Gender and Innovation: Experience of South Asian Firms

Abstract

This paper examines ihe impact of women representation in ownership of firms on innovation. Three types of innovation are considered: (I) product, (2) process and (3) management innovation. The cuncnt study is based on World Bank Enterprise Survey data for the year 2013-14 and countries included in analysis are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India. Nepal and Pakistan. Results suggest that in these regions, the women’s participation in ownership increases the probability of innovation. The innovation is high in manufacturing as compared to service sector, especially among female-headed firms. Researcher's estimates also indicate that being in big city, human capital in firms, linn size and competing in international markets increase the innovation prospects.