Shampoo, Saris and Sim Cards: Seeking Entrepreneurial Futures at the Bottom-of the-Pyramid

Dolan, Catherine; Johnstone-Louis, Mary; Scott, Linda

Abstract

In recent years bottom-of-the-pyramid (BoP) models have emerged as a popular strategy for offering poor women the opportunity to earn an income by distributing goods and services door-to-door. In this article, we explore one recent example of BoP entrepreneurship: the CARE Bangladesh Rural Sales Program (RSP). The RSP is a partnership between CARE and several multinational and domestic companies that seeks to provide poor women with an opportunity to participate in new forms of economic activity, offering them a prospect to earn an independent income and provide a better future for their family by selling a mix of multinational and locally produced consumer goods across rural Bangladesh. Our research found that the RSP has opened up new pathways of empowerment for some marginalised women in a context of considerable socioeconomic and cultural constraints, yet whether such schemes will have traction as a model for economic empowerment over the long term remains an open question.

Citation

Dolan, C., Johnstone-Louis, M., & Scott, L. (2012). Shampoo, Saris and Sim Cards: Seeking Entrepreneurial Futures at the Bottom-of the-Pyramid. Gender & Development, 20(1), 33-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2012.663619

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2012
• Deposit Date: Jan 28, 2015
• Journal: Gender and Development
• Print ISSN: 1355-2074
• Electronic ISSN: 1364-9221
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 33-47
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2012.663619