Sagarmala & India’s maritime big push approach: seaports as India’s geo-economic gateways & neighborhood maritime lessons

Abstract

ABSTRACT Rejecting economic gradualism, Rosenstein-Rodan, back in 1943 advocated huge government-led initial infrastructure investment or ‘Big-Push Approach’ to achieve big economic growth. Welfare economists like Arthur Lewis and Rugnar Nursk expanded the proposition through their ‘Dual Sector Model’ and ‘Balanced Growth Approach’ converting the whole idea as a body of ‘Modernisation Theories’ for economic growth and development. John Maynard Keynes endorsed the idea too through his ‘Mixed Economy Growth Model’ prescription. Seaports are India’s trade and geo-economic gateways. India meanwhile has launched a very ambitious maritime modernization program called ‘Sagarmala 2015–2035’ to modernize Indian Seaports and develop port-led industrialization similar to Rodan’s Big Push approach. Seaports and their vessel traffic pattern provide critical insight into national maritime geo-economic outreach. In the background of India’s Sagarmala maritime modernization experience and similar lessons from the neighborhood, using Seaports vessel traffic as a variable, this article analyzes India’s maritime geo-economic comparative outreach and challenges.