Towards Sustainable Livelihoods and Decent Work in Rural India through Grassroot Governance Institutions such as Self-Help Groups
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66635/42fz5d11Keywords:
Self-Help Group (SHG), Environmental Social and Governance (ESG), Informal Sector, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)Abstract
There are plenty of informal economies in the rural sectors of developing nations, as people have less access to formal employment and fewer job opportunities. Women in rural India have managed to become self-employed through ‘Self Help Groups,’ which promote savings. Though these groups have gained much academic and practical recognition as microfinance organizations, their role in generating decent jobs and improving the quality of employment through economic sustainability has not received enough attention from researchers and policymakers alike. The new paradigm of development now recognizes ESG criteria as measures of sustainable economic growth. However, this approach overlooks the significance of community-based rural businesses and concentrates exclusively on large firms.
Through this investigation, light is shed on the interconnection between development approaches that emphasize ESG factors and current research on Self Help Groups (SHGs) in rural business ventures. In associating SHGs' operating mechanisms to ESG factors and rural livelihood development, this paper creates a theory based on qualitative interview analysis and institutional analysis of women SHG's in rural Odisha, India. The micro credit group forms the basis of an institution that empowers women by questioning the prevailing status quo in an effort to move forward towards a better economic future. The incorporation of self-help institutions into the ESG approach means shifting attention from corporations to social institutions, leading to inclusive rural economic reconstruction.
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