Jawaharlal Nehru, who formulated and oversaw
this economic policy expected a favourable outcome from this strategy because
it features both capitalist market economy and socialist command economy. But
the outcome was unfavourable to the country and leads to liberalization and
privatization in India.
Government made large investments in heavy industries and expects these
industries will produce enough capital for investment in other sectors of the
economy. But it didn't happen. In the other hand, government has to invest more
money for the survival of these companies because of poor management and low
productivity. For example, the public sector steel company losses were more
than its initial investment while the private sector steel company was making
profit.
India's average annual growth rate from 1950-1980 was 3.5%. At the same time
other Asian countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan recorded an annual growth rate of 8%. Now 'Hindu rate of growth' is an expression to
refer low annual growth rate.
The failure of pro-socialist economic policy to produce an annual growth rate
comparable to its neighbours leads to the economic reforms going on now.
Globalization
Globalization is a process of integration and
interaction among the people, governments and business entities of different
nations. Many see globalization as an economic phenomenon. The process is
driven by international trade, investment and capital flows. But it has effects
on the environment, culture, political systems, economic development and
prosperity, and physical well-being of the societies around the world.
Societies across the globe have established progressively closer contacts over
many centuries. Earliest forms of globalization existed during Mongol Empire
which is an interconnected trade routes(Silk Road) extends over 5000 miles on
land and sea and connects China, ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, India and
Rome. Global integration continued through expansion of European trade in 16th
and 17th centuries when Portuguese and Spanish empires reached to all corners
of the world. Globalization becomes a business phenomenon when first
multinational company, Dutch East India Company, founded in 17th century in Netherlands. It was the first company in the world to issue shares, an important driver of
globalization. 19th century saw rapid growth in international trade and
investment between European imperial powers and their colonies. After World War
II, regional and multinational trade agreements like GATT, WTO, and NAFTA were
signed to reduce tariffs and barriers to trade.
Advances in communication and transportation technology combined with free
market ideology have given goods, services and capital unprecedented mobility.
Developed countries want to open world market to their goods and take advantage
of cheap labor in poor countries. They use international financial institutions
and regional trade agreements to force poor countries to integrate to the world
economy by reducing tariffs, privatizing state enterprises and relaxing
environmental and labor standards.
The world is increasingly confronted with problems like cross-boundary water
pollution, degradation of natural environment, regulation of outer-space,
global warming, international terrorist network, and global trade. These
problems can not be solved by individual nation states acting alone. This
necessitates cooperation between nations and creation of global institutions.
The world is more interdependent than ever. Along with products and finances,
ideas and cultures circulates more freely. Worldwide drive towards globalize
economic system dominated by multinational corporate trade and banking
institutions that are not accountable to democratic process or national
government. This has benefited multinational corporations in the western world
at the expense of local enterprises, local cultures and common people. For
billions of the world's people, business driven globalization means uprooting
old ways of life and threatening livelihoods and cultures. It should be
resisted or regulated in order to promote more democratic process and
sustainable development.