The influence of handcraft marketing on economic development has been widely acknowledged by governments, importing and exporting agencies, microenterprise banking initiatives, and grassroots development agencies. This study provides a holistic and comparative assessment of performance factors across 17 Peace Corps handcraft enterprises in 11 developing countries and describes their potential for income generation and sustainability. Data were generated through a mail survey and telephone interviews. Six properties fundamental to income generation included the following: locally available raw materials; utilization of indigenous technologies and simple tools; a creative and organized facilitator; funding resources in the form of capital, equipment, transportation, and in-kind contributions; producer skills related to literacy, business transactions, product development, and leadership ; and a sales outlet. Once an enterprise was underway, conceptual, interpersonal, and gender-based constraints impacted long-tenn sustainability. These performance factors are discussed as a basis for model development related to microenterprise and small business initiation and sustainability.
Ashcroft, J. (1978). A conspiracy of courtesy. IDRFocus (3),8-11.
2.
Basu, K. (1995). Marketing developing society crafts: A framework for analysis and change. In J. A. Costa & G. J. Bamossy (Eds.), Marketing in a multi-cultural world: Ethnicity, nationalism, and cultural identity (pp. 257-298). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
3.
Beauclerk, J., & Narby, J. (1988). Indigenous peoples: A field guide for development . Oxford: Oxfam.
4.
Berger, M. (1989). Giving women credit: The strengths and limitations of credit as a tool for alleviating poverty. World Development , 17(7), 1017-1030.
5.
Buell, R. (1987). Grassroots development: A question of empowerment . Cultural Survival Quarterly, 11 (1), 34-37.
6.
Carroll, T.F. (1992). Intermediary NGOs: The supporting link in grassroots development. West Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press.
7.
Chambers, R. (1983). Rural development: Putting the last first. New York: Longman.
8.
Cohen, E. (1992). Tourist arts. In C. P. Cooper & A. Lockwood (Eds.), Progress in tourism, recreation, and hospitality management (pp. 4-32). London: Belhaven Press.
9.
Dhamija, J. (1989). Women and handicrafts: Myth and reality. In A. Leonard (Ed.), Seeds: Supporting women's work in the Third World (pp. 195-211). New York: Feminist Press at the City University of New York.
10.
Dia, M. ( 1991). Development and cultural values in Sub-Saharan Africa . Finance and Development, 28(4), 10-13.
11.
Dickson, M.A., & Littrell, M.A. (1998). Organizational culture for small textile and apparel businesses in Guatemala. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 16(2), 68-78.
12.
Dow, M.M. (1985). Agricultural intensification and craft specialization: A nonrecursive model. Ethnology, 24(2), 137-152.
13.
Glaser, B.G., & Strauss, A.L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New York: Aldinede Gruyter.
14.
Goff, B. (1990). Mastering the craft of scaling-up in Colombia . Grassroots Development, 14 (1), 13-22.
15.
Guba, E., & Lincoln, Y.S. (1981). Effective evaluation. San Francisco : Joffrey-Bass.
16.
Hamerschlag, K. (1985). Indigenous women's craft groups in the Guatemalan highlands: Constraints and opportunities for empowerment through organization. Unpublished master's thesis, University of California, Berkeley, CA.
17.
Harper, M., & Ramachandran, K. (1984). Small business promotion: Case studies from developing countries. London: Intermediate Technology Publications.
18.
Harrell-Bond, B. (1981). The Sierra Leone arts and crafts cooperative: Establishing an export market. (American Universities Field Staff Report No. 50). Hanover, NH: American Universities Field Staff.
19.
Herald, J. (1992). World crafts. Asheville, North Carolina: Lark Books.
20.
Hossain, M. (1988, February). Credit alleviation of rural poverty: The Grameen bank in Bangladesh (Research Report No. 65).
21.
International Trade Centre UNCTAD/GATT (1991 ). Handicrafts and cottage industries: A guide to export marketing for developing countries. Geneva: International Trade Centre UNCTAD/GATT.
22.
Jain, L.C. (1986). A heritage to keep: The handicrafts industry, 1955-85. Economic and Political Weekly, 21(20), 873-887.
23.
Kleymeyer, C.D. (1992). Cultural energy and grassroots development. Grassroots Development, 16( 1 ), 22-31.
24.
Lincoln, Y.S., & Guba, E. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
25.
Littrell, M.A. (1998). Small business performance: A case example from South Asia. In S. Loker, L. Good, & P. Huddleson (Eds.), Softgoods to the world (pp. 4-10). Monument, CO: International Textile and Apparel Association
26.
Littrell, M.A., & Dickson, M.A. (1999). Social responsibility in the global market: Fair trade of cultural products. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
27.
Littrell, M.A., Stout, J., & Reilly, R. (1991). In-home businesses: Profiles of successful and struggling craft producers. Home Economics Research Journal , 20, 26-39.
28.
Loughran, L., & Argo, L. (1986). Assessment of handicraft training needs for rural women in Swaziland. Swaziland Manpower Development Project (Occasional Paper No. 1:1-65). Washington, DC: Transcentury Corporation.
29.
Mayoux, L. (1991). The poverty of income generation: A critique of women's handicraft schemes in India. In T. Wallace & C. March (Eds.), Changing perceptions: Writings on gender and development (pp. 219-235). Oxford: Oxfam.
30.
Mayoux, L. (1995). Alternative vision or utopian fantasy?: Cooperation, empowerment, and women's cooperative development in India. Journal of International Development, 7(2), 211-228.
31.
Merriam, C.R. (1996, Autumn). Building the competitive advantage of small and microbusinesses. Crafts News,7(29), pp. 13-14.
32.
Merriam, S.B. (1988). Case study research in education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
33.
McIntosh, A., & Friedman, M. (1989). Women's producer groups in rural KwaZulu: Limits and possibilities. Development South Africa,6(4), 438-453.
Millard, E. (1992). Export marketing for a small handicraft business . Oxford: Intermediate Technology .
36.
Morris, W.F. (1991). The marketing of Maya textiles in highland Chiapas, Mexico. In M. B. Schevill, J. C. Berlo, & E. B. Dwyer (Eds.), Textile traditions of Mesoamerica and the Andes: An anthology (pp. 403-431). New York: Garland.
37.
Morris, W.F. (1996). Handmade money: Latin American artisans in the marketplace. Washington, DC: Organization of American States.
38.
Mutiso, R. (1987). Poverty, women and cooperatives in Kenya. (Working Paper No. 135). E. Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Office of Women in International Development.
39.
Nash, J. (Ed.). (1993). Crafts in the world market: The impact of global exchange on Middle American artisans . Albany: State University of New York.
40.
O'Neill, H.M., & Ducker, J. (1986). Survival and failure in small business. Journal of Small Business Management, 24, 30-37.
41.
Paige-Reeves, J. (1998). Alpaca sweater design and marketing: Problems and prospects for cooperative knitting organizations in Bolivia. Human Organization, 57( 1 ), 83-93.
42.
Popelka, C.A., Fanslow, A.M., & Littrell, M.A. (1992). Profiles of success: Mexican textile handcraft entrepreneurs and their businesses. Home Economics Research Journal, 20(4), 236-253.
43.
Pye, E. ( 1986). Crafting the future. Craft International , 4(1), 27, 35.
44.
Pye, E. A. (Ed.). (1988). Artisans in economic development: Evidence from Asia. Ottawa, Canada: International Development Research Centre.
45.
Ramphele, M. (1990). Women and rural development: The debate about appropriate strategies. SAGE, 7( 1 ), 9-12.
46.
Reeves, T.Z. (1988). The politics of thePeace Corps & Vista. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama.
47.
Reichert, C. (1993). New approaches to handicraft promotion: Some experiences from West African countries. In E. W. Schamp (Ed.), African small-scale industries in rural and urban environments, (pp. 161-175). Frankfurt, Germany: Frankfurter Wirtschaftsund Socialgeographische Schriften.
48.
Remenyi, J. (1991). Where credit is due: Income-generating programs for the poor in developing countries. Boulder: Westview Press.
49.
Rice, G.T. (1985). The bold experiment: JFK'sPeace Corps. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame.
50.
Smillie, I. (1993). Changing partners: Northern NGOs, northern governments . In I. Smillie & H. Helmich (Eds.), Non-governmental organizations and governments: Stakeholders for development (pp. 13-43). Paris : Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
51.
Stamp, P. (1989). Technology, gender, and power in Africa. Ottawa: International Development Research Centre.
52.
Stephen, L. (1991). Culture as a resource: Four cases of self-managed indigenous craft production in Latin America. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 40(1), 101-130.
53.
Tice, K.E. (1995). Kuna crafts, gender, and the global economy. Austin: University of Texas.
54.
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (1994). Ten-year plan of action (1990-1999) for the development of crafts in the world. (Working document CTL/CONF.605/4). Islamabad, Pakistan 13-14 October, 1994.
55.
Warren, D.M. (1991). Using indigenous knowledge in agricultural development . (World Bank Discussion Papers No. 127). Washington, DC: World Bank.
56.
Waterbury, R. (1989). Embroidery for tourists: A contemporary putting-out system in Oaxaca, Mexico. In A. B. Weiner & J. Schneider (Eds.), Cloth and human experience (pp. 243-271). Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution.
