About the publication

 

The India Development Update is the World Bank’s twice-yearly report on the Indian economy and its prospects. This edition has topical notes on the demonetization experiment (did it curb black money?), an analysis of recent fiscal policy developments (should we be worried about states’ borrowing?), and an update on trade policy and performance (is the talk of protectionism being translated into action?) 

 

Each edition also includes timely thematic notes, and a focus chapter on an issue of structural importance for India’s long-term development. The theme of the May 2017 India Development Update is “Unlocking Women’s Talent”. India has one of the lowest female participation rates in the world, ranking 120th among the 131 countries for which data are available. Worse still, the rate has been declining since 2005, and even among highly educated women (those with a diploma or university degree) only 1/3 are in the labor market. The shallower talent pool – including managerial and entrepreneurial talent – comes at a cost to economic growth. Why are so few women in the labor market, and what can be done about it?