Abstract
India’s caste system performed two fundamental functions: insurance through transfers between caste members and, in villages, insurance through protected job assignments across castes. In most of India the landlord had a social responsibility to maintain his lower caste workers in lean periods. This division of labour has been viewed as coercive and exploitative. Yet many groups changed their caste occupation, both upward and downward in ritual ranking. During industrialization, traditional occupational categories did not restrict occupational choices in new industries, but caste continued to play a role in recruitment and support during work stoppages.
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Wolcott, S. (2018). Caste System. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_2708
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_2708
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