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Indias attempt to spur growth, boost exports, and create jobs by establishing Special Economic Zones remains a paradox. While the policy represents an intensification of the countrys increasingly market-oriented development paradigm, implementation has required active government involvement. But an industrialization strategy pioneered in authoritarian China has faced huge political resistance in democratic India. Protest movements arose in many localities where SEZs were proposed. A crucial point of contention has been the alienation of private and community-owned land by business interests, abetted by the state.

To date, no systematic study of the politics of Indias SEZ experiment has been undertaken. This volume fills this gap, examining variations in protest movements within and between eleven states where SEZs were proposed. Detailed case studies investigate differences in the nature and extent of SEZ-related political mobilization and the means employed by governments to manage dissent. By covering a broad range of regional contexts, industrial sectors, and political conditions, this volume furnishes a comprehensive picture of the politics surrounding one of Indias most controversial reform measures.