ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a critical evaluation of the policy framework and the underutilisation of labour that is so pronounced in the macro-economic data. It offers an analysis of India's employment policy ecosystem within the national and global context. The book discusses the contemporary global framework for decent work promoted by the International Labour Organization. It evaluates the role of legal institutions in which they shape employment trends and outcomes and provides an analysis of how contract labour law has been interpreted by the courts in the post-reform era that de facto support the extension of flexible labour in the manufacturing sector. The book uses the case study of the Indian economy and employment policy environment to explore some of the challenges posed by a large underutilised working age population. It develops a critical analysis of the relationship between human capital formation, employment and productivity.
