Rajesh Raj Natarajan
Biographic Data
| ID | 6503376 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rajesh Raj Natarajan |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rajesh Raj |
| FAMILY NAME | Natarajan |
| SIGNATURE | NATARAJAN R R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Sikkim University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8363-7135 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 12 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Unorganised Manufacturing Enterprises in India
The manufacturing sector in India shows significant dualism, with a large number of unorganised enterprises co-existing with a small number of organised enterprises. In this paper, we examine the characteristics and performance of the unorganised manufacturing enterprises in India using nationally representative unit level data for 2010-11, 2015-16 and 2023-24. We also examine the constraints that these enterprises face, and the implications for …
Behind the Numbers
The role of financial constraints in firm transition—Evidence from Indian manufacturing
In developing countries' manufacturing, the prevalence of small firms poses a conundrum, as few successfully transition to larger categories. Scholarly attention to the reasons behind this limited upward mobility remains scarce. This study, focusing on Indian manufacturing, explores the role of limited financial access as a significant obstacle hindering small firms' transition. Analysing data spanning 2001–2016, encompassing both formal and info…
Finance, Gender, and Entrepreneurship
How does informal economic activity respond to increased financial inclusion? Does it become more entrepreneurial? Does access to new financing options change the gender configuration of informal economic activity and, if so, in what ways and what directions? We take advantage of nationwide data collected in 2010/11 and 2015/16 by India’s National Sample Survey Office on unorganized (informal) enterprises. This period was one of rapid expansion o…
Hitting the Target, Missing the Point? Microcredit and Women Empowerment in Rural India
This study examines the impact of microcredit on time allocation outcomes for men and women in order to understand the relationship between microcredit and women’s empowerment. We find little evidence of a link between microcredit and women’s empowerment as women continue to spend most of their time in wage and non-market work; being part of a credit group fails to change this reality. On the other hand, men in the participating households have s…
Gender, small firm ownership, and credit access
Using a comprehensive dataset on micro, small, and medium enterprises in India, we examine whether the gender of the owner matters in firm performance and in credit access from institutional sources. The study finds significant underperformance in the size, growth, and efficiency of firms owned by women when compared to those owned by men. In line with the evidence in the existing literature, our findings also support the view that women-owned fi…
Do Informal Sector Wages Explain Rural Poverty? Evidence from India
This article examines the relationship between incidence of poverty and reliance on informal sector by workers in rural areas. The authors find that higher incidence poverty in rural areas can be explained to a certain extent by low wages in the sector, once we control for urbanization and other factors. Given the small size of formal sector and its substantially lower employment elasticity, the scope for expansion of employment in this sector is…
Joyful learning? The effects of a school intervention on learning outcomes in Karnataka
Do effective state–business relations matter for firm performance? A study of Indian manufacturing
This paper examines the role of the external institutional environment captured by effective state–business relations (SBRs) on firm performance. By effective SBRs, we mean a set of highly institutionalised, responsive and public interactions between the state and the business sector. We find that effective SBRs have had a discernible positive impact on firm productivity in Indian formal manufacturing over the period 1989–1990 to 2004–2005. We al…
Is Manufacturing an Engine of Growth in India in the Post-Nineties
This article tests whether manufacturing has acted as an ‘engine of growth’ for the Indian states in the post-1990s.Our methodology involves regressing the state domestic product (SDP) growth rates on growth rates of manufacturing. If the coefficient of manufacturing growth is higher than the share of manufacturing in SDP, this is interpreted as supporting the engine of growth hypothesis. The results indicate that manufacturing has acted as an en…
Technical Efficiency in the Informal Manufacturing Sector
The small and medium enterprise sector plays a pivotal role in the socio-economic development and growth of countries. But there is evidence that the firms in this sector are less efficient than those in the large enterprise sector. It is therefore imperative to examine their efficiency levels in order to identify the factors that contribute to inefficiency in these firms and to generate information for designing support policies for them. This a…
Did International Trade Destroy or Create Jobs in Indian Manufacturing
Hitting the Target, Missing the Point? Microcredit and Women Empowerment in Rural India
This study examines the impact of microcredit on time allocation outcomes for men and women in order to understand the relationship between microcredit and women’s empowerment. We find little evidence of a link between microcredit and women’s empowerment as women continue to spend most of their time in wage and non-market work; being part of a credit group fails to change this reality. On the other hand, men in the participating households have s…
Is Manufacturing an Engine of Growth in India in the Post-Nineties
This article tests whether manufacturing has acted as an ‘engine of growth’ for the Indian states in the post-1990s.Our methodology involves regressing the state domestic product (SDP) growth rates on growth rates of manufacturing. If the coefficient of manufacturing growth is higher than the share of manufacturing in SDP, this is interpreted as supporting the engine of growth hypothesis. The results indicate that manufacturing has acted as an en…
Joyful learning? The effects of a school intervention on learning outcomes in Karnataka
Technical Efficiency in the Informal Manufacturing Sector
The small and medium enterprise sector plays a pivotal role in the socio-economic development and growth of countries. But there is evidence that the firms in this sector are less efficient than those in the large enterprise sector. It is therefore imperative to examine their efficiency levels in order to identify the factors that contribute to inefficiency in these firms and to generate information for designing support policies for them. This a…
Did International Trade Destroy or Create Jobs in Indian Manufacturing
Do effective state–business relations matter for firm performance? A study of Indian manufacturing
This paper examines the role of the external institutional environment captured by effective state–business relations (SBRs) on firm performance. By effective SBRs, we mean a set of highly institutionalised, responsive and public interactions between the state and the business sector. We find that effective SBRs have had a discernible positive impact on firm productivity in Indian formal manufacturing over the period 1989–1990 to 2004–2005. We al…
Is Manufacturing an Engine of Growth in India in the Post-Nineties
This article tests whether manufacturing has acted as an ‘engine of growth’ for the Indian states in the post-1990s.Our methodology involves regressing the state domestic product (SDP) growth rates on growth rates of manufacturing. If the coefficient of manufacturing growth is higher than the share of manufacturing in SDP, this is interpreted as supporting the engine of growth hypothesis. The results indicate that manufacturing has acted as an en…
Joyful learning? The effects of a school intervention on learning outcomes in Karnataka
Do Informal Sector Wages Explain Rural Poverty? Evidence from India
This article examines the relationship between incidence of poverty and reliance on informal sector by workers in rural areas. The authors find that higher incidence poverty in rural areas can be explained to a certain extent by low wages in the sector, once we control for urbanization and other factors. Given the small size of formal sector and its substantially lower employment elasticity, the scope for expansion of employment in this sector is…
Gender, small firm ownership, and credit access
Using a comprehensive dataset on micro, small, and medium enterprises in India, we examine whether the gender of the owner matters in firm performance and in credit access from institutional sources. The study finds significant underperformance in the size, growth, and efficiency of firms owned by women when compared to those owned by men. In line with the evidence in the existing literature, our findings also support the view that women-owned fi…
Finance, Gender, and Entrepreneurship
How does informal economic activity respond to increased financial inclusion? Does it become more entrepreneurial? Does access to new financing options change the gender configuration of informal economic activity and, if so, in what ways and what directions? We take advantage of nationwide data collected in 2010/11 and 2015/16 by India’s National Sample Survey Office on unorganized (informal) enterprises. This period was one of rapid expansion o…
Hitting the Target, Missing the Point? Microcredit and Women Empowerment in Rural India
This study examines the impact of microcredit on time allocation outcomes for men and women in order to understand the relationship between microcredit and women’s empowerment. We find little evidence of a link between microcredit and women’s empowerment as women continue to spend most of their time in wage and non-market work; being part of a credit group fails to change this reality. On the other hand, men in the participating households have s…
The role of financial constraints in firm transition—Evidence from Indian manufacturing
In developing countries' manufacturing, the prevalence of small firms poses a conundrum, as few successfully transition to larger categories. Scholarly attention to the reasons behind this limited upward mobility remains scarce. This study, focusing on Indian manufacturing, explores the role of limited financial access as a significant obstacle hindering small firms' transition. Analysing data spanning 2001–2016, encompassing both formal and info…
Unorganised Manufacturing Enterprises in India
The manufacturing sector in India shows significant dualism, with a large number of unorganised enterprises co-existing with a small number of organised enterprises. In this paper, we examine the characteristics and performance of the unorganised manufacturing enterprises in India using nationally representative unit level data for 2010-11, 2015-16 and 2023-24. We also examine the constraints that these enterprises face, and the implications for …
Behind the Numbers
Economics (10 works) · Labour economics (7 works) · Business (6 works) · Economic growth (6 works) · Finance (5 works) · Demographic economics (4 works) · Firm Innovation and Growth (4 works) · Manufacturing sector (4 works) · Corporate Finance and Governance (3 works) · Disadvantaged (3 works)