Routledge Handbook of South Asian Economics

Routledge Handbook of South Asian Economics
Author: Raghbendra Jha
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2012-05-23
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1136803882

The Routledge Handbook of South Asian Economics addresses the recent economic transformation in South Asia. Leading experts in the field look at the major economic achievements and challenges for the region and examine why economic development across the South Asia region has diverged so significantly since the early 1990s. Providing a cutting-edge review of the economies of South Asia, the Handbook analyzes key growth areas as well as key structural weaknesses and policy challenges facing these economies. Furthermore, it anticipates trends and suggests corrective measures for the South Asian economic region. Sections focus on issues of human development, such as inequality, poverty and quality of schooling, and monetary and fiscal issues, particularly in light of the ongoing global financial crisis. Further sections discuss issues relating to employment and infrastructure, and on the experience of the region with international trade and financial flows, and environmental challenges. Written by renowned and respected experts on South Asian economics, this Handbook will be an invaluable reference work for students and academics as well as policy makers interested in South Asian Studies, Economics and Development Studies.

Regional Integration and Economic Development in South Asia

Regional Integration and Economic Development in South Asia
Author: Sultan Hafeez Rahman
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 425
Release: 2012-04-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1781005249

South Asian leaders have made it a priority to tackle key regional issues such as poverty, environment degradation, trade and investment barriers and food insecurity, among others.

Stitches to Riches?

Stitches to Riches?
Author: Gladys Lopez-Acevedo
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2016-03-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1464808147

South Asia is in the midst of a demographic transition. For the next three decades, the growth of the region’s working age population will far outpace the growth of dependents. Close to one million individuals will enter the workforce every month. This large, economically active population can increase the region’s capacity to save and make crucial investments in physical capital, job training, and technological advancement. But for South Asia to realize these dividends, it must ensure that its working-age population is productively employed. As one of the most prominent labor-intensive industries in developing countries, apparel manufacturing is a prime contender. With around 4.7 million workers in the formal sector and another estimated 20.3 million informally employed (combined with textiles), apparel already constitutes close to 40 percent of manufacturing employment. And given that much of apparel production continues to be labor-intensive, the potential to create more and better jobs is immense. There is a huge window of opportunity now for South Asia, given that China, the dominant producer for the last ten years, has started to cede some ground due to higher wages. But the region faces strong competition from East Asia—with Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam already pulling ahead. Plus the sector suffers from production inefficiencies and policy bottlenecks that have prevented it from achieving its potential. Against this backdrop, this report hopes to inform the debate by measuring the employment gains that the four most populous countries in South Asia—Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (hereafter `SAR countries’)—can expect in this new environment of increased competition and scrutiny. Its main message is that it is important for South Asian economies to remove existing impediments and facilitate growth in apparel to capture more production and create more employment as wages rise in China. The successful manufacturers will be those who can supply a wide range of quality products to buyers rapidly and reliably—not just offer low costs.

Connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia

Connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia
Author: ADBI
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2016-03-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 4899740484

This report analyzes how closer regional connectivity and economic integration between South Asia and Southeast Asia can benefit both regions, with a focus on the role played by infrastructure and public policies in facilitating this process. It examines major developments in South Asian–Southeast Asian trade and investment, economic cooperation, the role of economic corridors, and regional cooperation initiatives. In particular, it identifies significant opportunities for strengthening these integration efforts as a result of the recent opening up of Myanmar in political, economic, and financial terms. This is particularly the case for land-based transportation—highways and railroads—and energy trading. The report’s focus is on connectivity in a broad sense, covering both hardware and software, including investment in infrastructure, energy trading, trade facilitation, investment financing, and support for national and regional policies.

Colonial Legacies

Colonial Legacies
Author: Anne E. Booth
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2007-09-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0824831616

It is well known that Taiwan and South Korea, both former Japanese colonies, achieved rapid growth and industrialization after 1960. The performance of former European and American colonies (Malaysia, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines) has been less impressive. Some scholars have attributed the difference to better infrastructure and greater access to education in Japan’s colonies. Anne Booth examines and critiques such arguments in this ambitious comparative study of economic development in East and Southeast Asia from the beginning of the twentieth century until the 1960s. Booth takes an in-depth look at the nature and consequences of colonial policies for a wide range of factors, including the growth of export-oriented agriculture and the development of manufacturing industry. She evaluates the impact of colonial policies on the growth and diversification of the market economy and on the welfare of indigenous populations. Indicators such as educational enrollments, infant mortality rates, and crude death rates are used to compare living standards across East and Southeast Asia in the 1930s. Her analysis of the impact that Japan’s Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere and later invasion and conquest had on the region and the living standards of its people leads to a discussion of the painful and protracted transition to independence following Japan’s defeat. Throughout Booth emphasizes the great variety of economic and social policies pursued by the various colonial governments and the diversity of outcomes. Lucidly and accessibly written, Colonial Legacies offers a balanced and elegantly nuanced exploration of a complex historical reality. It will be a lasting contribution to scholarship on the modern economic history of East and Southeast Asia and of special interest to those concerned with the dynamics of development and the history of colonial regimes.

India and South Asia

India and South Asia
Author: Anjum Siddiqui
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 446
Release: 2015-06-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317468112

South Asia has become a major center of attention on the world stage with the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan since 9/11, the ongoing concern over Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan, and India's emergence as a regional economic power. In addition, the age-old problems of South Asia - mass poverty, poor infrastructure, misgovernance, rampant corruption, political uncertainty, and regional wars - add to the increased interest in the region. Incorporating the most current information available, the expert international contributors to this handbook examine the economies and geo-political developments of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. They focus on three core areas of importance: trade and development in the post-WTO era of globalization; macroeconomic adjustment and economic growth; and poverty, governance, the war on terror, and social indicators. With its cutting edge analysis, the handbook is an essential reference for all students, researchers, and practitioners dealing with the region.

Sustaining Economic Growth in Asia

Sustaining Economic Growth in Asia
Author: Jeremie Cohen-Setton
Publisher: Peterson Institute for International Economics
Total Pages: 474
Release: 2018-12-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0881327344

Economic growth, inflation, and interest rates have declined in Asia, just as they have in the United States and Europe. This volume explores the relevance to several Asian economies of the diagnosis known as “secular stagnation.” Leading experts on the region discuss the fiscal and monetary policy challenges of reviving growth without generating domestic financial imbalances. The essays on innovation, demographics, spillovers, and various policy proposals are accompanied by case studies focusing on Japan, South Korea, China, India, and Indonesia.

Economic and Financial Integration in South Asia

Economic and Financial Integration in South Asia
Author: Sanjay Sehgal
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 211
Release: 2020-10-25
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1000202798

This book analyses the current state and potential of economic and financial integration in South Asia, which has emerged as one of the most dynamic regions of the world. It looks at how regional convergences and cooperation would reinforce ties amongst the diverse economies of South Asia in the changing global economic landscape. Drawing on empirical research, the book looks at the degree of economic and financial integration in South Asia, which according to the World Bank includes the least integrated regions in the world, and explores the fundamental factors that drive integration amongst these countries. It offers important insights into the financial landscape of the region, as well as the dynamics of the interlinkages in the banking system, the stock markets, and the debt markets. The book examines the role of bilateral trade in augmenting regional economic ties, the opportunities for growth these will foster, and the major challenges and roadblocks for the leaders of the region. It also provides an overview of China’s role in South Asia’s financial integration and the interdependence of these economies for economic opportunities, macroeconomic and financial stability, jobs, sustainable growth, and inclusive development. Detailed and insightful, this book will be of great interest to investors and regional policymakers. It will also be of interest to researchers and students of economics, public and foreign policy, finance, international relations, and South Asia studies.

Leveraging Urbanization in South Asia

Leveraging Urbanization in South Asia
Author: Peter Ellis
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2015-11-13
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1464806632

The number of people in South Asia's cities rose by 130 million between 2000 and 2011--more than the entire population of Japan. This was linked to an improvement in productivity and a reduction in the incidence of extreme poverty. But the region's cities have struggled to cope with the pressure of population growth on land, housing, infrastructure, basic services, and the environment. As a result, urbanization in South Asia remains underleveraged in its ability to deliver widespread improvements in both prosperity and livability. Leveraging Urbanization in South Asia is about the state of South Asia's urbanization and the market and policy failures that have taken the region’s urban areas to where they are today--and the hard policy actions needed if the region’s cities are to leverage urbanization better. This publication provides original empirical and diagnostic analysis of urbanization and related economic trends in the region. It also discusses in detail the key policy areas, the most fundamental being urban governance and finance, where actions must be taken to make cities more prosperous and livable.