"India stands at a pivotal moment in its economic journey. As the nation grapples with transforming into a high-productivity, skill-driven economy, a fundamental question emerges: Will India successfully accelerate this transition, or will progress stagnate, leaving millions of young people trapped in fierce competition for scarce opportunities? Anthony D''Costa delivers an unflinching examination of the complex dynamics between business and state, exposing critical vulnerabilities while illuminating pathways toward prosperity. His analysis reveals how India could emerge as a high-income, more equitable society by 2047-the centennial of its independence-if it can navigate the challenges ahead." -- Tony Addison, Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow, UN University-World Institute of Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki"Anthony D''Costa wonderfully weaves the wide-ranging empirical material on Indian business into an interesting analytical tale to illuminate our understanding of the role that business plays in advancing development in a country like India. His in-depth knowledge of Indian business, which is rather unusual among the majority of development scholars, uniquely privileges him to develop a synthetic perspective drawing from two apparently unbridgeable disciplines, namely, development studies and business strategy. The book is a must-read for those who are interested in seeing Indian business through a development lens." -- Achin Chakraborty, Former Director and Professor, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata"In this insightful book, Anthony D''Costa provides a fresh look at the path of Indian economic development through the lens of the relationship between state and business. Anyone interested in whether and how private corporate enterprise can address the crucial problem of employment generation will find this of great interest.

" -- Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA"Professor Anthony D''Costa''s new book addresses the challenging question of creating productive jobs for India''s growing labor force by looking into the role of the business sector in manufacturing and services. A theoretically informed analysis in Asia''s historical context, it focuses on India''s post-independence experience. A lucid text that distils the author''s deep and varied research and teaching experience. I highly recommend it for students of business, development studies, and non-specialist intelligent readers." -- Nagaraj Rayaprolu, Former Professor, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai"Anthony D''Costa''s book is about the central challenge confronting the Indian economy currently - the lack of good jobs for India''s increasingly educated working-age population. Combining rich political economy analysis with detailed industry level case-studies, the book is a tour de force, with deep insights on the nature of state business relations in contemporary India. The book is a must read for students of political economy, and for scholars who would like to understand both the promise and peril of India''s future economic trajectory." -- Kunal Sen, Director, UN University-World Institute of Development Economics Research and Professor of Development Economics, University of Manchester"Anthony D''Costa''s innovative book breaks fresh ground in the analysis of the structural employment challenges that currently characterizes the Indian, and indeed the global economy, namely, job-less or job-loss growth.

The especially valuable feature of this excellent volume is that it constructs its overall perspective from a wide-ranging spectrum of insightful disaggregated industry-specific assessments of the interplay of technological, institutional, policy and employment factors that influence business and their impact on economic development. I strongly recommend the book that will be of great interest to students, scholars, policy makers, business leaders, and the wider community of engaged lay readers." -- Ashwani Saith, Former Dean and Emeritus Professor at the International Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, Erasmus University Rotterdam"Anthony D''Costa, who has extensively researched Indian and East Asian development and taught in development studies and business programs in a number of universities around the world, offers a pioneering perspective on the intricate relationship between India''s business landscape, economic development, and employment. Covering micro and traditional enterprises, modern industry, and the wider economic sectors of agriculture, manufacturing, and services, the author skillfully analyzes the employment conundrum of a high-growth economy with persistent surplus labor. Written in a lucid and non-technical style, this book is a must-read for students, scholars, and policymakers seeking to understand India''s complex labor markets in the twenty-first century." -- Alakh N Sharma, Director, Institute for Human Development, New Delhi and President, Indian Society of Labour Economics.