Trusted alliances: Entrepreneurial risks and strategies in a tourism market in Agra, India

In this dissertation, I examine risks that local entrepreneurs face as they participate in Agra's local tourism market. I conceptualize risk as any occurrence in the market that endangers or destabilizes the economic activities of entrepreneurs, threatening them with loss of work, loss of money or an inability to find clients to transact business with. I focus on two core risks: risks that arise from uncertainty of getting clientele, and political risks that originate from the state apparatus, either through unfavorable regulations or through the actions of local state agents. Specifically, I ask, how do local tourism entrepreneurs respond to these risks and what strategies do they adopt to mitigate or cope with these risks? In investigating these strategies, I dwell on the sociality of risks. I investigate how an entrepreneur's social networks and relations allows him to mitigate these risks, but also have the contrary impact of allowing risks to spread. I also examine the different relations that local entrepreneurs conceptualize between themselves and the state as they appeal against unfavorable regulations or errant state agents. Entrepreneurs also share numerous relations with local state agents who inhabit the market alongside them; these relations help entrepreneurs navigate some of their structural risks while other such relations pose risks to entrepreneurs. Data for this dissertation are drawn from ethnographic research, conducted as part of my doctoral fieldwork from June 2011-August 2011 and October 2012-August 2013 in three different tourism market segments in Agra. I interacted with tourism entrepreneurs like tour guides, marble shop owners and convincers, state agents like local police personnel and government officials, and local influential leaders. I also use secondary sources of data like court cases and newspaper reports.