Research Projects

India's handicraft sector, employing over seven million people, significantly contributes to its economy besides preserving its cultural heritage (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2025). Despite being a significant sector, a substantial number of handicraft artisans remain underrepresented and vulnerable, facing marginalization due to limited market access and inadequate digital literacy. According to Ministry of Textiles (2021), among the Indian artisans, over 65% are based in rural and semi-urban areas and they experience less than 10% digital market penetration, leaving many artisans significantly underrepresented in the digital economy. The digital market inclusion interventions for handicraft artisans in J&K is particularly critical given the region's unique socio-economic dynamics, characterized by decades of instability and poor market access. Studying this region is essential, as J&K’s handicraft sector not only carries significant economic potential but also symbolizes cultural identity and social cohesion, making J&K an ideal context to investigate the transformative impact of digital market access for artisans and to inform relevant policy frameworks.H1: Artisans who received digital literacy training will show greater consistency in digital platform adoption, usage and retention in online marketplaces compared to those without training. H2: Artisans who received digital literacy training will show greater perceived usefulness of digital market integration compared to those without training. H3: Artisans who received digital literacy training will show greater perceived ease of use of digital market platforms compared to those without training. H4: Perceived usefulness and ease of use of digital market integration will mediate the relationship between digital literacy training and digital market integration. H5: Artisans who undergo digital market integration will show significantly improved economic wellbeing, compared to those without digital market integration. H6: Artisans who undergo digital market integration will show significantly improved social wellbeing, compared to those without digital market integration. H7: Digital market platforms moderates the relationship between digital market integration and artisans’ economic wellbeing. H8: Digital market platforms moderates the relationship between digital market integration and artisans’ social wellbeing. For this research work, a longitudinal panel design with a mixed-methods approach is proposed to be conducted. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected at three points: baseline, mid-term, and end-point. This design will help track changes in economic and social wellbeing over time and assess the effectiveness of digital market interventions among underrepresented handicraft artisans in J&K.