কাস্ট বনাম আর্থিক উন্নয়ন

In the centuries before 1800, caste had less social power and was more flexible, which translated into greater social and occupational mobility. Historians and anthropologists have also begun to recognize that caste helped to promote economic activity in a number of ways. Most importantly, caste connections were a source of mercantile trust, which was invaluable for commercial transactions that were conducted across large spaces and over long spans of time.

Prasannan Parthasarathi
Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not
Global Economic Divergence, 1600-1850
(2011, Cambridge University Press)