Abstract
Purpose: The paper explores individuals' economic empowerment and political empowerment association and the moderation role of entrepreneurship development programs on this relationship in the context of a post-revolution Tunisia, which is a newer developing democracy. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses a quantitative approach based on econometric modelling. A questionnaire was designed and administrated to a stratified random sample of 343 participants in the Entrepreneurship for the Participation and Inclusion of Vulnerable Youth in Tunisia program, funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund and implemented in rural northwestern Tunisia between 2017 and 2021. A coarsened exact matching method is also applied for robustness analysis.Findings: The analysis shows that when individuals have enhanced economic decision-making agency and are involved in economic networks, they are more likely to demonstrate higher political empowerment. It also shows that expanding rural individuals’ economic opportunities by providing entrepreneurial resources, such as entrepreneurial training and microcredit, strengthens individuals’ economic empowerment and political empowerment association. Originality: The research attempts to contribute to the ongoing debates linking entrepreneurship, economic empowerment, and political/citizen empowerment. It focuses on a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) country, Tunisia, characterized by socioeconomic issues and low civic participation. Practical implications: The study provides practical implications for policymakers in newer developing democracies. Citizens’ political empowerment and inclusion in rural area could be promoted by developing entrepreneurship development programs, which could help reinforce the citizens-state relationship and establish more stable social contracts. The research also provides practical implications for the international development community, donor agencies and program designers through duplicating similar programs in other countries with weak central government structures (i.e., post-conflict environments, post-revolution).