Entrepreneurship deficit among rural scheduled caste youth of Kerala: an empirical analysis of Malappuram district,

Abstract

Entrepreneurship plays a pivotal role in economic development by fostering innovation, generating employment, and enhancing livelihoods. In India, promoting entrepreneurship among marginalized communities, such as Scheduled Castes, is critical for achieving inclusive growth and reducing socio-economic disparities. Despite various government initiatives aimed at empowering these communities, the entrepreneurial participation of Scheduled Castes, particularly in rural areas, remains relatively low compared to other social groups. Although Kerala's socio-economic environment is more progressive compared to other states the Scheduled Caste youth in Kerala still face significant challenges in accessing resources and opportunities for entrepreneurship. The specific intentions of study are, to examine the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of rural Scheduled Caste youth of the selected area under the study; to investigate their entrepreneurial career choices and assess how socio-economic and demographic factors influence these choices; to analyze the determinants of entrepreneurial interest among them; and to study the current entrepreneurial status of the selected social group and its influencing factors. For the intensive look into the research problem the study conducted a detailed and concentrated field investigation in the selected rural area, selected by using multi-stage random sampling procedure. The study derived odds ratios to evaluate the influencing variables on the likelihood of choosing entrepreneurship. The analysis found that variables gender, educational status, family income and family support play crucial roles in shaping entrepreneurial aspirations and entrepreneurial career choice. The study conducted an Ordered Logistic Regression analysis of data to find out the determinants of entrepreneurial interest of the rural Scheduled Caste youths. The analysis suggests that risk-taking ability, gender, father’s occupation, family support, and family’s business background are the variables significantly influence individuals' interest in entrepreneurship. Using a multinomial logistic regression model, the study found that the factors, such as, access to financial services, lack of market access, access to entrepreneurial training, psychological traits such as risk-taking ability, self-efficacy, motivation, locus of control, intension, and attitude towards entrepreneurship as well as socio-demographic characteristics like gender, education, and family income are the significant determinants of current entrepreneurial status of the social group under the study. The significance of this study to the educated Scheduled Caste youth community is manifold. It not only highlights the barriers that they face in becoming entrepreneurs but also identifies the opportunities and resources that can enhance their entrepreneurial potential. By providing insights into the socio-economic dynamics of entrepreneurship within this marginalized community, the study is relevant in the policy context and aims to empower Scheduled Caste youth by promoting inclusive entrepreneurial growth. This can lead to greater economic independence, social mobility, and overall well-being for these communities.