Reforms, Labour Markets, and Social Security in India

Social Security policy reforms have attracted increasing attention over the past decade in the context of the process of industrial restructuring involving mergers and acquisitions, privatization, closure of sick enterprises associated with economic reforms that have led to displacement of a growing number of workers. Furthermore, with social security programmes covering only 10 per cent of the work force, for a large part of the population, deprication in the form of inadequate income, ill-health and malnutrition is not a contigency to be guarded against, but a continuing certainty of life. Extending the coverage to the rest of the 90 per cent of the workforce that is part of the informal sector is a major challenge for the reforms. The contributions to the book examine some of the issues in the context of India with a view to contribute to the ongoing process of economic reforms. The labour market trends resulting from the reforms and the liberalization process are analysed in the context of their implication for social security and safety nets. Conceptual issues concerning the reform of pension systems in India are examined.
The book also reflects on old age security in the unorganized sector. It is a topical book of interest to economists, students and policy-makers.