Abstract:
Causation studies on human behavior have often found the influence of environmental factors or internal
dispositions in shaping or controlling human behavior. Social cognitive theory explains psycho social
functioning in terms of triadic reciprocal causation (Bandura, 1986), where personal factors (cognitive,
affective and biological events), environmental events and behavioural patterns operate as interacting
determinants. Microfinance activities based on group lending or training programmes based on participative
methods and involvement stimulates greater social capital facilitating social interaction among group
members. Social capital, consisting of the actual and potential resources embedded in social networks,
emanating from the entrepreneur’s networks with other economic actors facilitates opportunity identification
and exploitation. Thus a microfinance client is more likely to attempt micro entrepreneurship because of the
environmental influence generated by the social capital offered through its networks. The study is conducted
in the state of Kerala, where the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) popularly known as
“Kudumbashree Mission” has reached the low income population through the concept of microfinance.
Respondents of the study are Kudumbashree members in Kerala. The entrepreneurial behaviour of low
income population, mainly women is focussed, with a view to understand the role of social capital in infusing
entrepreneurial behaviour along with other factors including entrepreneurship orientation, environment
munificence and entrepreneurship training. The results will be beneficial to policy makers in understanding
the drivers that promote entrepreneurial intention among low income population.
Description:
Thirteenth Biennial Conference on Entrepreneurship/ Edited by Sasi Misra, Sunil Shukla, Ganapathi Batthini
