Abstract
The influence of handcraft marketing on economic development has been widely acknowledged by governments, importing and exporting agencies, microenterprise banking initiatives, and grassroots development agencies. This study provides a holistic and comparative assessment of performance factors across 17 Peace Corps handcraft enterprises in 11 developing countries and describes their potential for income generation and sustainability. Data were generated through a mail survey and telephone interviews. Six properties fundamental to income generation included the following: locally available raw materials; utilization of indigenous technologies and simple tools; a creative and organized facilitator; funding resources in the form of capital, equipment, transportation, and in-kind contributions; producer skills related to literacy, business transactions, product development, and leadership ; and a sales outlet. Once an enterprise was underway, conceptual, interpersonal, and gender-based constraints impacted long-tenn sustainability. These performance factors are discussed as a basis for model development related to microenterprise and small business initiation and sustainability.
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