Social And Economic Impact Of Sezs In India

Looks at the socio-economic impact of special economic zones (SEZs) in India, exploring government policy and their potential as a major development strategy.

This study examines the contribution of Gujarat Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in socioeconomic development.

This book provides a comprehensive review of the evolution and performance of SEZs from a historical and comparative perspective by tracing the experiences of SEZs in 23 developing countries, including Korea, Taiwan, and China. Using a framework that integrates the basic tenets of the industrial cluster approach with existing theories, it proposes a set of evaluation criteria for SEZs. Analysing quantitative data provided by the Ministry of Commerce and qualitative evidence based on field surveys conducted during 2004–9, the book assesses the economic contribution in the pre- and post-SEZ Act periods in India. Exploring the impact of SEZs on employment, trade, foreign exchange earnings, government revenue, and technology transfers, it also examines evidence of social effects vis-à-vis land acquisition, human development, regional inequities, and environmental protection. Discussing the impact of internal dynamics and external forces on future prospects of SEZs, it offers constructive suggestions to make policy investor-friendly and successful.

This book examines India’s ten years of experience developing Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the performance of SEZs in the context of India’s growing international engagement, its endeavours to attract domestic and foreign investment in manufacturing and services and its aim to increase and diversify exports of goods and services. SEZs are industrial enclaves/clusters within a country that receive certain incentives and business facilitation benefits that are not generally available to the rest of the country. To facilitate private and foreign investment in SEZs, India introduced the SEZ policy in 2000, which was followed by the SEZ Act in 2005. After ten years under the Act, India now has one of the largest number of approved SEZs in the world and its SEZ policy remains heatedly debated, with a number of studies arguing both for and against it. Given this background, the book also identifies the challenges faced by SEZs in India and offers policy recommendations on how to make the SEZs an engine for India’s economic growth and development that can more effectively link the country’s manufacturing and services sectors to global value chains.

This book systematically evaluates the trajectories of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) policymaking in India and its performance. The findings of the study are the result of detailed fieldwork conducted by the author in India and China at different points in time. Exploring China's SEZs policy and performance, the book discusses whether Indian policymakers were aware of the nuances of China's SEZs policy and the various facets of performance before replicating it for India. Performance analyses of Indian SEZs are carried out using both a conventional set of performance indicators and new frameworks, such as the zone trade performance index, the resource cost framework and efficiency analysis. Offering a balanced view to rate the performance of Indian SEZs, the significance of this study lies in its quest to provide an holistic appraisal of the various unexplored issues in the literature pertaining to SEZs in India.

"This book, designed for policymakers, academics and researchers, and SEZ program practitioners, provides the first systematic and comprehensive analysis of SEZ programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the result of detailed surveys and case studies conducted during 2009 in ten developing countries, including six in Sub-Saharan Africa. The book provides quantitative evidence of the performance of SEZs, and of the factors which contribute to that performance, highlighting the critical importance not just of the SEZ itself but of the wider national investment climate in which it functions. It also provides a comprehensive guide to the key policy questions that confront governments establishing SEZ programs, including: if and when to launch an SEZ program, what form of SEZ is most appropriate, and how to go about implementing it. Among the most important findings from the study that is stressed in the book is the shift from traditional enclave models of zones to SEZs that are integrated ? with national trade and industrial strategies, with core trade and social infrastructure, with domestic suppliers, and with local labor markets.Although the book focuses primarily on the experience of Sub-Saharan Africa, its lessons will be applicable to developing countries around the world."

For countries as diverse as China and Mauritius, Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have been a powerful tool to attract foreign investment, promote export-oriented growth, and generate employment; for many others, the results have been less than encouraging. While the benefits and limitations of zones will no doubt continue to be debated, what is clear is that policymakers are increasingly attracted to them as an instrument of trade, investment, industrial, and spatial policy. Since the mid 1980s, the number of newly-established zones has grown rapidly in almost all regions, with dramatic growth in developing countries. In parallel with this growth and in the evolving context of global trade and investment, zones are also undergoing significant change in both their form and function, with traditional export processing zones (EPZs) increasingly giving way to larger and more flexible SEZ models. This new context will bring significant opportunities for developing countries to take advantage of SEZs, but will also raise new challenges to their successful design and implementation. This volume aims to contribute to a better understanding of the role and practice of SEZs in developing countries, in order to better equip policymakers in making effective decisions in planning and implementing SEZ programs. It covers some of the emerging issues and challenges in SEZs – including upgrading, regional integration, WTO compliance, innovation, the environment, and gender issues – with practical case examples from SEZ programs in developing countries.

The 2019 edition of the World Investment Report focuses on special economic zones (SEZs) which are widely used across most developing and many developed economies. Although the performance of many zones remains below expectations, the rate of establishment of new zones is accelerating as governments increasingly compete for internationally mobile industrial activity. Policymakers face not only the traditional challenges to making SEZs succeed, including the need for strategic focus, sound governance models, and effective investment promotion tools, but also new challenges brought about by the sustainable development imperative, the new industrial revolution, and changing patterns of international production. The Report explores the place of SEZs in today’s global investment landscape and provides guidance for policymakers on how to make SEZs work for sustainable development. It presents international investment trends and prospects at global, regional and national levels, as well as the evolution of international production and global value chains. It analyses the latest developments in new policy measures for investment promotion, facilitation and regulation around the world, as well as updates on investment treaties, their reform and investment dispute settlement cases.