Helping When It Matters: Education Policy and Entrepreneurial Training in India

• In Event: 3167 - Section on Sociology of Development Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 2. Human Development, Fertility, and Health in Lower to Middle-Income Countries

Abstract

Economic empowerment of women is one of the key policy objectives for most of countries worldwide. Increasingly, development institutions support self-employment as a manifestation of economic empowerment. While governments promote women entrepreneurship by providing financial assistance, skill development, vocational training, etc., they have not paid enough attention to entrepreneurship education in the early stages of curriculum. We address this critical gap in research and policy. Using Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS) Data, we find that women's self-employment peaks at moderate levels of education (grade 9th-12th) suggesting that policy intervention in terms of entrepreneurship education and awareness at that level can have significant returns in terms of women self-employment. Implications of our results on policy are discussed.

Authors

• Kshitij Awasthi, Indian Institute of Management Lucknow

• Kiran K., Goa Institute of Management

• Natascia Boeri, Bloomfield College