The Profits of Wisdom : The Impacts of a Business Support Program in Tanzania
Business training programs in low-income settings have shown limited, if any, impacts on firm revenues and profits, particularly for female entrepreneurs. This paper uses a randomized design to compare the impacts of two types of business training...
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| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/257221513609451157/The-profits-of-wisdom-the-impacts-of-a-business-support-program-in-Tanzania http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29070 |
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okr-10986-290702021-06-08T14:42:47Z The Profits of Wisdom : The Impacts of a Business Support Program in Tanzania Bardasi, Elena Gassier, Marine Goldstein, Markus Holla, Alaka ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURSHIP FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS TRAINING MICROENTERPRISE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER IINOVATION LAB WOMEN AND PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT Business training programs in low-income settings have shown limited, if any, impacts on firm revenues and profits, particularly for female entrepreneurs. This paper uses a randomized design to compare the impacts of two types of business training programs targeting women with established small businesses in urban Tanzania. The basic version of the training relied on in-class sessions to strengthen the managerial and technical skills of the participants. In the enhanced version, training was supplemented by individual visits from business coaches to the sites of participants’ activities, as well as other services tailored to their individual needs. The study finds no impact of the basic training on business practices and business outcomes. Participants in the enhanced training are more likely to adopt new practices, but show no effects for revenue or profits, on average. However, the average masks large heterogeneous effects: entrepreneurs with low levels of experience show reduced revenues; those with more experience benefit from the program. This finding suggests that business training programs may have greater impacts if they are more carefully targeted. 2017-12-21T16:51:39Z 2017-12-21T16:51:39Z 2017-12 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/257221513609451157/The-profits-of-wisdom-the-impacts-of-a-business-support-program-in-Tanzania http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29070 English Policy Research Working Paper;No. 8279 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Africa Tanzania |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English |
| topic |
ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURSHIP FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS TRAINING MICROENTERPRISE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER IINOVATION LAB WOMEN AND PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT |
| spellingShingle |
ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURSHIP FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS TRAINING MICROENTERPRISE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER IINOVATION LAB WOMEN AND PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT Bardasi, Elena Gassier, Marine Goldstein, Markus Holla, Alaka The Profits of Wisdom : The Impacts of a Business Support Program in Tanzania |
| geographic_facet |
Africa Tanzania |
| relation |
Policy Research Working Paper;No. 8279 |
| description |
Business training programs in low-income
settings have shown limited, if any, impacts on firm
revenues and profits, particularly for female entrepreneurs.
This paper uses a randomized design to compare the impacts
of two types of business training programs targeting women
with established small businesses in urban Tanzania. The
basic version of the training relied on in-class sessions to
strengthen the managerial and technical skills of the
participants. In the enhanced version, training was
supplemented by individual visits from business coaches to
the sites of participants’ activities, as well as other
services tailored to their individual needs. The study finds
no impact of the basic training on business practices and
business outcomes. Participants in the enhanced training are
more likely to adopt new practices, but show no effects for
revenue or profits, on average. However, the average masks
large heterogeneous effects: entrepreneurs with low levels
of experience show reduced revenues; those with more
experience benefit from the program. This finding suggests
that business training programs may have greater impacts if
they are more carefully targeted. |
| format |
Working Paper |
| author |
Bardasi, Elena Gassier, Marine Goldstein, Markus Holla, Alaka |
| author_facet |
Bardasi, Elena Gassier, Marine Goldstein, Markus Holla, Alaka |
| author_sort |
Bardasi, Elena |
| title |
The Profits of Wisdom : The Impacts of a Business Support Program in Tanzania |
| title_short |
The Profits of Wisdom : The Impacts of a Business Support Program in Tanzania |
| title_full |
The Profits of Wisdom : The Impacts of a Business Support Program in Tanzania |
| title_fullStr |
The Profits of Wisdom : The Impacts of a Business Support Program in Tanzania |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The Profits of Wisdom : The Impacts of a Business Support Program in Tanzania |
| title_sort |
profits of wisdom : the impacts of a business support program in tanzania |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2017 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/257221513609451157/The-profits-of-wisdom-the-impacts-of-a-business-support-program-in-Tanzania http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29070 |
| _version_ |
1764468419286007808 |