 Impact of self-help group on multidimensional poverty: a study on tribal women in underdeveloped districts in West Bengal, IndiaPurna Jana and Ramesh Chandra Das Indian Growth and Development Review, 2026, vol. 19, issue 2-3, 238-268 Abstract: PurposeThis study aims to evaluate the multidimensional poverty (MDP) conditions prevalent among Scheduled Tribe (ST) women in four economically lagging districts of West Bengal, India – namely Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia and Bankura. The investigation primarily explores the role of self-help groups (SHGs) in influencing the extent of MDP, with due consideration to the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents’ households.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is based on primary data and seeks to contribute to the discourse on inclusive social development in the region. Multidimensional poverty index (MPI) has been calculated using the Alkire–Foster methodology, focusing on three core dimensions: education, health and living standards.FindingsAmong tribal women, especially in Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram, SHG involvement is associated with a decrease in MDP. Purulia experiences less of an influence, but Bankura exhibits a minor reversal, suggesting regional differences. These differences demonstrate how district-specific socioeconomic circumstances and institutional support systems affect SHG efficacy. Despite the involvement of SHGs, a significant portion of the population remains deprived of basic facilities such as clean cooking fuel and electricity. In addition, challenges related to malnutrition, limited access to safe drinking water and a lack of essential amenities persist leading to unsustainable society. Nevertheless, the overall level of MDP among ST women in the surveyed regions is relatively lower among SHG members compared to their nonmember counterparts. As the study underscores the positive impacts of SHGs in mitigating MDP and promoting social sustainability in these marginalized districts of West Bengal it is recommended to increase the capacity of the SHGs via skill development, financial assistance and entrepreneurial initiatives. Facilitating women’s access to education, healthcare and essential services, empowering SHGs might lead to significantly alleviate MDP among ST communities and promote inclusive social development in the region.Social implicationsThey suffer from nutritional insecurity, proper healthy drinking water and live without basic amenities. Besides, the degree of MDP is significantly low for the ST women of both the districts. It is further found that SHG has played a favorable role in reducing the degree of MDP in both the observed districts of West Bengal, India. The situations of the tribal women in the districts were highly gloomy making unsustainable social well-being and the program of SHG has led to positively affect in ensuring social inclusivity as they now lead some sort of restituted livelihoods.Originality/valueThe study is original and does not resemble to any study in the field. Keywords: Multidimensional poverty; Schedule tribe women; SHG; Education; Health and living standard; Social sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:igdrpp:igdr-04-2025-0057 DOI: 10.1108/IGDR-04-2025-0057 Access Statistics for this article Indian Growth and Development Review is currently edited by Professor Chetan Ghate, Professor Prabal Chowdhury and Professor Prabal Chowdhury More articles in Indian Growth and Development Review from Emerald Group Publishing Limited |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.