How are the quality and accessibility of local public goods influenced by grassroots efforts such as SHGs? Desai et al. (2014) explored this question in Rajasthan, India looking at water access and found that women in villages with SHGs were more informed than those in control villages about how to address problems of water supply and deficiency. They were also more likely to contact local authorities regarding their grievances with respect to water service and also reported greater improvements in water access, quality and infrastructure compared to their counterparts in control villages.
Read MoreRaghunathan et al. (2019) examined PRADAN’s SHG program in five states across India to see whether the groups are an effective platform for improving access to information, women’s empowerment in agriculture, agricultural practices, and production diversity. They found that SHG participation does increase women’s access to information and their participation in some agricultural decisions, but has limited impact on agricultural practices or outcomes, possibly due to financial constraints, social norms, and women’s domestic responsibilities.
Read MoreThe Share Trust compiled an evidence review on the role social capacities play in driving demand to stimulate positive nutrition outcomes, particularly when they are promoted through Self Help Groups.
Read MoreSaggurti et al. (2019) assessed the effect of a newborn care intervention through SHGs on improving new-born healthcare practices in rural Bihar, India. The quasi experimental study deemed that sharing messages on appropriate new-born practices through SHGs did in fact improve new-born care practices, evident within one year of the intervention.
Read MoreUsing cross-sectional data from 2015, Kumar et al. (2019) looked into the potential for women’s SHGs to improve access to and use of public entitlement schemes in India. They found that while SHGs do not increase awareness of these schemes, SHG members are significantly more likely to make use of them. SHG members were also found to be more politically active than non-members.
Read MoreIn an evidence review that studied 46 high quality evaluations of interventions delivered through SHGs in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, Gugerty et al. (2019) found that though the impacts of SHG-based interventions were generally positive, the evidence base was limited and did not generally test whether alternative delivery mechanisms might be more effective.
Read MoreA report by People in Need describes the SHG approach in urban Afghanistan, focusing on three main components: social development, economic development and institutional stability. The SHG approach leads to the social empowerment of its members through building communities of interdependence and mutual trust. Members experience economic empowerment in the medium to long term. Institutional stability can be achieved through the SHG approach over time.
Read MoreRuducha et al. (2018) explored whether social and advice networks affect the likelihood of immediate breastfeeding for recently delivered women, sampling 185 women from 36 villages in Uttar Pradesh, India. They found that women living in villages with an SHG had consistently higher numbers of relationship ties, health advice ties and higher density of health advice networks than women living in non-SHG areas. These ties then increased access to health messaging and strengthened the bond between local health providers and beneficiaries.
Read More