Trend Analysis of PhD s in India 1998-2007

In today’s knowledge based economy, research is intrinsically linked to development. As India emerges a key player in a multi-polar world, increasing the number of doctorates, has assumed increased significance. Unlike several developed and even developing countries who have recognized the value of analysing the trends in the growth of doctorates for disciplines like science and engineering, India is still fraught with the problem of setting up an authentic database of PhDs. Furthermore, research in the 21st century will be dominated by real life problems that transcend disciplinary boundaries compelling researchers to work together from seemingly unconnected disciplines. This signals for a more equitable growth of trained researchers in all fields of knowledge, breaking the traditional hierarchy enjoyed by the natural sciences and engineering disciplines over decades. While conceding that numbers of PhDs alone will not augment the contribution of research to a nation’s growth, nevertheless, analysing trends will be a useful first step in the right direction. The book discusses the trends for the decade, 1998 to 2007.