About the Conference

Unprecedented growth has been experienced in most part of the globe during last few decades. However, unfortunately, the fruit of such growth has not improved the quality of life for all. While the poverty has been reduced in some of the emerging economies like India, China and Vietnam, half of the world’s population owns less than 1 percent of the wealth. Fifty percent of the world population lives on less than $2.50 a day. Recent statistics also show that the ratio of people at poverty to wealthy level is 88 to 1, while it increased from 44 to 1 in 1973. More than half of total workforce of 2.6 billion in the developing economies is employed in the “unorganised sector” with unfavourable working conditions. Unemployment, especially of youths, is in the range of 40 to 70 percent. With close to 1 billion people suffering from malnourishment and 820 million chronically hungry, 2.7 billion people living without proper sanitation and clean water, around 125 million children not going to school and around 30 million children dying of preventable diseases in last 10 years before reaching the age of five; do clearly indicate that a large part of the population have been deprived of the opportunities in sharing the fruits of the growth.

The situation appears to be unsustainable. The major and immediate challenge of the current century is to generate inclusive, balanced and sustainable growth. The poor lack money, safety and security, food, health & sanitation, and living conditions with basic dignity. They do not have access to information, credit, skills and networks, which could improve their personal, economic and social well-being.

The demographic dividend enjoyed by countries like India and China would lead to prosperity only when available additional workforce is educated and productively employed. In absence of that, social unrest and economic instability can be expected.

In order to create a better and sustainable future, Governments, Corporates and NGOs will need to work collectively and playing their respective roles most effectively. Organisations will also be required to innovate in several areas in order to offer products and services at affordable price range, to a large size market segment.

In this backdrop, it becomes essential to provide a stimulating platform for academicians and practitioners representing the Economics, Finance, Accounting and related disciplines to reflect, deliberate, and suggest measures that are needed both at macro and the micro level to elevate India and other backward economies to higher and sustained growth trajectory.

From this perspective, Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Institute for Management Development (SDMIMD) is organizing the international conference on “Global Economic Growth and Sustainability: Challenges and Prospects” on November 20-21, 2015.

The Conference Organizing Committee takes pleasure in inviting our esteemed members from the academia and corporate fraternity to participate in the deliberations by submitting Research papers and Case studies. Contributions seeking to expand the frontiers of knowledge surrounding the theme – Global Economic Growth and Sustainability, are particularly welcome.