Accelerating Growth and Job Creation in South Asia

Accelerating Growth and Job Creation in South Asia

Author: Ejaz Ghani

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780198060048

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This book addresses issues affecting growth and employment in South Asia. It looks at the policies and institutions that could propel the region towards higher growth.


South Asian Economic Development

South Asian Economic Development

Author: Moazzem Hossain

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9780415122887

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The notion that South Asian economies have tended to be less successful than those of East Asia is critically examined and the reasons why discussed. Countries covered include Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Key issues examined: * agriculture and rural development * labour market and human resource development * trade and industry policies * foreign investment and technological capabilities * foreign aid and economic development * financial development and economic performance * poverty, inequality and economic development * regional economic co-operation * 'green' development.


More and Better Jobs in South Asia

More and Better Jobs in South Asia

Author:

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2011-12-20

Total Pages: 357

ISBN-13: 0821389122

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South Asia has created nearly 800,000 jobs per month during the last decade. Robust economic growth in large parts of the region has created better jobs -- those that pay higher wages for wage workers and reduce poverty for the self-employed, the largest segment of the region’s employed. Going forward, South Asia faces the enormous challenge of absorbing 1 to 1.2 million entrants to the labor force every month for the next two decades at rising levels of productivity. This calls for an agenda that cuts across sectors and includes improving the reliability of electricity supply for firms in both urban and rural settings, dealing decisively with issues of governance and corruption, making access to land easier for urban informal firms and strengthening transport links between rural firms and their markets. It requires improving nutrition in early childhood to avoid cognitive impairment, intensifying the focus on quality of learning in education systems, equipping workers with the skills that employers demand, and reorienting labor market regulations and programs to protect workers rather than jobs. The continuance of high economic growth to help improve job quality is not assured. But the region’s demography can provide a favorable tailwind. The growth of workers exceeds that of dependents in much of the region. The resources saved from having fewer dependents can be shifted to high-priority investments in physical and human capital accumulation necessary to create productive jobs in countries with an enabling policy framework. But the demographic window of opportunity is open for only the next three decades, a fact which lends urgency to the reform agenda. This book will be of interest to policy makers, their advisers, researchers and students of economics who seek solutions, not only to the challenge of creating more and better jobs in South Asia but globally as well. It is the first title in South Asia Development Matters,a new series that will serve as a vehicle for in-depth synthesis of economic and policy analysis on key development topics for South Asia.


Manufacturing and Jobs in South Asia

Manufacturing and Jobs in South Asia

Author: Sachin Chaturvedi

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-08-01

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 9811083819

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This book analyzes the structural factors that underlie the persistent mass poverty and extreme inequality in South Asian countries. It highlights the fact that the supposed trade-off between output growth and job creation is a false dilemma. Growth can create jobs, and jobs can drive growth, mutually reinforcing one another. Increased employment and better jobs would mitigate the problems arising from a widening inequality gap. The book argues that policies focused on employment generation, mostly through industrialization, are the way forward in terms of providing livelihoods, sustaining growth and reducing inequality. The book is divided into two main parts. Part A explores cases in selected countries in South Asia in detail, primarily focusing on the opportunities and challenges of job creation in the manufacturing sector, as well as related issues, including constraints on manufacturing-sector growth in South Asia, exports and trade linkages, participation in value chains and the role of investment. In turn, Part B addresses a number of aspects that can promote a deeper understanding of strategies for industrialization and employment creation in the South Asian context, including regional cooperation, skill development, and industrial competitiveness. Gathering contributions from some of the region’s top minds, this book is of interest to scholars, researchers, policymakers and industry analysts alike.


Jobs, Poverty, and Working Conditions in South Asia

Jobs, Poverty, and Working Conditions in South Asia

Author:

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1995-01-01

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13: 9780821333440

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World Development Report 1995: Workers in an Integrating World addresses labor and employment--issues that are important for South Asia. Expanding employment and increasing the remuneration of workers are essential to poverty alleviation, which is the primary objective of all countries in the region. This regional perspective examines ways in which workers in South Asia can benefit from greater integration of the global economy through improving their skills or cushioning their transition to new jobs. The paper emphasizes that governments need to develop a framework for labor policies that defines the rights of employers, workers, and labor unions and the framework for collective bargaining and settlement of disputes. Liberalization will lead to market-based development, which is the best way to raise workers' living standards--it encourages firms and workers to invest in physical capital, new technologies, and skills.


South Asia Economic Focus

South Asia Economic Focus

Author: World Bank

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2021-10-07

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 1464817979

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South Asia region’s economies continue on a recovery path, with production and export having recovered to pre-COVID trend levels. But the recovery has been uneven across countries and sectors, and significant risks exist that could jeopardize short-term recovery and long-term growth. Over the short-term, low vaccination rates in most countries in the region make the population and economies vulnerable to future COVID waves and lockdowns; supply shortages due to global supply bottlenecks continue to put upward pressure on (food) inflation, especially after consumption recovers. Over the long-term, the region faces long-lasting scarring effects from the pandemic. The emergence of a new services economy creates an opportunity for the region to shift gears and to move towards a services-led development model. The importance of services has been increasing over time and got a further boost during the response to the COVID pandemic, when digital technologies became critical. This new services economy comprises not just the ICT sector, but also business and professional services that are increasingly critical inputs into manufacturing and other sectors, and digital platforms that are creating new markets. It can become the driver of development in South Asia because 1) Services are increasingly tradable and also represent a large part of value added incorporated in the exports of goods. 2) Services firms can drive productivity growth because of innovations that make their own products and other industries more efficient 3) The services sector also generates jobs and helps upgrading skills through on-the-job training. To unleash the potential of the new services economy, policy makers should rethink regulations and establish new institutions to enable 1) competition and innovation 2) increased labor mobility and up-skilling, through education and on-the job training; 3) the absorption of new services by firms and households. Governments in South Asia are addressing these new realities, but they face major challenges. With countries worldwide struggling to find an optimal institutional environment for the new services sectors, a good option for South Asia is to experiment with regulatory sandboxes.


South Asian Economic Development

South Asian Economic Development

Author: Moazzem Hossain

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2009-12-10

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1135191336

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This new edition provides an up-to-date guide to the growing markets in South Asia. It offers an analysis of the changes and consequences of high sustainable growth of the region and provides an outlook as to where these economies are heading to in the future.


Is South Asia Ready for Take Off?

Is South Asia Ready for Take Off?

Author: Mr.Ranil M Salgado

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2019-11-04

Total Pages: 78

ISBN-13: 1513518291

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Since the mid-1980s, durable reforms coupled with prudent macroeconomic management have brought steady progress to the South Asia region, making it one of the world’s fastest growing regions. Real GDP growth has steadily increased from an average of about 3 percent in the 1970s to 7 percent over the last decade. Although growth trajectories varied across countries, reforms supported strong per capita income growth in the region, lifting over 200 million people out of poverty in the last three decades. Today, South Asia accounts for one-fifth of the world’s population and, thanks to India’s increasing performance, contributes to over 15 percent of global growth. Looking ahead, the authors find that South Asia is poised to play an even bigger role in the global economy, in both relative and absolute terms. India has overtaken China as the fastest growing large economy and South Asia’s contribution to global growth is set to increase, while more mature economies decelerate. Greater economic diversification, with an expansion of the service sector, improvements in education, and a still sizable demographic dividend are among the key elements underpinning this performance. Based on demographic trends, more than 150 million people in the region are expected to enter the labor market by 2030. This young and large workforce can be South Asia’s strength, if supported by a successful high-quality and job-rich growth strategy. Amid a changing global economic landscape, the authors argue that South Asia will need to leverage on all sectors of the economy in a balanced way, supporting improvements in agricultural productivity and a sustainable expansion of manufacturing, while promoting higher-skill services, to achieve this goal.


Development in South Asia

Development in South Asia

Author: Basil Leonard Clyde Johnson

Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)

Published: 1983

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13:

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Covers the economic development of: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.