Net Assessment of India’s Economy with Particular Focus on International Trade and Commerce

Abstract : This paper adapts the "net assessment" framework—originally pioneered by Andrew Marshall during the Cold War to evaluate long-term military asymmetries—and applies it directly to the global economic sphere. By shifting the analytical lens from defence to macroeconomics, this study avoids myopic, short-term evaluations. Instead, it conducts a data-intensive, decadal analysis of India’s emerging economic heft relative to major global hegemons, specifically focusing on structural competitiveness, human capital utilisation, and international trade dynamics.