Evaluation of the Impacts of Grassroots Management Training on Women in India

ABSTRACT Based on a survey conducted in 1996, this article explores the impacts of a Grassroots Management Training (GMT) program offered with the support of the Economic Development Institute (EDI) of the World Bank to poor women engaged in micro-enterprise work in the informal sector of three states in India—Bihar, Orissa and Rajasthan. The research studied whether training led to improvements for women in business management, expansion of the markets, a rise in individual and family incomes, increased purchases of important assets for the family and greater opportunities for formal education of the children, and empowerment in their families and communities. The data suggest that training has economic impacts that can be distinguished from those achieved by having access to loans. Training also appears to increase village women's political participation in their communities, and to be a valuable tool for poverty reduction among the poorest women.