Billions of Entrepreneurs

Called "well worth reading" by The Economist and "earnest and entertaining" by the Financial Times, Tarun Khanna's Billions of Entrepreneurs is an elegantly written book that mixes on-the-ground stories with thorough research to show how Chinese and Indian entrepreneurs are creating change through new business models and bringing hope to countless people across the globe.

Khanna juxtaposes, on a variety of levels, China and India; explores how the future depends on understanding the yin and yang of these two nations; and emphasises the increasingly important links between China, India, and the West. Khanna embraces what he calls a 'big tent view of entrepreneurship' — going beyond typical stories of high-profile, young executives taking companies public and focusing on social and political entrepreneurs who are redefining the norms of daily activity.

In the book, Khanna "sets out to demystify many of the questions that confound foreigners" (BusinessWeek), exploring subjects that include each nation's treatment of multinationals, Chinese and Indian managerial talent, and state vs. grassroots approaches to business and entrepreneurship.

Khanna's insightful analysis draws on history, economics, and political science, and is humanised by vivid portraits of the lives of individual entrepreneurs, politicians, and activists whom the author has met during his regular visits to each country. He argues that hope for prosperity in both countries lies in the hands of the billions of entrepreneurs who are alleviating social problems and historic tensions, benefiting both countries and the world at large.

According to the Financial Times: "What Khanna does do, and does well, is cover vast sociopolitical and economic ground, and provide meaty information derived from conversations with people who have done business in India and China."