Determining applicability of feminist theories by examining the mediation and moderation effects on economic performance in Lao micro, small, and medium size enterprises
This study aimed to establish the applicability of social feminist theory and liberal feminist theory to micro, small, and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) by examining the results of the mediation effects and moderation effects of the gender of entrepreneurs. Data was collected in 2005, 2007, and 2009 by the Enterprises Baseline Survey (EBS) from the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). The findings showed that social feminist theory is more applicable than liberal feminist theory. This paper suggests implications for both practitioners and policymakers for improvements and ways to utilize some firm resources and networks and reduce the gender gap.