LINKAGE, HETEROGENEITY AND INCOME DETERMINANTS IN PETTY TRADING - THE CASE OF CALCUTTA

To understand the income determinants of the various subgroups and to identify the most vulnerable groups in low-income activities the analysis of backward linkages has to be combined with an analysis of the different survival strategies adopted and the sociodemographic composition of the sector. This is because, as the petty traders show, individuals and groups choose a set of allegiances which maximize gains and minimize survival risks. The methodological implication of this argument is that attempts to identify vulnerable groups in low-income activities must be multidimensional, so as to incorporate the interaction of production relations with the demographic structure of the sector, social links, ethnicity and class.