Manufacturing Productivity under Varying Trade Regimes, 1980-2000

This paper examines the productivity performance of Indian manufacturing under varying trade regimes. The analysis focuses on the overall period of 1980-2000 and four sub-periods to reflect the shifts in trade policy regime. There is no evidence of much change in total factor productivity growth following liberalisation of the regime initiated in the early 1990s. As in the 1980s, factor accumulation rather than productivity growth accounts for most of the output growth during this period.