Room 008, Amrut Mody School of Management
Central Campus
Ahmedabad University
India's high-technology export landscape is dominated by two key industries: pharmaceuticals and computer software services. Renowned globally, India is hailed as the pharmacy of the world for its remarkable contributions to the pharmaceutical sector and as a leading provider of top-tier computer services to Fortune 500 companies. Both industries have exhibited robust growth and maintained positive trade balances, yet their success has often been attributed more to labour cost differentials than to innovation prowess.
This study delves into the innovation performance of these industries, seeking to move beyond the narrative of labour arbitrage. While the computer software services sector has been criticised for its reliance on replication rather than innovation, this analysis aims to assess the extent to which innovation drives growth in both industries. By employing various innovation metrics such as research and development expenditures and patents granted, this research provides a comprehensive evaluation of the innovation landscape within these sectors. Through an in-depth examination of existing data and literature, this study sheds light on the true drivers of growth and competitiveness within India's high-technology export industries.
Professor Sunil Mani has a distinguished academic career, having held key positions at prestigious institutions both in India and abroad. He served as the director and professor, holding the Reserve Bank of India Chair at the Centre for Development Studies in Trivandrum, Kerala. Prior to this, he was a faculty member and head of graduate studies at the United Nations University-Institute for New Technologies (now UNU-MERIT) in Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Professor Mani earned his MPhil and PhD in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He furthered his academic pursuits with postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford, supported by a fellowship from the Ford Foundation, New York.
His expertise is internationally recognised through visiting professorships at prestigious institutions such as the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, Japan; Bocconi University in Milan, Italy; the University of Toulouse Jean Jaures in Toulouse, France; and the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, and presently, at Ahmedabad University.
Furthermore, Professor Mani significantly contributes to the scholarly community by serving on the editorial boards of two esteemed international journals: Structural Change and Economic Dynamics (Elsevier), and the International Journal of Technology and Globalization (Inderscience). He has also provided policy advice to the Department of Science and Technology of both India and South Africa, as well as various UN agencies and the World Bank.
His research impact is evident through an H-index of 10 and 25 on SCOPUS and Google Scholar, respectively. Specialising in the economics and policy studies of technology and innovation, Professor Mani's comprehensive list of publications can be accessed at the following link: Link to Professor Sunil Mani's publications
