MSW Livelihoods and Social Entrepreneurship at TISS Mumbai Offline Course

The M.A Social Work in Livelihoods and Social Entrepreneurship programme aims at strengthening theoretical understanding of the complexities and dynamics of poor people’s life worlds and livelihoods, and to innovate practices and institutions in enabling the poor and marginalised sections of the population to access improved livelihood opportunities and resources. Apart from critically examining present-day livelihood approaches, the programme strives towards innovating and incubating alternative models of livelihood promotion, ensuring resource access and resource justice for the poor and marginalised, social equity, empowerment and social value creation. A key strategy for the same is to equip students to work with vulnerable groups and marginalised communities to develop and strengthen their livelihoods through meaningful social enterprises, collectives, etc. The vision and mission of the Centre for Livelihoods and Social Innovation which offers this M.A programme is grounded in the understanding that livelihood promotion, social innovation and social entrepreneurship development takes place in the institutional context of co-production. This implies that social workers not only interface with volunteers, individuals and community groups, but also with policy makers, civil servants and corporates.

The programme aims to impart adequate knowledge, develop competent skills and provide students an exposure to appropriate attitudinal perspectives so as to prepare them to occupy positions in government programmes like the National Rural Livelihood Missions, NGOs, social enterprises, co-operatives, funding agencies, etc.