Human Development : Trade and Energy Contexts

India is set to increase its percapita energy consumption to meet the increasing demand for energy to boost economic growth which will need equally good energy supply. To meet our overall energy requirement India is highly dependent on imports. This volume deals with the complex issues of enrgy consumption, trade and impact of both on the quality of life reflected by Human Development Index (HDI) in global and Indian context. The relationship between energy consumption, trade and human development are very complex and have notyet been addressed in Indian context, though few studies are available in global context. There is a felt need for such study particularlyin Indian context to facilitate the planners and policy makers to frame such policies with respect to energy consumption, trade and how these should have beneficial impact on human development. Trade can increase economic growth in different ways such as expanding markets, disseminating information and knowledge, creating job opportunities and above all increasing incomes thereby enhancing quality of life and human development. Moreover, the long run relationship between energy consumption andhuman development and impact of energy consumption on human development and thereby overall economic growth and development is very important. The relationship between energy consumption, economic growth and standard of living is an important area of study and attracted the attention of the researchers. The scope of this research volume is that the energy consumption has a great role to play in enhancing economic growth and development and maintaining better quality of life and human development. In this book the author has also made an maiden attempt to recalculate the UNDP's Human Development Index (HDI) by incorporating energy consumption as an additional indicator ofHDl along with the existing other three indicators such as education, health and incomeby following UNDP methodology. New HDI is being calculated for some selected countries for the period 1980 to 2013 based on the available data set. This has also been done in Indian perspective separately. There are multiple impacts of international trade on Human Development. Human development puts the emphasis on people, on the quality of their lives, their education, their skills and health, their environment, their choices. People are seen as agents of development, not as obstacles. Enhancement of all people's capabilities, choices and quality of life is the goal of human development. International trade should contribute to the maximum extent possible towards this goal. This necessitates to implement such policies in this direction. Economic growth via trade is necessary for human development butessentially the linkages are not automatic.These linkages must be understood and reinforced by careful pursuance of such policies in this direction. This volume will through lightin this direction and immensely benefit the researchers, studnets, planners, policy makers and bureaucrats engaged with trade and energy field to have suitable impact on quality of life.