ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role that formal and informal civil society institutions play in the endeavours of Dalit entrepreneurs to earn profits in the markets. It argues that the role of formal and informal institutions can be best captured through the study of the character of caste-inspired social networks in the accumulation process in the markets. The study of social networks in the markets entails the examination of how markets operate as social structures. The four components of social networks which aid in profit accumulation are: normative component, structural component, resource component, and dynamic component. Social networks attempt to maintain the social hierarchy between upper-castes and Dalits in the face of continuous protest and assertion by the Dalits. In their political role, social networks help their members to lobby for their interests within the apparatus of the state. Social networks are also vehicles for political mobilisation.
