Kitchen Capitalism: Microenterprise in Low-Income Households (SUNY series in Urban Public Policy) - Hardcover

Sherraden, Margaret Sherrard; Sanders, Cynthia K.; Sherraden, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0791461718 ISBN 13: 9780791461716

Publisher: State University of New York Press, 2004

Synopsis

Businesses come to life as owners are allowed to speak in their own words in this first in-depth examination of self-employment told from the perspectives of low-income microentrepreneurs. The book systematically analyzes a range of issues, including who chooses to open a micro business, and why; what resources do they bring to their business venture; how well will their venture fare; and what contributes to the growth or decline of their business. The authors conclude that most microentrepreneurs believe self-employment offers a range of monetary and nonmonetary benefits and argue it would be more advantageous to view microenterprise as a social and economic development strategy rather than simply as an anti-poverty strategy. Based on this observation, a range of strategies to better promote microenterprise programs among the poor is advanced, with the goal of targeting the most promising approaches.

About this title

Review:

"The rich data gathered by the authors provides significant insight into the topic of microenterprise. In light of increasing expectations for employment among the poor, it is important to understand more about the perceptions, motivations, and experiences of low-wage workers in relation to work. It is also very important to understand the subjective aspects of the impact of microenterprise as a formal anti-poverty policy."

About the Author:

At the University of Missouri at St. Louis, Margaret Sherrard Sherraden is Professor of Social Work, and Cynthia K. Sanders is Assistant Professor of Social Work. Michael Sherraden is Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development and the founding director of the Center for Social Development at Washington University, where Margaret Sherrard Sherraden is Research Professor and Cynthia K. Sanders is Faculty Associate.

Michael Sherraden is the author and editor of many books, including Assets and the Poor: A New American Welfare Policy.

About this edition

• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0791461718
• ISBN 13: 9780791461716
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288