Beyond Inclusion: Institutional Strategies for Advancing Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Global South

Abstract

Purpose
This paper aims to critically examine the institutional barriers that constrain women’s entrepreneurship in India. Despite growing recognition of women's economic contributions, their entrepreneurial journeys are shaped by a complex interplay of regulatory, normative, and cognitive constraints. The study seeks to develop an integrated conceptual framework that captures the multi-dimensional institutional conditions affecting women’s entrepreneurial agency in emerging economies.

Design/methodology/approach
Adopting a conceptual and theory-building approach, the paper draws on institutional theory and feminist development perspectives. It synthesizes secondary data from government schemes, NGO-led initiatives, policy reports, and global entrepreneurship literature to analyse how current interventions align—or fail to align—with women’s lived realities. The paper then proposes a three-pillar framework grounded in regulatory, normative, and cognitive institutions.

Findings
The study finds that existing programmes predominantly focus on access to finance and skills training, without adequately addressing structural inequities or socio-cultural norms. It identifies persistent fragmentation in ecosystem-level support and highlights a lack of gender-transformative design in most interventions. The proposed framework—comprising (1) Expansion of Women’s Agency, (2) Enabling Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, and (3) Institutional Reform and Alignment—offers a holistic lens to reframe women’s entrepreneurship as a contextually embedded, institutionally negotiated process.

Research limitations/implications

As a conceptual paper, the framework is not empirically tested. Future studies are encouraged to operationalise the model through mixed-method approaches and comparative research across different institutional contexts.

Practical implications

The framework offers a diagnostic tool for ecosystem actors—policymakers, NGOs, and incubators—to assess and redesign women-centred entrepreneurship programmes. It provides actionable insights on integrating psychosocial support, peer networks, and inclusive institutional design into programmatic interventions.

Originality/value
This study contributes a novel institutional perspective to women’s entrepreneurship in the Global South, moving beyond individualistic and resource-based models. By embedding entrepreneurship within the broader socio-institutional landscape, the paper advances theory and practice in designing inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystems