From Subsistence to Investment: Analyzing Forward and Backward Linkages of Migrant Fish Vendors

Abstract

This study examines the socioeconomic trajectories of 400 migrant fish vendors in Goa, investigating how informal entrepreneurs transition from subsistence to long-term asset accumulation. Using a quantitative approach, independent samples t-tests and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling, the paper tries to examine economic capacity and investment behavior. Although the vendors in North Goa have a higher economic capacity as compared to vendors in South Goa, the impact of migration dynamics on economic capacity is uniform across the two districts, North Goa and South Goa. Primarily, migration dynamics influence economic capacity, while economic capacity is the strongest predictor of investment behavior, explaining sixty percent of its variance.The findings highlight the relationship between income and debt as a barrier to enhanced investment growth and emphasize the importance of targeted financial inclusion and microcredit initiatives being put in place as potential tools.