Exploring the Lived Experiences of Rural Micro-Entrepreneurs in [Study Location]: Understanding the Impact of Government Economic Empowerment Policies
Main Article Content
Abstract
Rural economic development remains challenging, particularly for micro-entrepreneurs who face limited resources and bureaucratic barriers. This study explores micro-entrepreneurs’ experiences of government economic policies and their perceived impact on business performance and local economic growth. Using a phenomenological approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 rural micro-entrepreneurs and analyzed thematically. The findings indicate that although government policies provide opportunities for business development, their effectiveness is constrained by limited accessibility, bureaucratic obstacles, and inadequate infrastructure. These challenges reduce the ability of entrepreneurs to fully benefit from policy initiatives. The study highlights the need for more context-sensitive and accessible policy implementation to better support rural micro-enterprises. By emphasizing entrepreneurs’ lived experiences, the findings contribute to a deeper understanding of policy effectiveness and offer practical insights for improving rural economic development strategies.
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Amul, G. G. H. (2025). Corporate social responsibility as a commercial determinant of health: A case study of the alcohol industry in the Philippines. Social Science and Medicine, 380. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118169
Anisfeld, A., Bell, E., Gurantz, O., & Kramer, D. A. (2025). Costly withdrawals reduce future college-going for low-income students: Evidence from Return of Title IV funds. Economics of Education Review, 109. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2025.102723
Aprizal, M. F., Juanda, B., Ratnawati, A., & Muin, A. (2021). Econometric model for Indonesian fiscal and monetary policies in oil & gas sector. Estudios de Economia Aplicada, 39(10). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.25115/eea.v39i10.6018
Aziz, A., Iqbal, J., Murtza, M. H., Gill, S. A., & Cheema, I. Y. (2024). Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on women entrepreneurial sustainability: The role of Islamic microfinance institutions. Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, 40(4), 819–836. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEAS-08-2021-0166
Caraka, R. E., Wardhana, I. W., Kim, Y., Sakti, A. D., Gio, P. U., Noh, M., & Pardamean, B. (2023). Connectivity, sport events, and tourism development of Mandalika’s special economic zone: A perspective from big data cognitive analytics. Cogent Business and Management, 10(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2183565
Carreiras, H., & Castro, C. (2012). Qualitative methods in military studies: Research experiences and challenges (p. 194). Taylor and Francis. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203099223
Choiruddin, M. N., Pratikto, H., Murwani, F. D., & Restuningdiah, N. (2025). Financial Literacy, FinTech, and Contemporary Innovation in Islamic Economic Law: An Analysis of MSME Performance Sustainability in Indonesia and Malaysia. MILRev: Metro Islamic Law Review, 4(2), 976–1008. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.32332/milrev.v4i2.10164
Daly, K. J. (2007). Qualitative methods for family studies & human development (p. 293). SAGE Publications Inc. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452224800
Echeverri-Gent, J., & Sané, R. (2025). Bargains and Banking: How Institutionalized Political Bargains Have Shaped the Development of Indian Banking. Studies in Comparative International Development, 60(2), 310–335. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12116-025-09458-2
Farihah, E., & Hartadinata, O. S. (2023). Bank Performance Responses to Fiscal and Monetary Policy to Mitigate Effect of the Covid-19 in Indonesia (Warid M.N.M. & Khan M.A.A.S., Eds; Vol. 2739, Issue 1). American Institute of Physics Inc. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0126706
Fife, W. (2020). Counting as a Qualitative Method: Grappling with the Reliability Issue in Ethnographic Research (p. 140). Springer International Publishing. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34803-8
Gasparelo, R. R. S., & Ganzeli, P. (2021). Democratic management conceptions in educational policies of the state Department of Education in Paraná (1990-2010) Paraná: Democratic management conceptions. Acta Scientiarum - Education, 43. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4025/actascieduc.v43i1.48756
Gerasimova, T., Bell, A., Drushchak, N., Konopatska, O., Arif Khan, F., & Stoyanovich, J. (2025). Estimating the impact of the Russian invasion on the displacement of graduating high school students in Ukraine. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04675-5
Habib, A. M., Ren, J., Matellini, B., Jenkinson, I., & Paraskevadakis, D. (2024). Critical factors to adopt sustainable agrifood supply chain management in developing countries: The case of Ethiopian coffee industry. Business Strategy and Development, 7(4). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.70032
Hillman, W., & Radel, K. (2018). Qualitative methods in tourism research: Theory and practice (p. 294). Channel View Publications. Scopus. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85050434848&partnerID=40&md5=7ea1e3f0b2027993b53f6a795804ee51
Iosifides, T. (2016). Qualitative Methods in Migration Studies: A Critical Realist Perspective (p. 266). Taylor and Francis. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315603124
Kania, I., Anggadwita, G., & Alamanda, D. T. (2021). A new approach to stimulate rural entrepreneurship through village-owned enterprises in Indonesia. Journal of Enterprising Communities, 15(3), 432–450. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEC-07-2020-0137
Kawamura, Y. (2020). DOING RESEARCH IN FASHION AND DRESS: An Introduction to Qualitative Methods, 2nd edition (p. 166). Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Scopus. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85188589040&partnerID=40&md5=b3db406659cd1ea5b20e05664bec39a3
Keeni, M., & Takashino, N. (2025). Encampment policy and public perception: A cross-country analysis of host community responses to Rohingya refugees. Comparative Migration Studies, 13(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-025-00471-x
Liao, Z., Liu, Y., Dai, J., & Li, Y. (2022). An application of the planned behavior theory to predict Chinese firms’ environmental innovation. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 65(14), 2676–2695. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2021.1977616
Longhofer, J., Floersch, J., & Hoy, J. (2012). Qualitative Methods for Practice Research (p. 224). Oxford University Press. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195398472.001.0001
Lutz, W., & Knox, S. (2014). Quantitative and qualitative methods in psychotherapy research (p. 448). Taylor and Francis. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203386071
McNabb, D. E. (2015). Research methods for political science: Quantitative and qualitative methods: Second edition (p. 426). Taylor and Francis. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315701141
Migdal, A. B. (2018). Qualitative Methods in Quantum Theory (p. 460). CRC Press. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429497940
Nababan, D., Arwaty, D., Sukmawati, F., & Shaleh, K. (2021). Analysis of Burden Sharing Between the Government and Bank Indonesia to Meet State Budget Financing for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery Program. Review of International Geographical Education Online, 11(6), 112–120. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.48047/rigeo.11.06.14
Nicholson, H., Roberts, M., Thompson, C., Li, K.-H., & Irvine, K. N. (2025). Examining indicators of quality green and blue space: A mixed method study investigating multifunctionality. Environmental Science and Policy, 170. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104100
Nilda, E., Nurdiansyah, R., Witro, D., Hidayaturrahman, M., Setyawan, R., & Alghani, R. (2025). Ecological Awareness in Buying and Selling: Fiqh al-Bi’ah Analysis on Plastic Bag Use at Tanjung Bajure Market, Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmiah Mizani, 12(2), 71–87. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.29300/mzn.v12i2.7822
Nkansah-Dwamena, E. (2025). Aligning conservation goals with forest livelihood needs: Using local perspectives to inform policy and practice in Ghana. Forest Policy and Economics, 177. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103532
Noviana, L., Situmorang, M. T. N., Cahyaputri, B., Farida, F., & Sukwika, T. (2025). Analysis of Pentahelix Tourism Village for Ecotourism Development in Batu City, East Java. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 20(3), 1273–1282. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.200332
Sipayung, B. P., Joka, U., Maulana, A. S., & Onuigbon, D. M. (2023). Fiscal Decentralization and Farmer Empowerment in Indonesia-Timor Leste Border: A Case Study of Village Fund. Caraka Tani: Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 38(2), 273–283. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.20961/carakatani.v38i2.67578
Sulistyaningsih, T., Jainuri, J., Salahudin, S., Jovita, H. D., & Nurmandi, A. (2022). Can Combined Marketing and Planning-oriented of Community-based Social Marketing (CBSM) Project Successfully Transform the Slum Area to Tourism Village? A Case Study of the Jodipan Colorful Urban Village, Malang, Indonesia. Journal of Nonprofit and Public Sector Marketing, 34(4), 421–450. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/10495142.2021.1874590
Wahyudi, W., Sukmana, O., & Avianto, B. N. (2025). Economic and social transformation: The impact of urbanization on the informal worker. International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management, 10(3), 499–512. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.22034/IJHCUM.2025.03.07
Yan, J., & Yang, J. (2021). Carbon pricing and income inequality:A case study of Guangdong Province, China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 296. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126491
Yang, X., Xiong, C., Han, W., & Yang, Y. (2024). Analysis of the impacts of carbon neutral policy portfolios on the economy, environment, and residents’ welfare based on computable general equilibrium models. Journal of Cleaner Production, 458. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142288
Yusuf, N. Y., Maskun, u., Hamid, A., Mukhlis, M. M., & Rahman, N. H. (2025). Community Rights Protection as a Pillar of Suistainable Mining in INdonesia: A Review of Government and CSR Roles From Environmental Law and Islamic Environmental Jurisprudence. Jurnal Ilmiah Mizani, 12(2), 41–55. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.29300/mzn.v12i2.8359