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Changes in social organization of villages due to market economy

Indian villages are in a state of flux. Change is coming into all the areas in villagers� lives. Agriculture and allied activities are the basis of village economy and they require the active participation of all caste groups.

Urbanization, industrialization and democratization are breaking up the traditional structure of Indian villages in caste, economy and political organization etc.

There has been an economic change in village life from the expansion and spread of the market economy. The economic frontier has some important consequences on village organization. It is seen in several studies that money economy has permitted some castes to move quickly up the status ladder and forced traditional high caste to move downwards.

The spread of money and new opportunities tend to reduce the role of large kinship and place more emphasis on smaller familial units.

Production of cash crops have reduces the nutritive value of food and reduces the connection between the farmer and his land. There is over exploitation of natural resources, resource disagreement and pressure politics to secure use of resources all that have affected social organization of a village.

The market economy has brought changes in other ways like opening up consumer product markets in rural areas, service provision and other symbols of modernity that may not require land and hence are open to more people. This changes the social equation within the villages. The village organization is thus undergoing metamorphosis in the wake of its exposure to a highly competitive market economy.

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