Bornstein's thoughts on helping micro-entrepreneurs succeed

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"Much of the criticism of economic globalization has centered on factory labor abuses.  But the majority of the world's poor are not employed in factories; they are self employed - as peasant farmers, rural peddlers, urban hawkers, and small producers, usually involved in agriculture and small trade in the worlds vast 'informal' economy.

Social entrepreneurs seeking to alleviate poverty among this target group usually begin by asking: How can we help these small producers benefit more from their trade and productive activities?" (p. 156)
Bornstein, D. (2007). How to change the World. Oxford.

So... how can we help small tourism entrepreneurs benefit more from their work?  Are there frugal ways to help micro-entrepreneurs network with each other to share know-how and engender a collective consciousness and bargaining power?  Can information technologies be used to provide micro-entrepreneurs with direct access to markets?  Can clusters of micro-entrepreneurs compete and collaborate with each other to create value added to their products and to a common brand?

These are central questions for People-First Tourism scholarship.  We are obsessed with finding answers, and you are invited to join us.  Duarte

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