Sustainable community: role of self-help groups (a case study approach)
Student name: Ms Stella George
Guide: Dr Soumendu Sarkar
Year of completion: 2017
Host Organisation: TERI University
Abstract: This study uses a case study approach to examine the factors which lead to the formation of sustainable Self-Help Groups (SHGs) using the Social Network Analysis (SNA). Three study sites namely Kamalapur village in Gulbarga district of Karnataka, Adarshnagar village in Dholpur district of Rajasthan and Nehru Colony, an urban slum in Faridabad were selected based on the requirement of the study. This dissertation emphasizes the role of SHGs in making the community sustainable by acting as a catalyst in social capital formation which increases community participation leading to personal and social empowerment. Our study brings out various factors affecting the formation or break-down of SHGs. It tests the following conjecture in the three locations: ‘Indirect relations exist among individuals, which help in the formation of a SHG and eventually become direct ties. Also, once the SHG is formed, an incomplete network tends towards complete network over time.’ It also analyses the factors which lead SHGs to endogenously venture into non-financial activities. The study asserts on understanding human behaviour in order to achieve developmental objectives.
Key Words: Self-Help Group (SHG), Social Capital, Community Participation, Community Empowerment, Sustainable Community, Social Networks, Human Behaviour
