Small, Growing Businesses and Employment

It’s Only a 5-minute Walk from Here: Comparing Respondent Travel Distance Perceptions in Social Surveys to Alternative Measures

Morchan Karthick, Shruti Kakade, Nelson Mathews, Kartikeya Bhatotia

Self-reported information on individuals’ access to infrastructure and services relevant to distance and travel time is commonly recorded in social surveys. Accuracy issues and rounding-off errors afflict the data obtained through this technique.  This study explores the use of Google … Read More

In Pursuit of Scale: A Workshop to Identify Key Performance Indicators for Artisan Clusters in India

Partners: National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) To support the NRLM in framing key performance indicators for artisan clusters through a baseline assessment in Budaun (Uttar Pradesh) and Dhamteri (Chhattisgarh) clusters, STREE organised a workshop for cross-learning from diverse experiences in … Read More

Pathways to Resilient and Sustainable Enterprise Development

Partners:  Ambuja Cement Foundation There has been increasing emphasis on developing a more inclusive and sustainable micro-entrepreneurship development ecosystem in India, in recent times. In addition to development finance, philanthropic and CSR funding is being directed to programs and interventions … Read More

Scaling Up Women’s Enterprises: Incubating and Empowering – Livelihoods India Summit

Partners: ACCESS Development Services and NITI Aayog Low female labour force participation rates (~22%) in India remain an area of concern. Of the women who work for pay, over three-quarters are self-employed. Women-owned enterprises form only 20% of all micro, small, … Read More

Social Protection: The Role of Female Agents in Last Mile Services and Bridging the Gap – Inclusive Finance India Summit

Partners: ACCESS Development Services There are several agent models operational in the country today, leveraging existing frontline workers, female Self-Help Group members, village entrepreneurs, and CSC operators. The delivery gap, however, remains high due to the lower number of female agents … Read More

Nano Enterprise Lending: Insights on Borrower Profiles – Inclusive Finance India Summit

Partners: Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, ACCESS Development Services Nano enterprises have a significant role to play in the growth of the Indian economy, from generating employment to contributing to GDP. LEAD continued its association as a Technical Partner with the … Read More

State Capacity and Issues of Nano and Micro Entrepreneurs – IPPN Annual Conference

Partner: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), India Public Policy Network (IPPN) State Capacity: What Is It and Why Is It Needed? Reflecting on the recent past, two simultaneous forces are in play pertaining to the capacities of governments – … Read More

SARDI India MSME Tech Policy Fellowship Program – Inception Workshop

Partner: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), DAI USAID through its South Asia Regional Digital Initiative (SARDI) has launched a fellowship program to conduct policy research at the interface of digitalisation and MSMEs in India. Overall, SARDI is managed by DAI. The … Read More

Impact of Access to Finance on Nano Enterprises

Sharon Buteau, Abhishek Gupta, Varun Hariharan

Nano enterprises can be classified as a distinct segment within the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as firms with an annual turnover less than INR 1 crore, characterised by their hyperlocal roots and focus. These are ubiquitous businesses which … Read More

Road to Recovery: Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on Microbusinesses in India

LEAD at Krea University and Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME)

Micro enterprises form an integral part of the fabric of livelihoods in urban areas of India, particularly in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities where income-generating activities are scarce for most low-income households. Hence, unexpected and long-drawn crises such as COVID-19 can … Read More