Includes bibliographical references and index.

Overview of the South Asian economy / Raghbendra Jha -- Part 1: Economic growth. India's growth in a long-run perspective / Bishnupriya Gupta -- Five centuries of economic growth in India : the institutions perspective / Sambit Bhattacharyya -- India's two track economy : an exploration into the dualism of India's complex economic structure / Rimjhim M. Aggarwal -- Part 2: Human development issues. Economic inequality in South Asia / Takashi Kurosaki -- The importance of education and literacy skills : perspectives from labour market and health in South Asia / Urvashi Dhawan-Biswal and Bagala Biswal -- Improving schooling quality as a human development strategy in India : challenges and prospects / Anil B. Deolalikar -- Natural disasters in South Asia / Raghav Gaiha, Kenneth Hill and Ganesh Thapa -- Part 3: Monetary and fiscal policy issues. Monetary policy framework in India : past, present, and future / Takeshi Inoue and Shigeyuki Hamori -- Exchange rate regimes and macroeconomic performance in South Asia / Ashima Goyal -- South Asia and the global financial crisis : impact and monetary policy responses / Rabin Hattari, Mohammad Shahidul Islam and Ramkishen S. Rajan -- Fiscal policies and challenges in South Asia / Raghbendra Jha -- Part 4: Sectoral issues. Infrastructure issues in South Asia / Sanjay Kumar Singh -- Prospects of non-farm employment and welfare in rural areas / Simrit Kaur, Vani S. Kulkarni, Raghav Gaiha and Manoj K. Pandey -- Part 5: International trade and financial flows. Trade policies in South Asia / Garry Pursell -- Foreign capital flows and development : lessons from South Asian experiences / Nagesh Kumar -- Trade, growth and poverty in South Asia / Keshab Bhattarai -- Impact of South Asia on global institutions : economic and social perspectives / Shandre M. Thangavelu and Sanja S. Pattnayak -- Part 6: Environmental issues. State of environment in South Asia / K.V. Bhanu Murthy -- Climate change mitigation strategies in South Asia / Vijay P. Ojha.