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Swashakt: Empowering Women Through Collective-based Approaches

Low female labour force participation rates remain a pressing concern in India, with less than 30 percent of women in rural areas engaged in productive work, paid or unpaid. The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is helming the Swashakt Evidence Programme, an initiative to test innovative collective enterprise models in farm, non-farm and service sectors. Under the Swashakt evidence programme, 3ie is funding the implementation of a series of projects that support collectives and group-based models for women-led businesses, including non-farm and service enterprises that are operating in partnership with state rural livelihood missions. LEAD at Krea University has been chosen as the Grants Management Partner for the evidence programme. As part of this initiative, LEAD will work closely with the 3ie team for the review and management of implementation grants funded under the programme.

Study Reveals the Resilience, Innovation of India’s Women Entrepreneurs amid COVID

A collaborative study by LEAD and the Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (G.A.M.E) captures the impact of COVID-19 on micro and small enterprises. The study monitors the key trends in the impact of the pandemic and the subsequent government-mandated lockdown measures on business livelihoods, employment, and the income in these enterorises. Findings suggest that women-led micro and small businesses are particularly at risk because they include smaller companies working in lower-margin markets and are more prone to face instability than micro businesses led by men. Even so, entrepreneurs are adapting to these challenges by adding new products and service lines.

New Study: Impact of COVID-19 on Microenterprises in India

A new, collaborative study by GAME and LEAD at Krea University seeks to capture the impact of COVID-19 on microenterprises in India, over a period of six months. Launched in May 2020, the study will capture key trends related to the impact of COVID and government-mandated lockdowns on business livelihoods, employment, and the income of nano and microbusinesses. An interactive dashboard capturing insights and data from the first round of the survey has been released.

Supporting Women-led Microenterprises through COVID and Beyond

LEAD at Krea organised a three part webinar series addressing the challenges faced by women-led microenterprises and supporting them as they struggle to adapt and survive amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The series, a collaboration with the World Bank and the Ministry of Rural Development, featured a roster of eminent speakers, policymakers, experts from industry and academia, and practitioners. The webinars discussed adapting lessons from success stories to women-led enterprises, moving on towards building a path to recovery and ended with securing their place in the larger entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Scoping Meso Level Insurance in Agriculture Sector in India

Senior Research Associate Vinith Kurian and Research Fellow Sabina Yasmin from LEAD have been awarded a research fellowship as part of Bharat Inclusion Initiative’s 2020 Fellowship Program. The agricultural insurance sector in India has largely focused at the level of micro insurance (individual farmers as policy holders), through highly subsidized central schemes such as PMFBY. Sabina and Vinith’s research will focus on exploring the potential and feasibility of agricultural insurance at the meso-level.

Providing liquidity and cash availability a priority for survival of MSMEs and informal sector

Sharon Buteau joins a panel of experts to discuss measures to protect small businesses under the existing lockdown measures. The panel discussion on 'The GAME COVID-19 Coalition- Funding The Recovery' by Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) India, is part of a webinar series powered by YourStory.

Can manufacturing change India’s demographic destiny?

Few efforts have been initiated by the Government of India to match India's substantial youth population with labour market opportunities. In this article, the authors discuss how manufacturing could be a possible solution to this issue.

Is Universal Basic Income a Good Idea for India?

Shashank Sreedharan, Research Associate at IFMR LEAD, writes in The Qrius on the concept of universal basic income, its benefits and its potential to enhance India's social security landscape.