Dot.compradors Power and Policy in the Development of the Indian Software Industry

'India Shining' has become the brand name for a new India presented in Bollywood films, advertisements and books. A key part of this image is the software industry, held up as the symbol of prosperity and post-modernity.*BR**BR*Opening with a primer on 'the Seven Leading Myths about the Indian IT Industry', Dot.compradors reveals the darker reality behind 'India Shining', providing a history of the industry from the 1970s to the present day. Jyoti Saraswati punctures the myth of a free-market industry by showing the role of state intervention, and shows how vested interests and elite corruption have shaped, and continue to shape, one of the world's most dynamic sectors. *BR**BR*Both a detailed case study and a wider consideration of development issues, Dot.compradors argues that the software industry is a substantial obstacle to a broader-based, more egalitarian form of development in India.

Jyoti Saraswati teaches on the Business and Political Economy Program at the Stern School of Business, New York University.