Entrepreneurship development is an important pathway for enabling women’s participation in the economy and can be a catalyst for change by providing income-generating opportunities. However, India ranks 57 out of 65 countries in women entrepreneurship. While several challenges faced by … Read More
Publications
Insights from a Survey of Common Service Centres (CSCs) in Chhattisgarh
Established under the Government of India’s Digital India programme, Common Service Centres (CSCs) are local access points for the delivery of essential public utility services, social welfare schemes, and other B2C services to citizens in rural and remote areas of … Read More
Connections: How Social Interactions Shape Growth Stories of Women-led Enterprises
India has an estimated 14.9 million women-owned enterprises, which hold the promise of job creation and improved agency for the country’s working-age female population. While positive spillover effects of these women-led businesses have been documented, women own only 20.4% of … Read More
Digital Solutions for Empowering Women’s Collectives in Chhattisgarh
LEAD at Krea University, through its gender initiative IWWAGE, has partnered with the State Rural Livelihoods Mission in Chhattisgarh to train female SHG members on a mobile application that provides them with an opportunity for paid work by facilitating welfare … Read More
Barriers and Opportunities For Aspirational Women Entrepreneurs
Historically, in India, household gender norms and restrictions on women, along with lack of education and mentorship among women, have proven to be significant obstacles to nurturing women entrepreneurs, thereby inhibiting women’s advancement. This study was undertaken by IWWAGE to … Read More
Multidimensional Impact of Finance on Microenterprises
The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector in India has consistently contributed more than 30% to the country’s GDP over the last decade. The significance of MSMEs in India’s economy also arises from both its scale in the country … Read More
Calling the Shots: Determinants of Financial Decision-making and Behavior in Domestic Migrant Households in India
Households, like individuals, rely on a variety of financial products and services: they use cash and credit cards to make payments and they make investments to finance future expenses, buy insurance to manage risks to themselves and their assets, and … Read More
Scoping Meso-Level Insurance in Agriculture in India
Farmers in India suffer high variability in yields, as a result of uncertainty due to numerous natural and manmade factors. In this context, insurance appears to be a particularly effective means to reduce losses to individuals and communities. It also … Read More
Innovations for Women’s Empowerment Collectives in Chhattisgarh: Digital Solutions and Institutional Models
This infographic offers a snapshot of the different ways in which three innovative digital and assisted approaches being tested by LEAD and IWWAGE in Chhattisgarh (along with the State’s Rural Livelihood Mission Bihan, supported by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), … Read More
Roadmap for Digital Technology to Foster India’s MSME Ecosystem—Opportunities and Challenges
Digital technology can significantly enable India’s MSME segment, provided the emerging infrastructure has joint buy-in from the government, solution providers and importantly users. The digital landscape catering to micro and small entrepreneurs has drastically changed in recent years. The challenges … Read More