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Labour and Employment in India: A 50-Year Perspective

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  • Gerry Rodgers

    (Institute for Human Development)

Abstract

This article reviews changes in knowledge and thinking about labour and employment issues in India, on the basis of the author’s experience over the last 50 years. It examines six issues: employment deficits; the mode of production; labour institutions and labour market segmentation; wages; the quality of work; and poverty and inequality. In each case there is a brief overview of the history of research into and perceptions of these issues, followed by comments on some key outstanding questions today. The article then draws on the views of some leading participants in the Indian Society of Labour Economics to identify the highest priorities for research and policy in the coming years, concluding that the central issue is the quantity and quality of employment, and the social and economic processes that drive employment patterns, but that new approaches need to be developed if India’s employment problems are to be adequately addressed.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerry Rodgers, 2020. "Labour and Employment in India: A 50-Year Perspective," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 63(1), pages 1-19, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijlaec:v:63:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s41027-020-00204-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s41027-020-00204-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pissarides,, 2009. "Labour Market Adjustment," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521106061, September.
    2. Indira Hirway, 2015. "Unpaid Work and the Economy: Linkages and Their Implications," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_838, Levy Economics Institute.
    3. Ravi S. Srivastava, 2016. "Myth and reality of labour flexibility in India," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 59(1), pages 1-38, March.
    4. Lucas Chancel & Thomas Piketty, 2019. "Indian Income Inequality, 1922‐2015: From British Raj to Billionaire Raj?," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 65(S1), pages 33-62, November.
    5. S. Mahendra Dev, 2018. "Inequality, employment and public policy," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2018-003, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.
    6. Ajit K. Ghose, 2017. "Informality and Development," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 60(1), pages 1-16, March.
    7. Sonalde Desai & Omkar Joshi, 2019. "The Paradox of Declining Female Work Participation in an Era of Economic Growth," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 62(1), pages 55-71, March.
    8. Bhaduri, Amit, 1973. "A Study in Agricultural Backwardness under Semi-Feudalism," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 83(329), pages 120-137, March.
    9. Barbosa,Alexandre de Freitas & Cacciamali,Maria Cristina & Rodgers,Gerry, 2017. "Growth and Inequality," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108416191, September.
    10. Bhagwati, Jagdish N & Chakravarty, Sukhamoy, 1969. "Contributions to Indian Economic Analysis: A Survey," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 59(4), pages 2-73, Part II S.
    11. S.Mahendra Dev, 2018. "Inequality, Employment and Public Policy," Working Papers id:12391, eSocialSciences.
    12. Piketty, Thomas & Chancel, Lucas, 2017. "Indian income inequality, 1922-2014: From British Raj to Billionaire Raj ?," CEPR Discussion Papers 12409, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    13. Rodgers, G B, 1975. "Nutritionally Based Wage Determination in the Low-Income Labour Market," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 27(1), pages 61-81, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bina Agarwal, 2020. "Labouring for Livelihoods: Gender, Productivity and Collectivity," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 63(1), pages 21-37, March.

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