On Measurement of Small Enterprise Performance: Theoretical and Practical Implications for Women Entrepreneurs under Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme

Abstract

Evaluating public policy based interventions in developing countries has always been a challenge as most policies often do not provide quantifiable objectives. Even programme announcements within a policy framework more often is associated more with narrative objectives difficult to quantify for performance assessment. Despite such constraints, researchers in UN organizations, multilateral development banks (MDBs), reputed universities and institutions have over the last two-three decades have contributed large body of literature on the theoretical developments and empirical investigations in policy evaluation. In India policy evaluations made are fewer in number in comparison to evaluation of results in relation to project targets. Serious mapping of policy performance is of recent origin. An attempt is made in this paper to assess policy performance of the largest educated employment generation intervention in the form of the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) in respect of three important areas. Inclusion of women and specially disadvantaged groups, employment and income generation are assessed in results framework. Indicators and weights are objectively developed and assessments made. Future action and research areas are recommended.