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Community Origins of Industrial Entrepreneurship in Pre-Independence India

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Listed:
  • Bishnupriya Gupta

    (University of Wawick)

  • Dilip Mookherjee

    (Boston University)

  • Kaivan Munshi

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Mario Sanclemente

    (University of Warwick)

Abstract

We argue that community networks played an important role in the emergence of Indian entrepreneurship in the early stages of the cotton textile and jute industry in the late 19th and early 20th century respectively, overcoming the lack of market institutions and government support. From business registers, we construct a yearly panel dataset of entrepreneurs in these two industries. We find no evidence of entry patterns being affected by price shocks or pre-industrial accumulation of wealth or experience in trading in the corresponding upstream sector. Firm directors exhibited a high degree of clustering of entrepreneurs by community. The dynamics of entry is consistent with a model of network-based dynamics.

Suggested Citation

  • Bishnupriya Gupta & Dilip Mookherjee & Kaivan Munshi & Mario Sanclemente, 2018. "Community Origins of Industrial Entrepreneurship in Pre-Independence India," Boston University - Department of Economics - The Institute for Economic Development Working Papers Series dp-318, Boston University - Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:bos:iedwpr:dp-318
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    File URL: http://people.bu.edu/dilipm/wkpap/CottonEntrDec2018v4.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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