, to see if you have full access to this publication.
Book Titles No access
Bootstrap Capital
Microenterprises and the American Poor
Authors:
Publisher:
2011
Summary
The microenterprise strategyhelping people start small businesseshas generated attention among policymakers and the media as a way to create jobs and help lift people out of poverty. Through extensive interviews and case studies of five diverse microenterprise programs in different U.S. regions, Lisa J. Servon examines the potential and limits of these programs. In the late 1980s, the microenterprise strategy came to the United States from less-developed countries such as Bangladesh, where the Grameen Bank flourishes. Since then over 200 programs have opened their doors in nearly every state. This book identifies the current discourse on microenterprises, discusses how this approach represents a departure from traditional economic development and social welfare strategies, and examines the wide range of results. Boot strap Capital tells the story of both the programs and the people who use them. One program, Women's Initiative, targets very low income women in the San Francisco Bay Area and requires all clients to undergo three months of training before they can apply for a loan. Some of the participants are true entrepreneurs; others pursue self-employment because the mainstream economy has failed them. Servon finds that microenterprise programs combat the problem of persistent poverty by serving a broad socioeconomic group and by focusing on the goals of empowerment, economic literacy, and community organization. She shows that microenterprise programs do more to help those who exist at the margins of the mainstream economy than those who are completely cut off from it. She calls for a rethinking of expectations for this strategy, based on the experience of programs and entrepreneurs in this country. This book provides the basis for reframing policy support for these programs.
Search publication
Bibliographic data
Copyright year
2011
ISBN-Print
978-0-8157-7806-6
ISBN-Online
978-0-8157-0568-0
Publisher
Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
Language
English
Pages
155
Product type
Book Titles
Table of contents
ChapterPages
Contents No access
Abbreviations No access
CHAPTER ONE: Introduction: Opportunity and Constraint No access Pages 1 - 14
CHAPTER TWO: Learning from History No access Pages 15 - 28
CHAPTER THREE: Programs, Businesses, and Entrepreneurs No access Pages 29 - 51
CHAPTER FOUR: Economic Development or Social Welfare? No access Pages 52 - 76
CHAPTER FIVE: Self-Employment and the Welfare Problem No access Pages 77 - 95
CHAPTER SIX: Networking, Social Capital, and Community Development No access Pages 96 - 125
CHAPTER SEVEN: Conclusion: Potential and Pitfalls No access Pages 126 - 134
