Women online: A study of common service centers in India using a capability approach

Income-generating activities performed by women are an effective way to reduce gender deprivations and disparities. In the constrained familial and community settings of developing economies, the online platform can be an appropriate means for women to carry out economic activities. In this context, certain important initiatives taken by the government of India such as the creation of Common Service Centers are worth studying. This paper critically evaluates such revolutionary online platform-based entrepreneurial initiatives using the capability approach developed by Amartya Sen. We examine how women-run businesses use the online platform and what determines their success, inputs, capabilities, and conversion factors through a case study method. Further, enterprise-level National Sample Survey Organization data at the all-India level are analyzed to show that the states that have a higher level of gender inequality are also the regions with a lower level of information and communications technology usage by women-run enterprises.