India Uncut
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Friday, December 15, 2006
A nation of shopkeepers
The Times of India reports:
It could have been so much better if we didn't have to fight the odds.
With about 11 retail shops for every 1,000 persons, India has the highest shop density in the world.I'm not surprised. Indians take to entrepreneurship easily, some communities more than others. And I wonder how resoundingly well we would have done had these entrepreneurship skills been allowed to reach their fullest expression. For decades, oppressive regulations have strangled business. In spite of that, here we are.
That's one shop for every 20-25 families. In cities, the density is much higher. Delhi, for example, has nearly 45 shops per thousand persons!
It could have been so much better if we didn't have to fight the odds.
