Publication

This background brief elaborates on the development of special economic zones (SEZ) in India since their establishment and identifies a number of concerns. For instance, the brief reviews the spatial distribution of the SEZs, economic activities that can be frequently found in the SEZs and the dominance of a few companies. Subsequently, the brief discusses a number of open questions such as the loss of tax revenues, the relocation of existing industries, disparities in SEZ activity and the loss of agricultural land. The brief presents extensive data on the distribution and composition of the SEZs.