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Why is India always struggling while the US is so affluent?
Research Associate: Prerna Gupta Aug 2, 2024

The U.S.'s immense wealth is primarily attributed to its strategic investment portfolio, which focuses on specific asset classes.According to figures for 2022 from the US balance sheet, two main assets form 78% of total wealth: land and buildings and market value of domestic businesses. Understanding this wealth contrast between the USA and India requires looking at these two areas.",

According to US balance sheet 2022:-

Why Real Estate Matters

Real estate is an important part of national wealth. A number of stages are involved in manufacturing right from mining raw materials to producing final branded goods. These last steps—branding and marketing—generate the most value addition. For instance, the USA focuses on these two stages only thereby maximising their economic returns.

Real estate in America does not just mean possessing property; it means using these properties to make money. This includes homes, commercial buildings, and industrial ones as well. The American real estate sector has well-defined structures including easy access to loans, transparency, and clearly set guidelines for players’ behaviour because it wants to prevent confusion within the industry concerning rules and regulations.

Real estate is an asset that builds wealth reliably because investors feel secure with it, and property values generally increase with time.

Additionally, the United States has a strong system for protecting property rights which guarantees investments. This level of security attracts both domestic and foreign investors, thereby adding life to the real estate market. Equally it fosters economic activity within industries by encouraging businesses to innovate as well as expand through using real estates as collaterals to loans.

Are Indians Less Skilled?

However, the query: are Indians less skilled than Americans? As per the Global Service Location Index 2023 India came first on financial attractiveness, people skills and availability, business environment and digital resources. Therefore, skills cannot be blamed for this

Furthermore, India has a highly qualified workforce especially in technical fields such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Currently Indian professionals are much sought-after globally holding top positions in multinationals. Moreover India remains at the forefront of IT and software services in general where its firms offer critical support and innovation to businesses worldwide.

Still India has those significant challenges making it unable to realise its full potential. The talent gap isn’t that India’s people are not talented; it is about the systems hindering their capacity to thrive in this country.

What Holds Back India?

1. Ease of Doing Business

India ranks 63rd on ease of doing business compared to the US at 6th. This ranking is a composite measure of various factors that affect the ease of starting and operating a business. These include the regulatory environment, the time and cost to start a business, and the efficiency of legal and administrative procedures.

In India, many times entrepreneurs face bureaucratic barriers. It involves a lot of procedures, approvals and clearances sometimes making it very lengthy or even complex to set up a business. This red tape hampers innovation while killing entrepreneurship at birth. In contrast, America has less complicated conditions for establishing businesses which promote risk taking resulting in more individuals entering into entrepreneurship than India does.

2. Registering Property

On registering property, India ranks 154th. The procedure for registering property in India can often be long-drawn-out as well as delayed. There are numerous steps involved including verifying property titles, paying stamp duties and registering with local authorities. Property registration process takes significant amounts of time thereby discouraging real estate investments due to high costs associated with such procedures.

Conversely, there is an efficient system for acquisition of property rights in America, where they have made it easier mainly through land reforms like land titling schemes that make sure irrelevant government regulations do not interfere with private sector innovations.

3. Paying Taxes

India ranks 115th in paying taxes. The tax system in India is perceived as complex and burdensome, with numerous taxes and regulations that businesses must navigate.Compliance with tax laws can be time-consuming and costly, diverting resources away from productive activities.

The US, on the other hand, has a more straightforward tax system, with fewer layers of taxation and clearer regulations. This simplicity reduces the compliance burden on businesses, allowing them to focus more on growth and innovation.

4. Enforcing Contracts

India ranks 163rd in enforcing contracts. The legal system in India is often slow and inefficient, with cases taking years to resolve. This lack of timely enforcement undermines confidence in the legal system and discourages investment.

Conclusion

The disparity between the US and India in terms of wealth can largely be attributed to systemic issues rather than a lack of talent or skills. India has a young and dynamic workforce that is highly skilled and capable. However, the country’s legal and administrative systems are not conducive to business growth and innovation.

People are leaving the country because of these barriers. Unless we create a more conducive environment for business, we cannot expect innovators and entrepreneurs to stay and create high-value companies in India. We need to streamline our legal and administrative systems to retain talent and foster economic growth. Only then can India hope to match the wealth and success of the US.