Employment, Empowerment and Living Standards

The main objective of the study is to explore the linkages between employment, empowerment and living standards. The study in Sri Lanka is part of a global study carried out in developing countries including Burkina Faso and Uganda. The key areas the study would explore are the relationship between employment and well-being over the life-course, the effects of social ties on micro enterprises, aspirations and perceptions of well-being and good work in the context of informal employment, the lessons that can be learnt from the performance of minority entrepreneurs, and women’s choices and constraints in the context of informal employment. The focus of the study lies on small and medium size entrepreneurs. The study in Sri Lanka used a sample of over 500 enterprises in the Colombo district including enterprises of several manufacturing clusters. In addition to the detailed field survey, focus group discussions and life history interviews were also conducted to explore deep linkages.