India : Sustaining Reform, Reducing Poverty

India : Sustaining Reform, Reducing Poverty

The report analyzes India ' s continued good progress in increasing incomes, and improving living standards over the past decade, which after the setback associated with the 1991 balance of payments crisis, economic growth picked up, income po...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	World Bank
Format:	Publication
Language:	English en_US
Published:	New Delhi: Oxford University Press 2013
Subjects:	ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACCOUNTABILITY AGRICULTURE ANTI-CORRUPTION AUTONOMY BALANCE OF PAYMENTS BENCHMARK BENCHMARKS BONDS BORROWING BUDGET DEFICIT BUDGET DEFICITS BUDGET MANAGEMENT CAPITAL FORMATION CAPITAL MARKETS CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CIVIL SERVICE COMPETITIVENESS CONSUMERS CORRUPTION DEBT DEBT SERVICE DECENTRALIZATION DEPOSITS ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE ELASTICITY ELECTRICITY ELECTRICITY SERVICES EXCHANGE RATE EXCHANGE RATES EXPENDITURE EXPENDITURES EXPORTS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FINANCIAL SECTOR FINANCIAL SYSTEM FISCAL FISCAL DEFICIT FISCAL DEFICITS FISCAL DISCIPLINE FISCAL MANAGEMENT FISCAL POLICY FISCAL REFORM FISCAL REFORMS FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY FISCAL SITUATION FISCAL STANCE FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY FISCAL YEAR FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT GDP GOOD GOVERNANCE GOVERNMENT DEBT GOVERNMENT POLICY GOVERNMENT REFORM GOVERNMENT SECURITIES GOVERNMENT SPENDING GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT GROWTH RATE HEALTH SERVICES HEALTH SPENDING HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IMPORTS INCOME INFLATION INSURANCE INTEREST RATES INTERNAL AUDIT INVESTMENT CLIMATE LABOR FORCE LEGISLATION LIVING STANDARDS MANAGERIAL EFFICIENCY MANDATES MARKET DISTORTIONS MONETARY POLICY NATIONAL INCOME PENALTIES PENSIONS PER CAPITA INCOME PER CAPITA INCOMES POTENTIAL INVESTORS PRIVATE SECTOR PRIVATIZATION PRODUCTIVITY PUBLIC AFFAIRS PUBLIC DEBT PUBLIC ENTERPRISES PUBLIC EXPENDITURES PUBLIC FINANCE PUBLIC INVESTMENT PUBLIC INVESTMENTS PUBLIC RESOURCES PUBLIC SAVINGS PUBLIC SECTOR PUBLIC SERVICE PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY PUBLIC SERVICES PUBLIC SPENDING REGULATORY SYSTEMS RESERVE BANK OF INDIA RESIDENTIAL CONSUMERS ROADS SAFETY NETS SAVINGS SOCIAL SAFETY SOCIAL SAFETY NETS SOCIAL SERVICES STATE GOVERNMENT STATE INSTITUTIONS TAX TAX ADMINISTRATION TAX RATES TAX REFORM TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY TRADE POLICIES TRADE REFORMS TRANSPARENCY UNEMPLOYMENT UNEMPLOYMENT RATES UTILITIES WAGES WHOLESALE PRICE INDEX WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION WTO STANDARD OF LIVING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CIVIL SERVICE REFORMS SOCIAL SECTOR MONETARY POLICIES
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/01/5044602/india-sustaining-reform-reducing-poverty http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15046

Description
Summary:	The report analyzes India ' s continued good progress in increasing incomes, and improving living standards over the past decade, which after the setback associated with the 1991 balance of payments crisis, economic growth picked up, income poverty continued to decline, and many social indicators, in particular literacy, continued to improve. Likewise, there has been an opening to private activity, trade policy and the exchange rate regime have been further liberalized, and capital markets have been reformed, leading to an improved investment climate. Nonetheless, development progress has been steady, but uneven, while in addition, the recent growth deceleration was accompanied by a slowdown in investment, especially in the private sector. The fiscal position of the general government has now also deteriorated, with a rising budget deficit, the result of a significant increase in government consumption, and continued low revenue mobilization. But at the same time, prudent monetary policy has helped contain inflation, and strengthen the balance of payments. Based on this analysis, fiscal reforms are needed in taxation, financial, social, as well as for fiscal management. The report also reviews the delivery of public services, showing the need to access effective social safety nets, i.e., social services that require increasing the level, but more importantly the quality of public expenditures in these areas. This in turn requires improving the governance and productivity of India ' s civil service, and the pressing problem of affordability. An effective program of civil service reform should include measures to achieve the following three objectives: improve access to information; strengthen accountability; and, reduce political interference. Of special concern, are the weaknesses in the service delivery of social sectors: education, health and social safety nets, and, it has been argued that decentralization, and local empowerment will ultimately improve the quality of service delivery at the village level. The report suggests improving the investment climate, with a special look at infrastructure development, while promoting rapid agricultural, and rural growth given its importance in the socioeconomic, and political fabric of India, through productivity-enhancing investments.