| Type | Memorial lecture |
| Event | 8th Prof. K. M. Pattnaik Memorial Lecture |
| Organized by | Orissa Economics Association |
| Location | Online |
| Date | May 10, 2021 |
The 8th Prof. K. M. Pattnaik Memorial Lecture, delivered for the Orissa Economics Association (May 10, 2021).
In short: Why new small and medium enterprises emerge far more readily in some Indian states than others — an empirical look at SME formation across states from 1980 to 2007 and the regional conditions that drive it.
About the lecture
This memorial lecture presented an empirical analysis of where and why new small and medium enterprises (SMEs) form across Indian states. Drawing on panel data spanning 1980–2007, it documented how SME formation rose and then fell across the period, how heavily it concentrated in a few regions, and which regional conditions made some states far more fertile ground for new enterprises than others.
Watch the lecture
Embed the YouTube recording here.
What the lecture covered
- A rise then a fall — new SME formation grew strongly from the early 1980s into the early 2000s, before both the number of new SMEs and the entry rate dropped sharply in the mid-2000s.
- Heavy regional concentration — the southern, western, and northern regions together accounted for the large majority of new SMEs, and a small group of leading states (Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala) dominated.
- What drives formation — panel analysis pointed to market size, a skilled workforce, transport infrastructure, technology-intensive manufacturing, and entrepreneurial culture as positive factors, while credit access emerged as a constraint.
- Policy directions — expand skilled-labour and higher education, improve transport infrastructure, promote technology-intensive and ICT-enabled activity, and remove systemic biases in SME credit access.
Related research on this site
This lecture led to the author’s published work:
- Empirical Drivers of SME Formation in Indian States — the related journal article (Pradhan & Husain, Orissa Economic Journal, 2021).