Challenges faced by women small business owners and policy interventions for their continued growth

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K01615
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 07040:Economic policy-related
• Research Institution: Musashi University
• Principal Investigator: Nikaido Yuko 武蔵大学, 経済学部, 教授 (20396899)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 田中 健太 武蔵大学, 経済学部, 教授 (30633474)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: Inclusive growth / Informal sector / Female entrepreneurship / Small enterprises / Caste / Women empowerment / India / Laboratory experiments

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics and realities of small-scale female entrepreneurs in India, and to identify what training and support policies are effective for women entrepreneurs from diverse social strata. This was done through (1) an empirical analysis using the data released by the Indian government, and (2) a laboratory experiment in South India. In the former, it was revealed that the firm growth owned by women differs depending on their religion, caste, and ethnicity. In the latter, the results of a laboratory experiment that measured the competitive preferences for potential entrepreneurs showed that women belonging to higher castes tend to avoid competition in the presence of men. This might imply that training for women alone is desirable. These results suggest that it is important to consider the social and cultural background of women entrepreneurs when designing training and support policies.

Free Research Field

開発経済学、インド経済研究

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ジェンダーの平等を達成し、人種・民族・出自・宗教にかかわらず、すべての女性のエンパワメントを促進することは、2015年に国連で採択された「持続可能な開発目標（SDGs）」の目標の一つである。近年インドでは小規模女性企業家が増大しているが、その特徴や実態は十分に研究されていない。本研究では、2次データを用いた分析とインド南部でのフィールド調査により、企業家の文化的社会的背景と企業の業績、選好や心理的モチベーションとの関係性を明らかにした。