Enabling Consumer and Entrepreneurial Literacy in Subsistence Marketplaces

Recent work has begun to provide broad insight into the role and nature of innovation targeted at the bottom of the pyramid or the 4 billion poor in the global marketplace. Examples of such a focus include the business literature and the literature on social entrepreneurship as well as partnerships between business, government, and non-profit organizations to address the problems faced by the global poor.

This book specifically examines two sides to the equation when studying subsistence marketplaces, viewing individuals as both consumers and entrepreneurs. It briefly describes research on low-literate, poor buyers and sellers in Tamil Nadu, India, leading to the development of an innovative educational program that combines basic business education and consumer education.