Abstract:
Access to Information (a2i) (a2i-II: 2012 – 16) is a program functioning across Bangladesh in
partnership with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), UNDP and USAID. To date, ‘a2i’ has
created 4,547 Union Digital Centers (UDCs) in every Union (the lowest tier of local public
administration in Bangladesh). Women entrepreneurs were set in those UDCs with the aim of
increasing women empowerment. This paper investigates to what extent ‘a2i’ is effective in
promoting women empowerment through women entrepreneurship. To find the answer, this
paper analyzed primary data collected from two different Union Parishads (UPs) of Bangladesh:
Shimulia UP and the Muksudpur UP, Dhaka district. Data collection followed both the quantitative
and qualitative approach. Analysis of this data set found out different aspects and socioeconomic
challenges for women’s empowerment in Bangladesh. The results of this paper indicate that the
socioeconomic barriers are causing the a2i program to have a less profound impact in promoting
women empowerment through women entrepreneurship. This paper proposes that the design,
redesign, and implementation of the a2i program should have a flexible characteristic so that
it can address the socioeconomic challenges from within the scope of the program. This paper
can be used as a guidepost for the future policy formulations related to women entrepreneurship
and empowerment. Furthermore, this research provides an opportunity to conduct nationwide
research for identifying a general pattern between the a2i program and its implications for
women empowerment.
