Labour in Contemporary India

Description

Generation of decent livelihood opportunities ought to be among the most important objectives on any meaningful agenda of economic development. On this front, however, the Indian experience has remained seriously inadequate. During the first four decades after Independence, India’s achievements with respect to the problems of poverty, unemployment, and occupational structural transformation were modest at best. Since the early 1990s, during the era of neo-liberal reforms, while economic growth has remained upbeat, the wellbeing of the masses has shown even greater stress.
An indispensable entry point to the subject of labour in India, this Short Introduction locates the debate within the trajectory of economic development since India’s independence.

About the Author

Praveen Jha is Professor, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning (CESP), School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Table of contents

Preface
Introduction
1 The Labour Question in India’s Development Trajectory
2 Work and Welfare: Some Core Indicators
3 Labour Market Flexibility: Myths versus Reality
4 Persistent Informality: Causes and Consequences
5 Neo-liberalism and Social Security: Debates and Alternatives
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index