Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China and India Are Reshaping Their Futures and Yours

by Tarun Khanna

China and India are home to one-third of the world's population. And they're undergoing social and economic revolutions that are capturing the best minds--and money--of Western business. In Billions of Entrepreneurs, Tarun Khanna examines the entrepreneurial forces driving China's and India's trajectories of development. He shows where these trajectories overlap and complement one another--and where they diverge and compete. He also reveals how Western companies can participate in this development.

Through intriguing comparisons, the author probes important differences between China and India in areas such as information and transparency, the roles of capital markets and talent, public and private property rights, social constraints on market forces, attitudes toward expatriates abroad and foreigners at home, entrepreneurial and corporate opportunities, and the importance of urban and rural communities. He explains how these differences will influence China's and India's future development, what the two countries can learn from each other, and how they will ultimately reshape business, politics, and society in the world around them.

Engaging and incisive, this book is a critical resource for anyone working in China or India or planning to do business in these two countries.

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship, India, China, History

353 pages, Hardcover

First published December 24, 2007

Reviews

[Christopher Byram]

I first discovered this book when it was referenced in Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo's Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty (2011), on p.210, in Chapter 9, 'Reluctant Entrepreneurs'. This book was written when the author observed that most income groups in poor countries seem to be more entrepreneurial than their counterparts in the developed world - the poor no less so than others. To find out why this is, I decided to read this book.

[Zakaria Noor]

The best thing about the book for me is that how it inspires you while reading about these case studies, these people who have done so much with little resources. It'll also help you get into that entrepreneurial mindset.

[Liam]

"The different paths taken by the two countries have another profound implication, only now becoming manifest: China and India together could have a stronger impact on each other and the world than either country could alone. What China is good at, India is not, and vice versa. The countries are inverted mirrors of each other." (7)

"To provide a range of serives and exploit its cheap labor market, China relied primarily on FDI, not indigenous private enterprise. India's situation was the reverse. China's Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution virtually wiped out indigenous enterprise. India went through nothing analogous." (165)

"Sadlym India remains far from reaching the goal that Nehru articulated in his comment, 'The day every one of us gets a toilet to use, I shall know that our country has reached the pinnacle of progress.'" (233)

"But Zheng He lived six centuries ago. It is harder to find more contemporary ambassadors of soft power from China. Confusionism did have some impact on East Asia but that should not be compared to Buddhism ... There is no Chinese equivalent to the orange-robed munk Vivekananda or the prolific author Chopra." (276)

[Franditya]

India dan Cina merupakan dua negara besar yang saling berbatasan. Jika jumlah penduduk dua negara itu ditotal, maka setidaknya terdapat sekitar 2.4 milyar orang. Jumlah yang terlalu besar untuk tak diperhitungkan sebagai kekuatan yang sedang melakukan perubahan. Pun, negara-negara maju tak mungkin meraih keuntungan maksimal jika terus mengabaikan besarnya jumlah penduduk kedua negara sebagai potensi pasar. Kedua negara itu memiliki sejarah hubungan diplomasi yang unik. Pada pemerintahan Nehru di India, dan Mao di Cina, sekitar 1962 di pegunungan Himalaya –perbatasan kedua negara– telah pecah pertempuran tanpa jelas faktor pemicunya yang kelak membekukan hubungan kedua negara selama empat dekade. Penulis berspekulasi bahwa peristiwa itu adalah dampak traumatis akibat kegagalan Cina mempertahankan wilayah kenegaraannya di masa lalu.

[Anshul]

I think that while reading this book, I could not relate with some of the facts that were stated. Also it seems that the author, during his research, came across certain people and then formulated his opinion about them. When I asked my chinese friends their opinions about some of his deductions, they seemed to think in a tangential direction as compared with the author. Having spent his childhood in India, he does relate better with the Indian stories. But even here, some deductions seem to be far from the truth.

However, I think when you write a book of this size and about a topic that is as subjective as this one, some errors are bound to creep in. So overall, this book does add a lot of knowledge and awareness.

[George Kobani]

Tarum Khanna's book was quite interesting. I've read lots of business articles and papers about the two Countries but this was the deepest I ever delved and it was very informative and I absolutely loved the cover art! The only shortcoming is that although Tarun tried to make it readable there is something academic about the book, good or bad. Never the less it's a book I will recommend. A lot of people want a book to hand them all the answers. That's impossible and it's a lazy way to think. After reading this book draw your own conclusions and develop your own strategy for these two very different markets!

[Omkar Pendse]

With the book having its connection with Harvard Business School, I expected a lot more from the book than what it offered. The book's title has very little to do with the actual content in the book. The book focuses more on behaviour of India and China as a country towards business and its diaspora, rather than individuals. What also disappointed me was generalized statements about India and Indians. I am presuming the same in case of China and Chinese as well.

The book was not all disappointing, it did give insights on the philosophy of functioning and way of working of governments and government machinery of the two countries.

Overall it was a good read

[Shishir]

Global business it is now fashionable to discuss the consumers in China and India

Deep seated underlying manifestations
Differences in attitude

Reshaping of future

General

Both have extraordinarily advanced propelling people out of poverty
Complimentary skills between the two
A delicate and complimentary Economic détente

USA needs to join in and take advantage of the growing market.
Get the act together learn more about China and India
Adopt a constructive attitude and can benefit in the long run.

[Jonna Higgins-Freese]

I found this interesting because I don't think I've ever read any "business history" books before. I'm always fascinated by India and China and what's going on there. This book was more about large corporations and their businesses in China as opposed to what I think of as "entrepreneurs" (I guess I usually think of something on a smaller scale than Microsoft and Motorola). However, it was interesting and informative, though I can't say I persisted through to the very end.

[Vega]

di speech pertama buku ini mengarah kepada mengapa negara diluar negara adikuasa cina dan India seperti negara2 di Eropa misalnya.. hanya memiliki informasi yang sangat minim tentang sistem berformat apapun di cina maupun india tapi.. ini buku katanya punya koneksi dengan havard university, dan lebih terfokus ke bagaimana rakyat India dan Cina (2/3 dari populasi dunia) menanampkan entrepreneurs dan tersebar di berbagai dunia.. well.. did TK just passed his puberty?

[Praveen Sinha]

It was a illuminating & interesting read. And despite its known criticism I would tend to the positive externalities which can benefit both even world also.
Its Review on my blog:
http://contemplatingme.wordpress.com/...

[Emily]

@ neither.

#1 I love China and India.

#2 I would have called this book "Billions of people who start their own businesses". That is a lot easier to spell.

[Ed]

Good, but really doesn't keep the reader interested. It reads like an aimless academic trying to impress colleagues.

[Sanjay]

Good ideas on two different emerging economies to learn from each other and cooperate with each other

[Shashank]

Good one.