RT Article
T1 To formalize or not to formalize: women entrepreneurs' sensemaking of business registration in the context of Nepal
JF Journal of business ethics
VO 173
IS 4
SP 687
OP 708
A1 Karki, Shova Thapa
A1 Madden, Adrian
A1 Xheneti, Mirela
LA English
PB Springer Science + Business Media B. V
YR 2021
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1774591073
AB Despite the depiction of decisions to formalize informal firms as rational and ethical, many entrepreneurs in developing countries continue to operate informally regardless of its perceived illicit status. While existing research on why entrepreneurs choose informality emphasizes the economic costs and benefits of such decisions, this often overlooks the realities of the informal economy and the constraints which marginal populations—particularly women—face. In this paper, we use institutional theory and sensemaking to understand the experiences of women in the informal economy and what formalization means to them. We use a qualitative approach to collect data from 90 women entrepreneurs in three different cities in Nepal. In our findings we identify three groups of women with distinctive understandings of formalization—business sustainability, livelihood sufficiency and strategic alignment. Their interpretation of formalization reveals the complex, dynamic, and cyclical nature of formalization decisions. Decisions are also guided by the optimization of social and emotional logics, whereby formalization is conceived differently depending on different life stages, experiences within the informal economy and wider socio-cultural contexts. Our findings highlight the ethical implications of formalization where being a ‘good citizen’, rather than complying with formal rules and regulations, is about attuning to and fitting in with socially prescribed roles. Our research provides a nuanced view of formalization decisions, challenging idealized and ethical notions of formalization as a desired end state.
K1 Context
K1 Formalization
K1 Informal economy
K1 Sensemaking
K1 Women entrepreneurship
K1 Aufsatz in Zeitschrift
DO 10.1007/s10551-020-04541-1