Study on the state of startup ecosystem in Tamil Nadu to present challenges and issues faced by startups to provide recommendations for a more enabling entrepreneurial environment. … Read More
Small, Growing Businesses and Employment
Assessing Value Chain Digitization
This exploratory research study aims to map and analyse the various value chains that low-income consumers and merchants transact in, to identify strategies for promoting digitisation. … Read More
Productivity and Competition in India’s Brick Industry
This study examines the underlying role of financial misallocation in driving productivity dispersion, in India’s brick industry. … Read More
Market Access and Enterprise Readiness of Women-led Businesses – Handicrafts and Handlooms
This study aims to understand market access and enterprise readiness among women entrepreneurs in the handicrafts and handlooms sector in order to identify impediments to a more enabling entrepreneurial ecosystem for them. … Read More
The Evolving Financial Ecosystem for Micro-Merchants in India
This study aims to gain deeper insights into the financial needs of micro-merchants and identify skill and capacity gaps that need to be addressed in order to ease their adoption of digital payments. … Read More
Optimizing Network Referrals to Identify and Recruit Credit Worthy Entrepreneurs
Microfinance lenders make limited credit offers due to operational challenges in extensive referral and screening processes. This study aims to explore and optimize a referral protocol to identify good entrepreneurs and increase their access to credit. … Read More
Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihoods Mission (TNSRLM)
The Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihoods Mission (TNSRLM) plans to expand in Tamil Nadu with the same guiding principles as Tamil Nadu Pudhu Vaazhvu Project (TNPVP). The Annual Action Plan of TNSRLM states that the TNPVP will be the “pilot … Read More
What Determines Entrepreneurial Success? A Psychometric Study of Rural Entrepreneurs in India
Viral Acharya, Abhilasha Rajanb, Antoinette Schoar
In this paper, the authors investigate what determines entrepreneurial success by studying the characteristics of rural kiosk operators in India, specifically kiosks run by Drishtee. We constructed a questionnaire to collect data on various psychological factors from existing kiosk operators … Read More
Are there Cultural Determinants of Entrepreneurship?
Rajkamal Iyer, Antoinette Schoar
This paper sheds light on the heterogeneity in the way that entrepreneurs from different communities conduct their business and the importance of community ties on the business dealings of entrepreneurs.