Project Methodology
DIA is using a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the training’s impact on entrepreneurs under the Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project. Eligible participants had operated a business for more than six months, employed fewer than 15 people, were married, and were actively involved in business decision-making. A comprehensive baseline survey was conducted between December 2023 and February 2024, capturing business performance, decision-making, entrepreneurial behaviours, household conditions, and aspirations, alongside financial metrics such as revenues, profits, inventory, and workforce. A midline survey followed between March and May 2025, and an endline survey was completed in June 2025.
Impact
The intervention is designed to improve business outcomes for rural entrepreneurs, targeting measurable gains in revenue, profitability, and business expansion, with spillover benefits for job creation and household economic resilience. Beyond technical skills, the programme aims to strengthen participants’ agency, persistence, and goal-setting mindset, positioning the study to inform evidence-based policy at scale. Final results are pending full analysis, but fidelity to the experimental design gives confidence that forthcoming findings will offer credible insight into the programme’s effectiveness.