Collective Entrepreneurship for Rural Women Microentrepreneurs: A Capability Approach Perspective

Abstract

Collective Entrepreneurship models holds paramount importance for economic development, social upliftment, and empowerment of rural women. Operating within socio-economically constraint environment, women microentrepreneurs can promote their interest through collective enterprises. While entrepreneurial literature has prominently focused on the economic output of entrepreneurship, our study aim extends the discussion regarding the role played by collective entrepreneurship in human capabilities development specifically within the context of rural women entrepreneurs. Relying on Sen’s Capability Approach and the Human Development paradigm we have studied a sample of 94 rural women microentrepreneurs involved in cooperative dairy farming sector in India to illustrate the role played by the collective enterprise in facilitating the development of human development imperatives at all three levels namely: individual, family and community. The three indices considered for the human development imperatives are- education and skill development; access to resources and standard of living; and health and well-being.