Political Economy of Special Economic Zones

This book is mainly utilised empirical data along with the secondary sources in order to ascertain the hypotheses formulated in earlier studies on the realm of the promise and performance of Special Economic Zones. This study has been organized into nine chapters, which includes the introductory remarks. The author traced the issues beset with the nature and genesis of the study of special economic zones. Apart from this, objectives and methodology carried for the study had also incorporated. A panoramic view of the literature on the realm of the subject had been taken up as part of the review of literature. The world wide experience of the Special Economic Zones had also been enumerated. While analysing the nature of the Special Economic Zones, the author emphasized the salient features of SEZ Act as promulgated in India in the union government and some of the issues involved in its implementation in different States, especially with reference to the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. This book analyses the record of performance of the then State of Andhra Pradesh in the establishment of SEZs and their subsequent activities. The socio-economic aspects of the land acquisition programme under four selected SEZs had also been examined. An analysis of the respondents’ views on the promise and performance of SEZs based on the field study had also been taken up and some of the case studies had also utilized to have an idea over the functioning of SEZs. The field observations, suggestions offered by the respondents for bringing about an improvement in the functioning of SEZs had also been incorporated in this work.