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From Ecosystems to Advicescapes: Business, Development and Advice in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

Author

Listed:
  • David Lewis
  • Rebecca Bowers
  • Luke Heslop
  • Simon Tawfic

Abstract

The provision of entrepreneurship advice is a growing feature of private sector development in South Asia but has so far received little attention from researchers. The article explores the theme of business advice in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, drawing on recent ethnographic fieldwork among advice seekers to explore the significance of low-income households of business advice within the unfolding processes of both marketization and state support. It offers a theoretical innovation in the concept of ‘advicescape’, supported by ethnographic materials conveying local-level perspectives and experiences of business advice users. Despite the growth of a complex business support ecosystem in each country, the article finds that many such people are falling through the cracks, in that they face problems accessing advice, find its quality variable and instead rely heavily on informal advice. It ends with reflections on the now dominant business-and-development approach, including a brief observation on improving the inclusivity and effectiveness of entrepreneurship advice.

Suggested Citation

  • David Lewis & Rebecca Bowers & Luke Heslop & Simon Tawfic, 2024. "From Ecosystems to Advicescapes: Business, Development and Advice in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 19(3), pages 345-363, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:soudev:v:19:y:2024:i:3:p:345-363
    DOI: 10.1177/09731741241239120
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hossain, Naomi, 2017. "The Aid Lab: Understanding Bangladesh's Unexpected Success," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198785507.
    2. Schuster, Caroline & Kar, Sohini, 2021. "Subprime empire: on the in-betweenness of finance," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 112809, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Karlan, Dean & Knight, Ryan & Udry, Christopher, 2015. "Consulting and capital experiments with microenterprise tailors in Ghana," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 281-302.
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