Publication: Collective Action and Community Development : Evidence from Self-Help Groups in Rural India
Date
2013-07
ISSN
Published
2013-07
Author(s)
Desai, Raj M.
Joshi, Shareen
Abstract
In response to the problems of high
coordination costs among the poor, efforts are underway in
many countries to organize the poor through "self-help
groups" (SHGs) -- membership-based organizations that
aim to promote social cohesion through a mixture of
education, access to finance, and linkages to wider
development programs. The authors randomly selected 32 of 80
villages in one of the poorest districts in rural India in
which to establish SHGs for women. Two years of exposure to
these programs increased women's participation in group
savings programs as well as the non-agricultural labor
force. Compared to women in control villages, treated women
were also more likely to participate in household decisions
and engage in civic activities. The authors find no evidence
however, that participation increased income or had a
disproportionate impact by women's socio-economic
status. These results are important in light of the recent
effort to expand official support to SHGs under the National
Rural Livelihood Mission.
Citation
“Desai, Raj M.; Joshi, Shareen. 2013. Collective Action and Community Development : Evidence from Self-Help Groups in Rural India. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6547. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/15907 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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