4495: Beyond Averages: Has protectionism helped India? Would a more open India be good for exports?

Moneycontrol Podcast

Moneycontrol analysis shows that India turned more protectionist between 2013 and 2023, with tariffs on roughly 20 percent of the imports rising. But India was not the only Asian country to turn more protectionist. Indonesia and Vietnam also raised tariffs on more goods than they reduced during this period. But China, US and EU reduced tariffs. However, between 2022 and 2023, India was among the few nations to reduce tariffs on more goods. Did protectionism help India and does a more open India mean more exports? We decode the answers with Gaura Sengupta, Chief India Economist, IDFC First Bank and Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economics) at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore.