Forgotten Sector

The rural non-farm sector already generates over a fifth of all rural employment in India, and as much as a third of the total income of rural households. However, Indian policy-makers have failed to see that the rural non-farm sector can make a critical contribution to employment growth and economic development.This book provides the most comprehensive analysis of the sector available for any developing country, and puts forward a coherent and wide-ranging strategy for promoting the sector to meet national goals of full employment, economic growth and poverty alleviation.Drawing on new institutional economics and organizational analysis, the authors provide an in-depth assessment of the successes and failures of development policies, and the organizations that implement them, for regulation, promotion, credit and producer representation. The analysis is backed by a wealth of concrete illustrations derived from extensive fieldwork in eight major states.