Government Policies & Rural Development – An Enabler Modelling for Indian Rural Markets

Abstract

The aim of this paper which has a direct impact on the development of rural people. Another objective is to identify interrelationships among them along with their driver and dependence power, with special reference to India, where government policies identified have a special role to play. A total of 13 enablers were identified on the basis of focused group discussions and interviews with experts from academics and industry. Interpretative Structural Modelling (ISM) and fuzzy MICMAC analysis were used to identify levels of hierarchical relationship among the drivers. In this study, a model is developed which depicts the interactions among various drivers that attract companies to enter rural markets and expand if already present in these markets. The findings show that government policies and regulations are some of the most important drivers in rural markets. This research contributes to the extant literature by providing fresh insights into type of hierarchical relationships existing among drivers which will useful to academicians and practitioners engrossed in rural markets and rural growth. The paper also foresees a sociological development through these enablers.