From Intention to Impact: Examining the Moderating Role of Self-help Groups (SHGs) in Socio-economic Uplift

The study examined the relationship between Entrepreneurial Intention (EI) and Socio-economic Upliftment (SEU), emphasising the moderating role of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in Punjab. Based on data, convenience sampling was employed to choose 120 food entrepreneurs due to the homogeneity of the study group and used confirmatory factor analysis, followed by Structural Equation Modelling, to understand the impact of SHGs on turning entrepreneurial goals into real economic improvements. Findings revealed that a significant positive impact of EI on SEU, with a coefficient of 0.263 (p < 0.05), indicating that a one-unit increase in EI raised income by 0.261 units, which corroborated that entrepreneurial intentions had a positive and meaningful effect on socio-economic status, measured by household income. For policymakers, the study emphasises the importance of promoting and expanding SHGs, alongside providing proper training to enhance entrepreneurship and hence also broaden socio-economic growth.