India and South Asia: Demographic opportunity, Globalization and Regional Cooperation
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With a total population which will increase by a third between 2000 and 2050, the world is poised to deep changes in the next decades. The last UN projections show the strong weight of South Asia in this trend, and particularly India. For the Economists, the relation with demography passes by three concepts at least: the relative weight of a population; the demographic transition; finally, the demographic “window of opportunity” which measures the optimal period for the economic growth thanks to a labor force growing faster than the total population. What is the situation of South Asia on these three indicators? Which possible impact will they have on the world economy? Lastly, how India will be able or not to manage at a regional level this demographic transition?Jean-Joseph Boillot is Professor of Social Sciences and holds a PhD in Economy. He has joined the French Ministry of Economy as a Financial Advisor for South Asia between 2003 and 2005. He has published about twenty books of which L’Économie de l’Inde (Paris, La Découverte, 2006).