Publication

This paper explores employment in India during the 1990s and shows there has been high growth in non-farm employment (NFE) in rural areas since 1993. The authors examine the spatial variation in development and socioeconomic indicators around urban centers to show the rate of growth of NFE in rural areas was below that of urban areas and widened during 1993–2000. They argue that the government's capacity to generate employment directly through anti-poverty and other programs is limited. They recommend focusing on the creation of an economic infrastructure, the provision of basic amenities and the strengthening of rural-urban (RU) linkages.