The orange economy has moved from a regional policy metaphor to a widely used frame for cultural and creative activities whose value depends on talent, symbolic content, intellectual property, design, technological mediation and cultural heritage. Its policy appeal is clear, yet the evidence base is conceptually fragmented: sector boundaries vary across classifications, direct contribution is often conflated with causal growth, and digital expansion can increase both market access and concentration. This critical narrative review examines how creative capital is converted into sustainable economic value globally and assesses the implications for India at a moment when the term “orange economy” has entered explicit national policy discourse. Literature published mainly from 2000 to 15 June 2026 was identified through EconBiz, OpenAIRE, CORE, DOAJ, Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar and supplementary Indian searching through Shodhganga, with Crossref and authoritative source pages used for bibliographic and DOI verification. The synthesis distinguishes direct production effects from innovation spillovers, cluster and urban effects, platform-mediated value capture, cultural and social value, environmental sustainability, and distributional outcomes. The evidence indicates that creative industries can support employment, entrepreneurship, exports, diversification and innovation, but these effects are neither automatic nor uniformly distributed. Benefits depend on related capabilities, local institutions, demand conditions, network connectivity, rights regimes and the bargaining position of creators. Platformisation and artificial intelligence expand production and distribution possibilities while intensifying questions of remuneration, discoverability, data rights and market power. India combines unusual strengths in cultural diversity, film and audiovisual production, crafts, design, digital services and a large young workforce, but fragmented measurement, informality, unequal labour conditions and weak evaluation constrain policy learning. Recent investments in creative-technology institutions and content-creation laboratories may strengthen capabilities, but their growth effects remain untested. A sustainable orange-economy strategy therefore requires measurement that captures value chains and distribution, place-sensitive ecosystem policy, creator-centred digital governance, and explicit integration of cultural, social and environmental objectives with economic performance.
R. Hanumanthappa, S. Raveesha, Ashwitha, A. S. Gowda et al.· Archives of Current Research...· 0 citations
India's startup ecosystem has shifted from a small set of technology clusters shaped by post-liberalisation software capabilities and transnational networks into a large, policy-recognised entrepreneurial system spanning finance, digital platforms, incubation, public procurement and emerging deep-technology sectors. This critical narrative review examines how policy, innovation and socio-economic change have interacted in that evolution, while distinguishing ecosystem scale from demonstrated economic additionality. Literature published from 1 January 1991 to 15 June 2026 was identified through multidisciplinary and economics-oriented scholarly sources, supplemented by Indian institutional materials and citation searching. Evidence was appraised for design quality, representativeness, causal identification, measurement validity and consistency across settings. The synthesis identifies five linked transitions: the formation of metropolitan technology clusters; the institutionalisation of venture capital and startup support; the consolidation of Startup India as a national policy architecture; the rise of digital public infrastructure, FinTech and science-based ventures; and the growing emphasis on inclusion, regional diffusion and deep-technology commercialisation. The strongest evidence supports the conclusion that India's ecosystem has become denser, more connected and more institutionally supported, with wider access to formal recognition, incubators, public capital instruments and innovation networks. Evidence is weaker on whether these changes have caused durable productivity growth, high-quality net employment, equitable capital allocation or sustained venture survival. Administrative counts of recognised startups, reported jobs, patents and supported firms are useful indicators of programme reach but cannot by themselves establish causal socio-economic transformation. Persistent tensions include metropolitan concentration despite national diffusion, patenting without assured commercialisation, financing growth without clear additionality, and greater formal female participation without evidence of equal ownership or investment outcomes. Future research should prioritise longitudinal linked administrative data, quasi-experimental policy evaluation, spatial and gender-sensitive capital analysis, and cohort studies of deep-technology commercialisation. India's next ecosystem phase is therefore likely to depend less on maximising startup counts than on improving survival, innovation quality, productive scaling and inclusive value creation.
Ashwitha, A. S. Gowda, R. Hanumanthappa, S. Raveesha et al.· Archives of Current Research...· 0 citations
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