Research Paper on "Country Report of India"

Research Paper 10 pages (3446 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Globalization and National Differences in Political Economy

India is in the process of transforming from a developing country to a developed one. In spite of dire problems such as overpopulation, environmental degradation, poverty and corruption, quick economic development is fueling India's rise on the world stage. In this paper, the author will compare it to China in its neighborhood. China is mostly dominated by the patina of a communist ideology with an open economy. India is under democratic principles with a competitive market. Both China and India tend to be facing some of the same problems under their economic structures because of political, institutional and societal factors. Throughout the paper, India will be the base, both China and India will be compared and contrasted political culture systems and their impact upon trade regarding the economic process at the domestic and global levels.

To a lesser extent, it will be compared to the United States market. Luckily for India there was a lack of various negative issues that sank the United States market in the 2008 market meltdown, especially in the area of securitization of mortgages. In this way, India has kept up the wall between speculative and commercial investment in the crucial real estate sector of the economy. Attracting FDI will be critical in India's entry into the global capital market, for its strategy of and organization of itself in the international business arena. For India's economic success to be permanent (and it appears to be so) FDI will spur imports and exports as well as manufacturing in this era of globalization

A key part of this success has been in the area of globalization. It has brought India much needed wealth and development as companies in the United States and Europe have outsourced high-tech work with computers and business process outsourcing (BPO) services. Essentially, these corporations have succeeded in expanding their bases of operation with a minimum of increased labor and investment costs. These corporations have taken advantage of India's lower cost, but highly educated and English-speaking workforce by utilizing modern communication technologies such as voice-over internet protocol (VOIP), email and the internet. A new Indian middle class has developed around the wealth development that the computer and BPO industries have brought to the country. Due to this, a new consumer base has developed. Additionally, international companies such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Kentucky Fried Chicken are also expanding their operations in India to service the large growth opportunities this middle class has opened ("Economy Watch").

India has therefore developed well into an open-market economy, yet traces of its past policies remain as well. The economic liberalization (such as reduced controls on foreign trade and investment has greatly accelerated the country's growth. This has averaged more than 7% per year since 1997 ("World Fact book").

Differences in Cultural Strategy, Regional Economic Integration

Unlike many of its neighbors, India has chosen economic development over becoming dependent upon any one superpower for help. This self-reliance in economic and defense terms has been a key factor in the country's economic success. it's rivalry with China is in marked contrast in every way, including in the economic arena. Previously, most analysts have seen China on top, but lately India has been catching up, despite its lagging behind China in the past. While China's economy has been developing at breakneck pace, the Indians have been more deliberate, wanting to depend upon a sustainable model. Top economist Jim Walker of the Hong Kong -- based research firm Asianomics says in an article by Michael Schuman "The way I see it is that the growth in India is much more sustainable." The way Schuman sees it, India's edge is due to the different stimulus programs adopted by the two countries to support growth during the recent economic downturn. China implemented what Walker calls "the biggest stimulus program in global history." On top of government funding for new infrastructure as well as tax breaks, Beijing counted on a massive credit growth to spur the economy. This credit boom may have overheated the Chinese economy, especially in the critical real estate market. By contrast, India did the same as China, but on a much smaller and sustainable scale without jeopardizing its banking industry. Therefore, economists see continued strength in India's banks. And analysts do not harbor the same concerns that India's monetary policies are not sending the prices real estate into a bubble situation (Schuman). While the planned, command economy of China is faster to respond the Indians have counted upon slow and steady to win the race and this may have paid off. We shall see later that this is now finally having results in attracting FDI money to update this infrastructure with badly needed upgrades.

India's diverse economy includes traditional village farming and modern agriculture, traditional handicrafts, a wide array of modern industries as well as a multitude of services. Unfortunately, more than half of the workforce is in agriculture. However, services have become the major source of economic growth. They now account for more than half of India's output. Amazingly, this includes only one-third of its labor force. India has wisely capitalized on its huge educated English-speaking population and has become probably the major exporter of information technology services and software workers. Due to the industrial slowdown in early 2008, followed on by the global financial crisis, this led annual GDP growth to slow to 6.5% in 2009. Even with the recession, this was still the second highest growth in the world among major economies across the board (developing and developed), exceeded only by China and its less conservative policies. India has escaped the brunt of the global financial crisis because of its cautious banking policies with a relatively low dependence on exports for growth. Domestic demand driven as it is by the purchases of consumer durables and automobiles has again as the key driver of domestic growth even as exports have fallen since the start of the global crisis. India's fiscal deficit increased substantially in 2008 due as the government increased agricultural subsidies. It therefore abandoned its deficit target and allowed it to reach 6.8% of GDP in fiscal year 2010. Despite all of this, both government spending and taxation are among the lowest in the world in shares of GDP. Therefore, the government had the financial room to commit to a fiscal stimulus in FY10 while engaging in deficit reduction the following 2 years. Wisely, the government has increased the pace of privatization of government-owned companies to offset the deficit, showcasing the pragmatic economic real politick that has been the hallmark of the Indian approach to economics ("World Factbook").

As we saw earlier in the Schuman article, China has not been so prudent and may have shot its bolt in terms of credit when and if its real estate bubble bursts. Slow and steady may be the key to success in the long run (Schuman).

Despite a seemingly rosy picture, much of this increase in economic growth is due to high technology and foreign direct investment (FDI) in terms of service industries. In comparison to China, the picture is not as good. China and Hong Kong received U.S.$106 billion in 2009 versus U.S.$3.6 billion for India. India Watch posits that only better infrastructural improvement can attract FDI and lucrative tourist money. In terms of exports, China is almost over 700% of what India exports. If the exports of Hong Kong and Macau were taken into account, China's exports would over 1000% higher than that of India! The Chinese GDP is 50% in manufacturing or $650 billion per year. India's GDP is 25% in manufacturing or $110 billion per year, making China's manufacturing base nearly 6 times of India's ("I Watch").

While China's growth might seem to be reckless, in the long run it is a question of what is the weaker reed: service industries or manufacturing. In the opinion of this author, it can be historically argued that it has been manufacturing that have been the keys to world leadership. Service industries and the "post-industrial" model has been the recipe for a lowering of the status of the United States (a model for a present service economy) and the economic growth that is only outwardly impressive. China's economic growth is across the board and India may be copying the U.S. To its peril.

In this vein, India has survived the global economic crisis but there are "swadeshi" (self-sufficiency) vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities may not be similar to what other countries have, but they exist. According to Dr. Y.V. Reddy, former Reserve Bank of India Governor, one must look at these vulnerabilities. He thinks thinking the analysis that financial development will solve all problems is not right by itself. According to Dr. Reddy, "It has been an uneven, multi-speed recovery. The financial sector is growing, but the real sector is not picking up. There are several features of recovery. This means that global coordination is required. If there is a fire in the village, everyone… READ MORE

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