The entrepreneurial experience of street vendors in Sri Lanka: a solution to multidimensional poverty

This paper analyses the effect of the entrepreneurial experience of street vending on the multidimensional poverty of vendors in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The conceptual model suggests that multidimensional poverty depends on four factors: business support, socioeconomic, street vendor status and demographic. We use partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse Likert scale surveys and Leximancer to develop a thematic understanding of open-ended probes from 105 street vendors. The findings indicate a significant relationship between business support, socioeconomic factors, indicating that while street vending influences certain aspects of multidimensional poverty, it does not fully resolve multidimensional poverty, with different experiences for males and females. We contribute to a better understanding of the factors that influence the effect of street vending on the multidimensional poverty of vendors, and by mobilizing our theory framework we contribute to showing that inclusive policy interventions are needed for female street vendors to affect multidimensional poverty.