Promoting women's entrepreneurship in developing countries: the case of the world's largest women-owned community-based enterprise

Policymakers view community-based enterprises (CBEs) as vehicles for promoting women's entrepreneurship (WE) in developing countries (DCs). This paper is motivated by previous research that seeks to find conditions that generate durability and longevity in CBEs. Using the qualitative case study methodology, we undertook an in-depth investigation at Lijjat, arguably the world's largest and most durable women-owned CBE in India. Our aim was to unpack the antecedent conditions that made the case organisation 'robust', enabling territorial expansion and survival against more technologically sophisticated competitors. Results illustrate how religio-cultural factors and social capital were integral to the growth and robustness of Lijjat. We found the presence of a democratic governance structure, organisational routines that promoted social cohesion, and a business model, which promoted strong collective entrepreneurship behaviours amongst its women members. We suggest that understanding CBE robustness from a gendered perspective holds considerable promise for promoting socio-economic development in DCs.