Method · Ethics · Limitations

How the study is conducted

This design prioritizes auditability, voluntary participation, and depth in a purposive sample—not national prevalence estimates.

Locked research question

What prevents women-led rural household businesses in one Bình Định community from converting recurring but variable income into emergency resilience and productive assets, and which small interventions could realistically improve that progression?

Target population

15–20 women aged 18+ who lead a household business, receive recurring but variable business income, and participate in household financial decisions.

Recruitment

Purposive, offline recruitment through one cooperative, Women’s Union group, or trusted household-business network in one commune. There is no public application form.

Interview format

Structured interviews last 40–60 minutes and cover income rhythm, a recent shock, saving and borrowing, a priority asset, and reactions to draft tools.

Consent and anonymization

Participants may decline any question. Quotations are anonymized unless attribution is explicitly permitted; research, recontact, and quotation consent are separate choices.

Data and storage

No identity numbers, bank details, passwords, balance screenshots, or exact addresses are collected. Contact information is separated from research records by a pseudonymous code.

Limitations

The small purposive sample in one location may contain referral bias and relies partly on self-reported behavior. Short follow-up cannot support causal inference or conclusions about long-term asset formation.

40–60 minutes

Household-business interview guide

Questions ask for recent episodes and actual choices, not only general opinions.

Household and livelihood

  1. What are the main income sources and which months are strongest or weakest?
  2. Who participates in household financial decisions?

Recent financial behavior

  1. What was the most recent unexpected expense and how was it handled?
  2. Which alternatives were considered or rejected?

Saving and borrowing

  1. Where is money kept between income and expenditure?
  2. What is hardest about formal borrowing: eligibility, paperwork, timing, repayment, trust, or cost?

Assets and tools

  1. Which asset could most improve income and why has it not been acquired?
  2. Who would be trusted to explain a cash-flow or debt-comparison tool?
“What have I failed to ask that matters more than my questions?”

Research-integrity rules

  • Never convert old conversations into structured interviews.
  • Separate outputs, engagement, community activity, and outcomes.
  • No individualized investment, loan, tax, or legal advice.
  • No photographs presented as evidence without permission.

Independence and roles

The project is independently initiated by Thu Ho and does not represent Grab, Fulbright University Vietnam, or Sa. Partners. Every artifact discloses authorship, roles, and whether confidential professional evidence was omitted.