23. Importance of Micro-Entrepreneurial (or Community Supported) Activities

This is because of the nature of the new age economy where we are all willingly or unwillingly, well-integrated into the fabric of the society covering such aspects like the healthcare, education, security, employment, social groups etc., We are conformists to the demands of the new age economy. Some of us are able to accommodate well to this integrating force whereas others are being cruelly being dropped off! As part of this grouping, we need to take care of our fellow citizens.

What can we do as responsible citizens and as responsible governments?

First, we can take steps to distribute wealth, put cap on personal and business wealth and fix the wage ratio through an iron clad constitution. This has been referred in my earlier articles on financial reforms and iron clad constitution.

Next, we can be bold and take steps to implement measures like Universal Basic Income to the deserving citizens.

There may be other such measures that we may find if we ruminate enough.

We can also focus on generating and maintaining the momentum around micro-entrepreneurial(or community supported) activities.

Please refer to my article on how I compare nature to the economic activity at - https://www.mayoan.com/economy/15.-interpreting-nature-to-improve-an-economy .

From this article I am comparing the rain drops to the micro-entrepreneurial activities (or community supported) .

These are the activities that take little investment but gives a safe means of living to those stuck in utter poverty.

I have seen this kind of environment in India where people live by means of micro-entrepreneurial activities (or community supported) .

Please note the context sensitive nature of these activities and sometimes these activities may not be present in the so called ‘advanced’ economies.

Some of them are:

• Home based food services (due to regulations and other constraints this is not present in advanced economies)

• Street food culture (severely restricted in advanced economies as above)

• Mobile charging and repairing kiosks (need a solid real estate investment for building such services in the advanced economies)

• Street vendors – for example the vendors who flood the bus stations and railway stations to sell seasonal fruits (this is not seen as viable option in advanced economies due to cultural aspects). They change their goods as per the seasons.

• Home maid services (this is expensive in the advanced economies due to the high cost of living)

• Repairing services of essential goods like shoes, umbrellas, bags, watches etc., (Use and throw mode is much common in the advanced economies or such services are organized as larger businesses under business houses)

• Context specific offerings like selling flowers, prayer accoutrements etc., near the temple complexes (never seen such things near churches in the advanced economies)

• Tea and coffee kiosks (we only see café’s and likes that need good investments in the advanced economies)

• Small restaurants and bakeries (these exist in some formats even in the advanced economies)

• Meat shops (these exist in some formats even in the advanced economies)

• Tailoring Kiosks

• Small specialist garment, vessel rental shops etc.,

• Food, document and Pharmacy related delivery services

• Integrated utility company related helpdesk and services kiosks

• Tax and ID related service kiosks

• Etc.,

If we closely observe these Micro-Entrepreneurial ventures, they are built around the essential things that humans need. With all due respect to the safety and security of the society members, these activities can be organized easily but unless we provide alternate ways of living, we should not restrain these easy economic activities by unreasonably blocking rules.

Economists advising the government have to carefully weigh in their options before providing their recommendations to the government. For example, super massive warehouses and departmental stores with built in robotic-process automations, in my opinion, are to be avoided so that more humans who have a family to support can be employed.

These economists should study the local/national economy very closely and recommend the appropriate micro-activities (community supported) activities that are viable for adoption either locally or nationally.

Some of the innovative ways these Micro-Entrepreneurial (or community supported) activities can be built in the advanced economies as well as the other economies are as follows:

• Bringing the church services to the business houses, private houses and old age homes (People are easily shaken of their faiths and hence need to maintain the faith is a top priority in some places)

• Bringing the library to your doorsteps (book exchanges)

• Private tuition masters at home under safe environments

• Community provided authorised bank agents for the immobile people

• Community provided mobility related assistants for the immobile people

• Other such easily available publicly funded social groups for the benefits of the less privileged in the society.

• Community funded food collectors and distributors to avoid food wastage.

• Community supported Repairing and Re-use centres for qualifying goods

• Etc.,

Some of the community supported initiatives can indeed be expected to be supported as part of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) of big corporations housed in those communities.

References:

https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4136760

Hari Om!