Institute of Small Enterprises and Development

21/08/2026

Securing India’s Golden Fibre: How We De-Risk the Coir Export Market

The global demand for natural, sustainable products is skyrocketing; but for the MSMEs driving India’s coir industry, international trade is a high-stakes balancing act. In Tamil Nadu alone, the powerhouse producing nearly 60% of India's coir, clusters like Pollachi, Tirupur, and Erode are facing a rapidly shifting global landscape. Enterprise Security framework is an innovative business-risk assessment model designed to protect SMEs from operational, economic, and institutional vulnerabilities....

The global demand for natural, sustainable products is skyrocketing; but for the MSMEs driving India’s coir industry, international trade is a high-stakes balancing act. In Tamil Nadu alone, the po…

20/08/2026

“Asymmetric lagging vulnerability of SMEs”: The Fifth wheel becomes the steering wheel?

The concept of "asymmetric lagging vulnerability" highlights that micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) do not just suffer from the initial shock of an economic crisis; instead, the most devastating impacts emerge through a delayed, secondary stage as costs rise, demand weakens, and employment pressures compound over time. During the ISED Global SME Day 2026 conference held in Cochin, India, the Institute of Small Enterprises and Development (ISED)addressed this systemic threat by advocating for a paradigm shift from simple enterprise promotion to structured…...

The concept of “asymmetric lagging vulnerability” highlights that micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) do not just suffer from the initial shock of an economic crisis; instead, …

19/08/2026

Kerala’s BPO-Centric IT Boom: ISED’s “Enterprise Security Framework” finds the Potholes

The pioneering “Enterprise Security Framework”, conceptualized by the Institute of Small Enterprises and Development (ISED)in Kochi, evaluates businesses beyond financial metrics to assess vulnerability against institutional, political, and socio-environmental risks. Framework Placement of Kerala's BPO/ITeS Model Under the ISED Framework, Kerala’s BPO and ITeS model is classified under the High Structural Vulnerability Zone. It lacks structural resilience due to deep dependencies on external technology pipelines and global corporate mandates, leaving local offices exposed to immediate automation shocks....

The pioneering “Enterprise Security Framework”, conceptualized by the Institute of Small Enterprises and Development (ISED)in Kochi, evaluates businesses beyond financial metrics to assess vulnerab…

18/08/2026

The Rentier Trap: Why Kerala’s IT and MSME Crisis Must Force a Shift to Value Creation

For decades, Kerala has enjoyed an enviable "halo" of high social development indices, exceptional literacy, and a robust consumer market. Yet, this veneer of prosperity masks a structural disease: the evolution of our society from value creators into pure money earners. The State has built a textbook ‘rentier economy’, sustained not by internal productivity, but by purchasing goods and services created by "somebody else," financed through external capital....

For decades, Kerala has enjoyed an enviable “halo” of high social development indices, exceptional literacy, and a robust consumer market. Yet, this veneer of prosperity masks a structu…

17/08/2026

The Economist and His Driver: A Lesson in Cognitive Absorption

To understand how true cognitive behaviour skills develop, we must look at an extraordinary dynamic from Kerala’s intellectual history. The late Dr. K. Mathew Kurien was a towering public speaker, an eminent economist, and was the Economic Adviser to the Chief Minister of Kerala. He regularly travelled across the state, commanding platforms to speak on complex geopolitical issues, including "US imperialism and its strategies in the Vietnam War," with a specific focus on the technicalities of the "genetic control of mosquitoes....

16/08/2026

A Digital Blueprint for MSMEs: Policy Framework for Governments

To prevent artificial intelligence from becoming an instrument of global economic enclosure, governments must shift their focus from high-tech mega-parks to grassroots technological readiness. The transition requires a structured, multi-layered regulatory and funding framework that treats AI infrastructure as a fundamental public utility. To make this transition actionable, global policy must align with established, proven standards. The ISED Enterprise Security and Resilience Framework…...

To prevent artificial intelligence from becoming an instrument of global economic enclosure, governments must shift their focus from high-tech mega-parks to grassroots technological readiness. The …

15/08/2026

Harnessing AI for the New SME Economics

The transition of MSMEs from the economic "fifth wheel" to the primary steering wheel demands an immediate integration of artificial intelligence. For grassroots enterprises, AI is not a luxury technology. It is a vital democratization tool that levels the playing field against hyper-centralized global conglomerates. However, technology adoption cannot happen in a vacuum. It requires a structured, secure blueprint to shield small businesses from digital disruption....

The transition of MSMEs from the economic “fifth wheel” to the primary steering wheel demands an immediate integration of artificial intelligence. For grassroots enterprises, AI is not …

14/08/2026

Re-imagining SME Economics: A New Agenda for Davos 2027

As global leaders and economists assemble at the World Economic Forum in Davos this January, the overarching question dominating the hallways is clear: What are the takeaways from the intense geopolitical shocks of 2026, and what are the lessons for our collective economic future? For decades, the global elite treated small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as a localized afterthought. Since the publication of my early books in 1997, 2000, and 2003, I have frequently been labelled an "SME fundamentalist." I wear that tag proudly....

As global leaders and economists assemble at the World Economic Forum in Davos this January, the overarching question dominating the hallways is clear: What are the takeaways from the intense geopo…

21/07/2026

Beyond Amartya Sen: How Kerala’s Economic Ideology Left Families in a Debt Trap

The “Kerala Model of Development” is celebrated worldwide for its high literacy, health metrics, and female education. But behind the statistics lies a hidden sociological crisis: the erosion of sustainable family structures. The traditional family system has morphed into an isolated, fragmented "Mom and Me" dynamic. It has taken the institution of family into an extremely difficult ratchet. Family structures in the Global South are critical, foundational engines for driving sustainable development....

The “Kerala Model of Development” is celebrated worldwide for its high literacy, health metrics, and female education. But behind the statistics lies a hidden sociological crisis: the erosion of su…