Quantitative and qualitative constructs of trade infrastructure in hilly regions - a case study of Himachal Pradesh, India

The globalised world order has made infrastructural development as a priority by every country. In order to increase global market participation, the developing economies commit huge investments in improving the trade infrastructure. The investment in infrastructure in these countries is being guided by the infrastructure index constructed for the purpose. Most of these infrastructure indices are based on the social and economic indicators drawn from the hard and soft infrastructure. This paper brings out some of the shortcomings of the infrastructure index as guidance for infrastructure development. It is argued that infrastructure development should be guided, not by the size of investment but by the micro level feasibility as well as the effectiveness for improving the social and economic indicators.