Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University
Abstract
To deepen our understanding of the urban informal sector and small enterprises in developing countries, we conducted a baseline study of micro and small entrepreneurs in northeastern areas of Delhi, India. The questionnaire-based survey was implemented during November-December 2014, in which 506 entrepreneurs were surveyed who ran enterprises in the manufacturing or service sector. The sample was drawn from a business directory and all fell in the category of micro or small enterprises as defined in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act of 2006. In this paper, we present details of the baseline survey implemented under this project and describe the key variables collected. Out of 506 sample entrepreneurs, 97% were owned by single individuals, and 46% were unregistered with the government. In addition to the standard list of questions, some questions on trust were also included in the General Social Survey style. The trust level towards relatives and friends, neighbors, and business buyers/sellers was found to be significantly higher than the trust level toward government officials, the police, and law officers.21 p
