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Posts by Bishnupriya Gupta

Role of history in shaping India’s economic development

As India is now completing 75 years of Independence, two big questions loom over the conversation around India’s economic development: How successful was the Indian economy before and during colonia...

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Demographic shocks and female labour force participation: Evidence from 1918 flu pandemic

The Influenza pandemic of 1918 killed about 5% of India’s population. This article finds that districts most adversely affected by influenza mortality saw a temporary increase in the country’s fem...

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Catching up: India’s transition from a colonial economy

The decline and stagnation of the Indian economy was reversed after independence. This column suggests although productivity in agriculture and industry rose after 1947, it was the service sector that...

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Falling behind: India under colonial rule

At the time of independence, India was among the poorest countries in the world. This column argues that the main reason for India falling behind during the colonial rule was inadequate investment in ...

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Community origins of industrial entrepreneurship: Theory and historical evidence from India

The transition from agriculture to trade and the subsequent transition from trade to manufacturing are key stages in the development process. In countries where a substantial manufacturing sector exis...

  • IGC Research on India

The historical roots of India's booming service economy

India stands out from other emerging economies because its growth has been led by the service sector rather than labour-intensive manufactures. This column summarises recent research showing that Indi...

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