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How Should India Reforms Its Labour Laws?

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  • Simon Deakin
  • Antara Haldar

Abstract

We examine the current policy debate around the reform of labour laws in India, which has been stimulated in part by the success of the Gujarat model of economic development. Gujarat's deregulatory reforms have included changes to the legal regime governing employment terminations, which could form a basis for a change in national-level labour laws. Evidence linking labour law deregulation to growth, however, is weak, whether the focus is on India or the experience of other countries. Building labour market institutions is a long-term process which requires investment in state capacity for the management of risks associated with the transition to a formal economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Simon Deakin & Antara Haldar, 2015. "How Should India Reforms Its Labour Laws?," Working Papers wp469, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    • Handle: RePEc:cbr:cbrwps:wp469
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    File URL: https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/cbrwp469/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Simon Deakin, 2016. "The Contribution of Labour Law to Economic Development & Growth," Working Papers wp478, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    2. Aditya BHATTACHARJEA, 2021. "Labour market flexibility in Indian manufacturing: A critical survey of the literature," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 160(2), pages 197-217, June.
    3. Rashmi Venkatesan, 2019. "The UN Framework on Business and Human Rights: A Workers’ Rights Critique," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(3), pages 635-652, July.
    4. Simon Deakin & Shelley Marshall & Sanjay Pinto, 2020. "Labour Laws, Informality, and Development: Comparing India and China," Working Papers wp518, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    5. Diti Goswami & Sourabh Bikas Paul, 2020. "Labor Reforms in Rajasthan: A boon or a bane?," Papers 2012.01016, arXiv.org.
    6. Simon Deakin, 2018. "The Use of Quantitative Methods in Labour Law Research: An Assessment and Reformulation," Working Papers wp495, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labour law; institutions; India; law reform; Gujarat model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J53 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Labor-Management Relations; Industrial Jurisprudence
    • J58 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Public Policy
    • K31 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Labor Law

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