The IUP Journal of Entrepreneurship Development
Sustainability of Self-Help Groups: A Literature Review

Article Details
Pub. Date : September, 2021
Product Name : The IUP Journal of Entrepreneurship Development
Product Type : Article
Product Code : IJED10921
Author Name : Nishi Malhotra and Pankaj Baag
Availability : YES
Subject/Domain : Management Journals
Download Format : PDF Format
No. of Pages : 16

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Abstract

This study aims to identify the indicators of sustainability in India's context of the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) linkage scheme. It also aims to provide an operational definition of sustainability and identify a relationship between sustainability and group outcomes. Many studies provide a conceptual definition of sustainability. However, few studies provide an operational definition to facilitate the measurement of sustainability of SHGs bank linkage in India. The systematic literature review approach using keywords has been used for analysis. From the study of the extant literature, it becomes apparent that sustainability aims to achieve the goals of financial intermediation and is beyond outreach. It ensures access to funding at an affordable cost, and thus through social capital and the network, it provides stability of performance. This leads to the achievement of financial inclusion goals such as poverty reduction. This study summarizes how SHG linkage can achieve sustainability to facilitate sustainable development. This study will add immensely to current literature in sustainable finance and challenges to inclusive banking.


Introduction

On a conceptual plane, sustainability is a broad term frequently misused in discussions on social issues such as equity, welfare, and wealth distribution. The term "sustainability" is frequently used in conjunction with systems theory and refers to the systems' or processes' long-term viability (Lele, 1993). Sustainability has been utilized to answer questions such as What, When, How, and Why in most social situations. Sustainability is defined as the ability of the system to be productive in the future. Shetty (2009) has defined sustainability as a repetition of the performance in the future. To further elaborate on the construct of sustainability, the author argues that any analysis of the term sustainability should address the following question:

  • What is desired to be sustained? Is it a particular resource, process, or function in an organization?


Keywords