro-productivity policies: G20 economies, India and South Korea," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 95-121, October.
    4. Abda Emam & Egbal Elmsaad, 2025. "Do Non-Agricultural Sectors Affect Food Security in Saudi Arabia?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-17, May.
    5. Cortuk, O & Singh, N, 2015. "Analysing the structural change and growth relationship in India," Santa Cruz Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt4qx907p3, Department of Economics, UC Santa Cruz.
    6. Singh, Nirvikar & Cortuk, Orcan, 2010. "Structural Change and Growth in India," Santa Cruz Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt7fd4n35w, Department of Economics, UC Santa Cruz.
    7. Nirvikar Singh, 2007. "The dynamics of reform of India’s federal system," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 8(01), pages 22-31, April.
    8. K L Krishna & Deb Kusum Das & Abdul Azeez Erumban & Suresh Aggarwal & Pilu Chandra Das, 2016. "Productivity Dynamics in India's Service Sector: An Industry-Level Perspective," Working Papers id:11401, eSocialSciences.
    9. Ashok Kotwal & Bharat Ramaswami & Wilima Wadhwa, 2011. "Economic Liberalization and Indian Economic Growth: What's the Evidence?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 49(4), pages 1152-1199, December.
    10. Singh, Nirvikar, 2007. "The Dynamics of Reform of India’s Federal System," Santa Cruz Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt9gh5p65t, Department of Economics, UC Santa Cruz.
    11. Irfan, Mohammad & Muhammad Yasin, Hafiz, 2009. "Socio-Economic Challenges Faced by Pakistan," MPRA Paper 40570, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Thomas, P Mini, 2015. "Tax contribution of service sector: An empirical study of service taxation in India," Working Papers 344, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.
    13. Aradhna Aggarwal & Nagesh Kumar, 2012. "Structural Change, Industrialization and Poverty Reduction: The Case of India," Development Papers 1206, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) South and South-West Asia Office.
    14. Rakesh Gupta & Sarika Tomar, 2008. "Enhancing Employability Through Training and Assessment," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 33(1), pages 7-27, February.
    15. Bart van Ark & Dirk Pilat & Klaas de Vries, 2023. "Are Pro-Productivity Policies Fit for Purpose? Productivity Drivers and Policies in G-20 Economies," Working Papers 038, The Productivity Institute.
    16. Singh, Nirvikar & Srinivasan, T.N., 2006. "Federalism and economic development in India:An assessment," MPRA Paper 1273, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Eva Näfe & Barbara von Toll, 2011. "Is Broad Industrialisation Imperative for Development? Case Studies on Uganda and Tanzania," Competence Centre on Money, Trade, Finance and Development 1105, Hochschule fuer Technik und Wirtschaft, Berlin.
    18. F. Ted Tschang, 2011. "A Comparison of the Industrialization Paths for Asian Services Outsourcing Industries, and Implications for Poverty Alleviation," ADBI Working Papers 313, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    19. Semanur Soyyiğit & Yasemin Asu Çırpıcı, 2017. "An Input-Output Network Structure Analysis Of Selected Countries," Yildiz Social Science Review, Yildiz Technical University, vol. 3(2), pages 65-88.
    20. Cortuk, Orcan & Singh, Nirvikar, 2011. "Structural change and growth in India," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 110(3), pages 178-181, March.

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