Ajitava Raychaudhuri and Prabir De have compiled a relevant collection on the growing importance of services trade for India and its implications to economic growth and inequality. The book consists of 12 chapters that provide an in-depth discussion of trends in services trade in the aggregate and the sectoral dimensions across higher education, health and transportation services in India. The overarching theme of the book is that the removal of barriers to services trade is welfare-enhancing.
It essentially covers two important aspects. First, the challenges to liberalisation of services trade across sectors by means of case studies. Second, it makes the case for increasing services trade and consequent growth that would reduce poverty and inequality. Relevant primary surveys complement the secondary empirical analysis. Although there are significant limitations to the empirics, the book offers good insights into service trade barriers for India and the impact of the removal of such barriers to the Indian economy.
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