| Abstrakt: |
The article offers a perspective on vertical socio-economic mobility, and the differences in economic opportunities between the privileged and underprivileged portions of the Indian population. Unlike previous studies of Indian entrepreneurship, the class and caste of entrepreneurs are compared to the general population, and are related to the education, experience, initial capital, and business success of the entrepreneurs. Fifty-four entrepreneurs in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, a rapidly growing municipality of 355,045 people, were interviewed in early 1971. Hindu entrepreneurs are classified according to caste--Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas, Sudras, and untouchables or Harijans. There is a significant positive relationship between the caste ranking of Vizag Hindus, on the one hand, and education, income, occupational status, and perceived class and status on the other. Those born outside Andhra Pradesh, who comprised 33 percent of the entrepreneurs but only 6 percent of the population of Vizag, were substantially more successful as businessmen than those born within the state. |
