Teaching and learning challenges and approaches when working with entrepreneurs in poverty

Michael H. Morris and Julia M. Poplin

Chapter 8 in Handbook of Teaching and Learning in Social Innovation, 2026, pp 138-154 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Poverty is prevalent in both developing and developed economies, prompting scholars and policymakers to focus more on entrepreneurship as a means to escape poverty. Starting a venture involves a learning journey where entrepreneurs acquire new skills and capabilities. This chapter examines the unique challenges faced by those in poverty when trying to launch and grow a business, highlighting how these challenges hinder their ability to learn and develop essential skills. Utilizing Sen's capabilities framework along with insights from Freire's critical pedagogy and Bandura's social learning theory, the chapter suggests how intervention strategies can be adapted to help these entrepreneurs enhance their critical capabilities. It shares lessons from a global poverty and entrepreneurship intervention program and discusses the implications. The chapter concludes with a conceptual model that links poverty conditions to capability development, venture performance, and personal well-being.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Capability Development; Critical Pedagogy; Liability of Poorness; Poverty Experience; Social Learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035318292
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