Growth of small-sized ICT service enterprises and development of entrepreneurship in tier-2 cities of India

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K03026
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Human geography
• Research Institution: Ryukoku University
• Principal Investigator: Kuwatsuka Kentaro 龍谷大学, 経営学部, 准教授 (40346466)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 秋庭 太 龍谷大学, 経営学部, 准教授 (00340282)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: サービス / 産業立地 / 労働力のプール / 起業家 / エコシステム / 地域格差 / 南アジア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cost competitiveness is a one of the major factors for India’s Information and Communications Technology service industry to choose tier-2 cities as their optional locations. Large companies based in metropolitan cities establish their operation centres where the state governments offer attractive infrastructures and subsidies. Cheap and abundant labour forces supplied by higher education institutions within the region are their locational advantages. This eco-system allows local entrepreneurs to expand their business by staffing unskilled local engineers and operators in greater numbers to meet the global demand. However, it is challenging to employ enough number of experienced talents with the cost advantage. Under these circumstances, ambitious local entrepreneurs prefer to cater to domestic demands which arise from local social issues with support from the governments instead of adopting a value-added services strategy for the global markets.

Free Research Field

経済地理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

大都市にとどまっていたインドICTサービス産業立地に関する研究を，地方都市への展開状況を踏まえた議論へと引き上げるところに，本研究の意義がある。これにより，インド国内の地域格差を利用した当該産業の成長メカニズムを明らかにできるだけでなく，地場起業家の事業展開を制約する地域的な条件を検討する材料も得ることができる。他国・地域と比較することで，地域開発の新たなあり方を検討することにも寄与するであろう。