Impact of Liberalisation on Dalit Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Indian society is broadly stratified into a caste system that is historically classified on the occupation of a particular class and seeks to enforce the idea of ‘once a labourer always a labourer’. Free market followed after the introduction of the liberalisation policy has eliminated excessive administrative control and social hierarchies. Therefore, it is necessary to ascertain and enquire whether all sections of society have been equally given the chance to seek entrepreneurial opportunities in the liberalised era. For this research, we have carried out a survey on Dalit entrepreneurship, and the significance of our assumptions was tested through the ‘test of signification of attributes’. We conclude that there is a positive impact of the liberalisation policy on the growth of Dalit entrepreneurship, but this has resulted in proliferation in very small business units, which are mainly doing survival activities. Most of the Dalit-owned enterprises were established due to the necessity to survive as they did not get any employment opportunities, and had they have gotten any employment opportunities, they would have been earning more than what they are currently earning through necessity entrepreneurship. We have highlighted the factors augmenting Dalit entrepreneurship that will provide useful information to stakeholders and policymakers to prepare strategies to support entrepreneurship among the marginalised section.