Role of It- Ites in Economic Development of Asia : Issues of Growth, Sustainability and Governance

This book focuses on the contribution of Information Technology (IT) and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) in shaping the current and future global economic scenario, with a special focus on Asia, and taking into account the three broad macroeconomic dimensions — growth, sustainability and governance mechanisms. The last two decades have witnessed a structural shift in the world economy due to the tremendous growth in gross domestic product share for the service sector; in fact, service has emerged as the dominant sector and the main driver of GDP growth. This is mainly attributable to the spectacular success of the IT sector in the new knowledge economy. Tradability, technology and transportability – the three T’s – govern productivity growth in today’s services. Growing Asian economies such as India, China and Vietnam, using their demographic advantages, have been reaping the benefits of this boom.

The book’s content focuses on recent debates and discussionsconcerning the issue of long-term sustainability and governance, especially in India, as these companies are facing continuous challenges in terms of international competition, salary inflation, health hazards, scarcity of talent, employee attrition, security concerns, global slowdown and many other technology-related issues. The book further highlights how the increased application of IT-based products and services is resulting in harsh inequalities concerning income distribution in many developing countries of Asia, mainly because of its labor shedding nature, and hence might be detrimental to sustainable development, if suitable policy measures are not implemented to counter these effects.

The book provides a wealth of information for researchers, graduate students and political scientists alike, as well as thought-provoking insights for social scientists, policymakers and government officials. It also offers a valuable source of data for business and management professionals, and for members of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Soumyen Sikdar is a Professor of Economics at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Kolkata, India. He obtained his undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Presidency College and the University of Calcutta, respectively, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, USA. He has more than 40 years of experience in teaching and research, and has been a Visiting Professor at Shenzhen University, China, and the Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University, Japan. Professor Sikdar has authored numerous research publications in internationally respected journals and three books on macroeconomics and globalization released by international publishers. His research interests include industrial organization theory, open economy macroeconomics and development economics.

Ramesh Chandra Das is an Associate Professor of Economics at Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, West Bengal, India, with twenty years of teaching and research experience. He completed his Master’s, M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Calcutta. His research has been published in journals of national and international repute, and three of his research projects were sponsored by the University Grants Commission (UGC), India. Prof. Das has edited e.g. the Handbook of Research on Globalization, Investment and Growth: Implications of Confidence and Governance; Handbook of Research on Global Indicators of Economic and Political Convergence; Handbook of Research on Economic, Financial, and Industrial Impacts on Infrastructure Development; and The Impact of Global Terrorism on Economic and Political Development: Afro-Asian Perspectives. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Asian Journal of Research in Business Economics and Management (Asian Research Consortium) and an Editorial Advisory Board member in the Society for the Study on Business and Finance.

Rajib Bhattacharyya is an Associate Professor of Economics at Goenka College of Commerce and Business Administration, West Bengal, India. He holds an undergraduate degree from St Xavier’s College, Kolkata, and a Master’s degree in Economics, with a specialization in International Economics, from the University of Calcutta. He obtained his M.Phil. and Ph.D. from the same university. With more than 18 years of teaching and research experience, his work on issues of global trade and finance, infrastructure and women’s entrepreneurship development has been published in respected national and international journals. Some of his recent international publications include chapters in the Handbook of Research on Military Expenditure on Economic and Political Resources; Handbook of Research on Micro financial Impacts on Women Empowerment, Poverty, and Inequality; and Handbook of Research on Economic, Financial, and Industrial Impacts on Infrastructure Development. Dr. Bhattacharyya has served on the editorial advisory boards of many reputed journals.