Economic transitions, dualism, and informality in India: From a global South-centric lens
Join UCL IIPP in conversation with Dr Surbhi Kesar, Lecturer in Economics, SOAS University of London and Dr Carolina Alves, Associate Professor in Economics, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Pu
Economic transitions, dualism, and informality in India: From a global South-centric lens
21 Nov 2023, 17:30 – 19:00
Register here
Join this fascinating discssion on Tuesday 21st November 2023 at 17:30-19:00 (BST) UK Time in person at UCL IIPP 11 Montague Street WC1B 5BP.
About this event:
In this talk, Dr Surbhi Kesar will discuss her research on informal economy and the process of capitalist development in India. The continued persistence of large swathes of informal economy in India despite high growth poses a major roadblock in the imaginary of the development as structural transformation and capitalist transition. Various mainstream and critical theoretical frameworks have attempted to explain this persistence in terms of various competing perspectives. Dr Kesar will draw upon her existing and on-going research to unpack the patterns and nature of household-level and individual-level transitions across different sectors, characterised by varying degrees of formality/informality and various production structures and labour processes. Through this, she will attempt to highlight the dynamics of India’s contemporary development trajectory. Based on the analysis, she will reflect on the competing strands of literature that seek to explain the persistence of informality, and discuss an alternative South-centric theoretical framework that aligns better with India’s contemporary reality. She will also discuss her on-going work that is engaged in developing this framework and the avenues that need further work.
Meet the panel:
- Panellist: Surbhi Kesar, Lecturer in Economic, SOAS University of London
- Discussant: João Pedro Loureiro Braga, PhD Candidate, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
- Discussant: Rahul Jain, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
- Convenor: Carolina Alves, Associate Professor in Economics, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose