Reservation and private sector : quest for equal opportunity and growth

Policies of legal safeguards and reservation/affirmative actions in favour of discriminated groups have a tendency, globally, to generate acrimonious and heated debates. The idea of introducing reservation in the private sector has received a fair share of differing opinions in India. This volume brings representative pieces of those opinions together at one place.

The papers address some of critical issues that appeared in the current debate on reservation: Are the concerns about discrimination related only to equity or they also involve economic and political costs? How sound are the arguments against anti-discriminatory policies for private sector? Does reservation adversely affect economic efficiency and compromise merit? Or it ensures equality of opportunity for the discriminated groups and also creates economic milieu for better economic performance? In other words, are the principle of equity and canon of efficiency always at odds with each other? And, what are the possible remedies against market discrimination?

This book, by bringing together insightful perspectives from prominent academicians, opinion makers in the media, captains of the corporate world as well as politicians, reflects contemporary thinking of Indian society on a vital and contentious issue of private sector reservation. It will be helpful to the academia, government, NGOs as well as researchers and students and to all those, who are concerned about discriminations associated with caste and systematic exclusion and multiple deprivations suffered by Dalits.