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Purpose: Micro-finance has a significant role in the better performance of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). This study aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the existing literature on the role of micro-finance and its approaches in MSMEs. Design/methodology/approach: This work performs a bibliometric analysis using a data set of 631 articles collected from the Scopus database. The Bibliometrix R package and Vosviewer are used to conduct performance analysis and scientific mapping. Performance analysis shows the publication trend, key authors, journals and top influential articles. Science mapping through a bibliographic coupling network of documents is prepared to discover the intellectual structure of the field. Findings: This review has identified the four major themes: access to finance and schemes, women empowerment and poverty alleviation, the performance of micro-finance institutions and recent development in micro-financial institutions. With the help of these research themes, the paper also highlights future research agendas. Originality/value: This paper enriches the understanding of the role of micro-finance services in performance of entrepreneurship with the bibliometric review of top contributors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household welfare can be improved through microfinancial institutions' support by providing microcredit programs. The shock of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the impact on household welfare to decrease by 2.6% in 2020 in Bengkulu. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the People's Business Credit (KUR) program on the welfare of business households in Bengkulu Province through the National Socio-Economic Survey of the Central Bureau of Statistics (SUSENAS) for the 2022 wave using the propensity score matching (PSM) method. The study results show that microcredit influences household welfare in Bengkulu. Households receiving KUR had higher expenditures of 8.89% than groups not receiving the KUR program. In addition, age, number of households, education, savings account, marital status, and agricultural business influence KUR program recipient participation. The KUR program is expected to improve the quality of MSMEs and provide recommendations for enhancing KUR program services to related financial institutions.

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The concept of qard hasan is an instrument in Islamic economics that emphasizes welfare aspects in its implementation. The concept of qard hasan has been developed into a zakat instrument and has been practiced by several modern Muslim countries, including the country with the largest number of Muslims, Indonesia. This study aimed to explore the implementation mechanism of micro credit-qarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund by the National Amil Zakat Agency (BAZNAS) of Indonesia. This study used a qualitative approach involving a literature review of related books and journals. The materials obtained were analyzed using the document analysis method. The results of the study show BAZNAZ has a comprehensive mechanism in the implementation of micro credit-qarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund, which includes the receipt of application letters, evaluation of eligibility, sectors worked by asnaf entrepreneurs, application debate, grant of funds, and also monitoring. Thus, it was found that this initiative not only helps asnaf entrepreneurs get capital to start and continue the business, but it is also able to save asnaf entrepreneurs from getting involved in usurious loans, improving the economy of small and medium entrepreneurs. The study found that BAZNAZ also faced several risks to the loans, including applicants falsifying documents, borrowers not paying debt, and business being closed. This study also found that the micro creditqarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund is Sharia compliant and certified by many modern scholars such as al-Qaradawi. The concept of qard hasan is an instrument in Islamic economics that emphasizes welfare aspects in its implementation. The concept of qard hasan has been developed into a zakat instrument and has been practiced by several modern Muslim countries, including the country with the largest number of Muslims, Indonesia. This study aimed to explore the implementation mechanism of micro credit-qarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund by the National Amil Zakat Agency (BAZNAS) of Indonesia. This study used a qualitative approach involving a literature review of related books and journals. The materials obtained were analyzed using the document analysis method. The results of the study show BAZNAZ has a comprehensive mechanism in the implementation of micro credit-qarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund, which includes the receipt of application letters, evaluation of eligibility, sectors worked by asnaf entrepreneurs, application debate, grant of funds, and also monitoring. Thus, it was found that this initiative not only helps asnaf entrepreneurs get capital to start and continue the business, but it is also able to save asnaf entrepreneurs from getting involved in usurious loans, improving the economy of small and medium entrepreneurs. The study found that BAZNAZ also faced several risks to the loans, including applicants falsifying documents, borrowers not paying debt, and business being closed. This study also found that the micro creditqarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund is Sharia compliant and certified by many modern scholars such as al-Qaradawi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facilitating entrepreneurship through micro-credit, micro-franchise, and micro-consignment potentially helps to alleviate desperate poverty. However, the effectiveness of these facilitators have varied from positive outcomes of poverty alleviation to negative outcomes of increased debt. Therefore, we seek to understand: how and why are different facilitators of entrepreneurial activity at the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) relatively more effective at alleviating poverty? Building on the foundation of person-entrepreneurship fit, we introduce the construct of person-facilitator fit and develop propositions about how and why the fit between entrepreneurs and the different facilitators of entrepreneurship may influence poverty alleviation. Specifically, using a remediation perspective, we explicate how the demands-abilities and needs-supplies fit between an entrepreneur and the different facilitators of micro-credit, micro-franchise and micro-consignment moderates the likelihood of poverty alleviation and how person-facilitator fit moderates the magnitude of poverty alleviation over time. We offer theoretical and practical implications of our framework for different perspectives (remediation, reform, and revolution) on entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Microfinance is critical for the development of micro-enterprises and alleviating poverty. However, micro-enterprises are able to get microfinance services, they would face a variety of obstacles, due to the misunderstandings among many stakeholders, microfinance has not acquired widespread acceptance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate microfinance's impact on the sustainable development of Malaysia’s rural micro-enterprises. Besides, digital finance is integrated into the conceptual model to further investigate their mediating impact. Data was collected from 563 rural micro-enterprises using structured questionnaires, which were then statistically analyzed using AMOS-21. The findings of the study reveal that microfinance has a positive substantial influence on rural micro-enterprises development. Moreover, digital finance partially mediates the relationship. Thus, the study concludes that microfinance institutions are needed to adopt digital finance to enhance micro enterprises’ productivity through low transaction costs. The findings of the study can be useful to policymakers in the micro-enterprise sector who have a long-term vision and expect the sector to develop steadily. The study also provides scope and space for future academics and scholars to conduct further research.

The provision of formal micro-credit for refugees has been promoted as a dignified way to improve their ability to generate income through small-scale enterprises and reduce poverty. As humanitarian funding declines in protracted displacement situations, such approaches are sought to transform refugees into self-reliant, resilient, entrepreneurial agents who are no longer dependent on aid and can overcome a crisis with their own resources and financial confidence. The paper in hand questions this claim on the basis of new, comprehensive empirical insights on the financial lives of refugees in non-camp settings in Jordan. By applying the perspective of the credit users, not the suppliers, our evidence shows that the pervasive use of debt (mostly informal) does not signify latent demand for formal micro-credit. In a context where refugees face restrictions on right to work, move, set up businesses, and imagine a future in the host country, formal credit cannot improve self-reliance. The paper sheds light on a larger variety of sources of debt that are crucial for refugees to manage their lives. In conclusion, the paper argues that the rhetoric around micro-credit as a path to refugee self-reliance has to be re-visited as problematic, even damaging, and humanitarian actors should push this agenda with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring food security for the population is important for the quality of human capital to promote economic growth. Moreover, micro-credit can affect food security of the population, and the effect depends on the context; that is to say, being specific to countries and even regions within the same country. This paper investigates the role of micro-credit in attaining food security in Benin. The study makes use of the survey data from the 2017 Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) of Benin. Two indicators, namely food consumption categories (poor, limit and acceptable) and food security classes (severe food insecurity, moderate food insecurity, limit food security and food security) are used to capture household food security. Owing to the ordered nature of the different categories of these two indicators, and the fact that access to micro-credit is not random and may be subject to selection bias (unobservable factors may affect financial inclusion), the paper relies on an extended ordered probit regression. In addition, the same type of model is used to investigate the effect of food purchase financing by micro-credit on food security. The findings show the endogenous nature of access to micro-credit, suggesting that the unobservable factors that increase the probability of having access to micro-credit reduce food consumption and increase food security. Moreover, the findings indicate that access to micro-credit has a positive effect on the food consumption categories, but the effect is negative on food security classes. For instance, access to micro-credit increases the likelihood of the household to have an acceptable food consumption and decreases that to have a limited food consumption and also that of a poor food consumption. In addition, using micro-credit for food purchases has a positive effect on food consumption categories and has no significant effect on food security. These findings suggest that policy-makers could intensify policies to improve access to micro-credit. In addition, ways in which households can stop diverting or reorienting micro-credit, as this sometimes negatively affects their food consumption category (poor) and their food security class (severity) could be examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through qualitative research conducted in the bazaars of Bishkek, this paper examines the posited tripartite relationship between the free market, micro-finance and women's empowerment by focusing on how loans from micro-finance institutions in Bishkek influence the lives of female loanees. The neo-liberal conception of 'individual autonomy' and 'empowerment', it is argued, may not adequately serve as indicators of actual female empowerment/disempowerment in Bishkek and lead us to fail to recognize moments of self-exploitation and forms of claim-making. The research also underlines the disempowering effects of the affectional burden, that is, the constant sense of anxiety, that the loanees have to manage in order to survive in the neo-liberal business environment, which offers high interest rate loans and exposes the loanees to over-indebtedness. These effects can be followed through the analysis of the role the desire for stability and 'ontological security' plays in the formation of the identities/world views of the loanees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empowerment has been treated as one of the influential poverty alleviation strategies of the day. Various microfinance institutions have emerged with the objective to enhance empowerment, especially for women through different assistance programs. This study attempts to explore the impact of microfinance institutions towards the economic, social, and psychological empowerment of women borrowers using primary data collected through a structured questionnaire from the backward districts of West Bengal, India. In addition, the study also tries to identify the important determinants of empowerment among such borrowers. Applying t-test, logistic, and ordered logistic regression it has been observed that Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have a significant role towards betterment in the standard of living and empowerment of such women borrowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the impact of micro-credit facilities on poultry production in Yewa Division, Ogun State, Nigeria. The study described the socio-economic characteristics of poultry farmers, identified the various micro-credit available to the farmers, analyzed the profitability level of the poultry business and the factors affecting amount of credit obtained. One hundred and twenty (120) respondents were randomly selected for the study. The methods of data analysis included descriptive statistics such as tables, mean and percentages. Budgeting technique, which yielded net farm income and regression models were used. The result from the study revealed that 50.8% of the poultry farmers were female who in terms of age, 95.8% of the respondents were aged 60 years and below while the study also revealed that 55.0% of the farmers were married as expected. The study also revealed 90.0% of the poultry farmers possessed some form of formal education, which is predominantly at the secondary and/or tertiary level. The result on profitability shows that poultry production in the study area is viable and profitable with an average net farm income of N63,519.57 and benefit cost ratio of 1.22% while return on investment was also 0.22% which implies that for every N10 invested in poultry farming there is an expected return on N22 to earn from the business. The determinants of credit obtained are age, family size, sex and interest on loan. For high production and profitability, it is recommended that effective agricultural policies and programmes should focus on how to improve farmers’ access to credit and low interest rates on loans obtained so as to increase net farm income of the poultry farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose- The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of micro credits received from Imam Khomeini Relief Committee on the empowerment of the female heads of rural household in the central part of Zanjan City. Design/methodology/approach- This is a descriptive-analytical study based on observation, interview and questionnaire. The statistical population of the present study consisted of female heads of rural households covered by Imam Khomeini Relief Committee in 38 villages of central Zanjan County. To achieve the objectives of the study, all female headed households in 38 villages of central Zanjan (n = 110) were selected using whole population count method. The data collection was conducted using library analysis and field surveys, and the main research instruments were interview and questionnaire. The questionnaire mainly consists of closed-ended questions and answers are rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Finding- Micro-credit had the greatest impact on social empowerment of female-headed households and there was a positive relationship between the allocated credit and economic empowerment of female-headed households although the coefficient indicated a weak correlation between the two variables. In addition, these micro-credits contribute to the economic empowerment of female heads of rural households by improving the employment opportunities and income. Practical implications- In light of the financial weakness of rural women, it is suggested that educational classes be organized to improve rural women's empowerment and their access to credit and financial resources through the establishment of cooperatives. Originality/value- The present study explored the capabilities of rural women in different dimensions influenced by micro-credits. The results of this study can help rural development planners and policymakers enhance women empowerment in rural communities.

Research objective: Identify problems and substantiate ways to develop the non-bank microcredit market in Ukraine. The set of methods of scientific knowledge, including methods of scientific abstraction and logical-dialectical (in the study of the content of microcredit) are applied in the work; statistical and graphical analysis - for analysis, comparison and visualization of statistics (in the process of researching current trends of the national micro-credit market) and empirical research methods. The essential characteristics of microcredit have been clarified and its role in consumer lending has been defined. The main factors that negatively influence the creation of an effective and high-quality non-bank micro-credit market in Ukraine are highlighted, and state levers are proposed to increase the attractiveness, transparency and reduce the risks of the non-bank micro-credit market. In turn, this will have a positive effect on the country's economic development, social well-being and private financial stability of the population. The paper on "The current state and trends of non-bank microcredit in Ukraine" substantiates the main directions of regulation of non-bank microcredit in consumer lending to economic entities in conditions of socio-economic instability. This will create favorable regulatory and institutional support for the non-bank microcredit market.

Evidence suggests that smallholders are fast becoming one of the largest micro-credit recipient groups in Bangladesh. However, the literature on the effects of micro-credit use among smallholders is surprisingly deficient. This article seeks to rectify this gap by highlighting the ramifications of micro-credit's foray into the subsistence agriculture sector. It analyses the ostensibly disparate processes of mounting smallholder indebtedness and the phenomenal rise of micro-finance institutions in Bangladesh in light of the country's broader context of agricultural commoditisation, input subsidy reduction and a systematic lessening of the subsidised agricultural credit system. The article uses the concept of "accumulation by dispossession/encroachment" to argue that persistent borrowing from micro-finance institutions (MFIs) exposes smallholders to the risks and volatilities of the market. Using qualitative insights from a case study of three villages, it demonstrates how the capital accumulation model of Bangladeshi MFIs marginalises smallholders and ensnares them in a perpetual cycle of debts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Drèze and Sen are not entirely right in their apparent glorification of the roles of nongovernmental organizations in Bangladesh in An Uncertain Glory: India and Its Contradictions because they leave out and/or de-emphasize some important issues, especially those that are related to the problematic trusting relationship between nongovernmental organizations in Bangladesh and rural poor women. Nongovernmental organizations' use of trust disturbs social solidarity in rural Bangladesh mainly because of their massive supervision mechanism that they undertake to sustain the so-called trusting relationship between them and their debtors. The massive supervision mechanism damages social solidarity also because it creates a tension between local norms and nongovernmental organizations' neoliberalist values of "discipline, efficiency and competitiveness," which nongovernmental organizations try to inject into villagers by their numerous social engineering programs, which are state's responsibility. Nongovernmental organization monitoring has some psychological impacts on their clients that also contribute to shaking social solidarity. The absence of a proper trusting relationship between nongovernmental organizations and rural poor women reduces the capabilities of the latter as a result of which Drèze and Sen's glorification of Bangladeshi nongovernmental organizations and Sen's capabilities approach are in tension. However, there are strategies that Bangladeshi nongovernmental organizations should employ to address the issues raised due to their massive supervision mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Crop Maximization Project (CMP) was initiated with the help of Government of Pakistan which aimed at uplifting the socioeconomic conditions of the small farmers through various agricultural interventions. One of the important and essential interventions of CMP was micro-credit facilities to small farmers. The current research study focused on the core objective of the CMP aimed at finding out the effect of micro-credit intervention on small farmers and how their socioeconomic status improved during the span of the project. The project was introduced to the two Union Councils (UCs), the Rajjar-II and Sarki Tetara, of District Charsadda. These two UCs were purposively selected to collect 150 samples for the study. A wellstructured interview schedule was developed to collect data which was pre-tested before starting the actual process of data collection. The total sample size of the study area was 150, randomly selected for interviews. After the data analysis, it was found that the majority of the respondents (83.3%) who were small farmers acquired and utilized micro-credit in establishing income generating entrepreneurs, purchased quality seeds, fertilizers and small scale modern technology. These innovations brought substantial enhancement in their farm productivity and income that ultimately improved those farmers' socioeconomic position. However, 16.7% of the respondents' remains deprived of acquiring the micro-credit facilities of the project where no change in their livelihood conditions was observed. Overall, this study has significant association between the socioeconomic development of small farmers and micro-credit intervention of CMP. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that micro-credit facilities should be provided to all farmers under any prospective agriculture projects to achieve optimum results in farmers' farm productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In micro-lending markets, lack of recorded credit history is a significant impediment to assessing individual borrowers’ creditworthiness and therefore deciding fair interest rates. This research compares various machine learning algorithms on real micro-lending data to test their efficacy at classifying borrowers into various credit categories. We demonstrate that off-the-shelf multi-class classifiers such as random forest algorithms can perform this task very well, using readily available data about customers (such as age, occupation, and location). This presents inexpensive and reliable means to micro-lending institutions around the developing world with which to assess creditworthiness in the absence of credit history or central credit databases.

Copyright of Review of African Political Economy is the property of Review of Political Economy (ROAPE) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study addresses some limitations in the understanding of the relationship between micro-credit facilities and women's empowerment, particularly when seen in terms of micro-credit's capacity to reduce the vulnerabilities of resource-poor households and to encourage women's engagement in providing for themselves with basic needs. Although such empowerment, seen through its material implications, may be limited in confronting macro-structural processes within which exclusion and exploitation are firmly rooted, many studies put less emphasis on how it may stimulate women's self-appreciation and agency. Using a qualitative analysis of Village Community Banks (VICOBA) in Tanzania, this article shows how women experience ownership of the processes related to VICOBA as a resource for agency, and how, through such ownership, they claim empowerment as individuals; and interpret their actions within VICOBA as expressive of their subjective well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-credit programs have an enormous influence on the lives of millions of poor people from the rural areas of Bangladesh. This paper explores the significant contributions made by micro-credit concerning poverty reduction by increasing the income generating activities, empowerment of the rural poor so that they can properly get access to development services. This study is based on a household questionnaire survey, involving 533 respondents, and geographical information system (GIS) analysis to identify the concentration of NGOs, offering micro-credit in rural programs and find potential areas in need of such programs. A total of 30 NGOs with its 175 sub-branches were found in the study area. The NGOs have been considered the savior to the countless number of people who suffers from food, cloth, education and basic health facilities. Among others, the most prominent micro-credit institutions found were BRAC, Grameen Bank, RDRS Bangladesh and ASA. These institutions are working massively on poverty reduction, empowerment, and improvement of living standards for the poor people of the rural area. It indicates that NGOs have recognized to be very successful as a delivery system regarding relief and micro-credit inputs to the rural poor. However, in terms of poverty reduction, some individual achievements may have been made, but net welfare achievements at the union level remain nonexistent. The study suggests that NGOs should also focus on remote areas where such programs are severely needed to reduce poverty alleviation while working on improving their loan management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted to find out the effects of Khushhali Bank loans on economic conditions of families in rural Lahore. Data was collected from the four rural Union Councils of Lahore. Stratified random sampling technique was adopted and 202 respondents of three types of loan (agriculture, livestock & enterprise) including both female and male (50 % each) in the age group of 18- 58 years were selected. Quantitative data was collected through interviewing schedule. Descriptive as well as statistical analysis (averages and correlation) was applied. The results indicated improvement in the monthly income of the borrowers. As in rank coefficient of correlation positive relationship was found in income (0.35) before and after loan. Repayment rate is high (93 %) in the area. The results show that the loan was a source of support for the families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skills development remains on the international development agenda but fails to get adequate attention. Based on prolonged fieldwork with a particularly marginalised community of children and young adults in the northern Nigerian state of Kano, this article shows how in contexts of extreme poverty the demand for skills training can supersede that for basic education. Further, by drawing on results of a six-month-long skill-training intervention, the article documents the scope for increased experimentation in the delivery of low-cost community-based skill-training programmes and identifies factors that influence programme completion. It also demonstrates that participation in skill-training programmes can dramatically increase entrepreneurial aspirations among marginalised youth, but that without access to credit most fail to pursue their aspirations. Below certain poverty thresholds, the dire resource constraints make change in aspirations an unreliable predictor of possible improvement in future outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcredit has been seen as a way of helping low-income people, primarily women, to survive, by giving them independence and the resources to create their own businesses. Low-income people have the support of social networks that allow their members to assist each other morally, economically and by sharing information. They also share experiences that make it easier to obtain the income needed for survival. Through their social networks and social capital the poor can use the tools provided by microcredits to improve their living conditions. This document compares the ways in which women in three countries associate, and use microcredits. The countries involved are India, Bangladesh and the South of Mexico.

This study intends to examine the effect of economic vulnerability on participation in development initiatives, household income, micro-enterprise income and net worth of microenterprise asset among low-income households in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. Adopting a cross-sectional design, this study collected data from randomly selected 450 micro-entrepreneurs who were being served by three major development organizations in Kelantan, Malaysia. The findings revealed that the level of economic vulnerability among the respondents had a significantly negative effect on the participation of development initiatives, household income, micro-enterprise income and the net worth of microenterprise asset among the low-income Kelantanese households. This study provided insights for a comprehensive policy formulation for rural development as it identified program participation issues and gaps faced by the targeted cohort, which if effectively addressed can lead to an increase in participation in development programs, together with household and micro-enterprise income and assets, among the low-income economically vulnerable households in Kelantan, Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to examine the question--'Does income earned by members of women's self-help groups (SHGs) through micro-credit programs empower them?' The nature of the topic dictates the use of cross-sectional survey technique and comparative analysis to determine the levels of women empowerment before and after joining SHGs. A five-point Likert-type scale was developed, for which Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was observed to be 0.824. The survey instrument contained four sections, namely, income and expenditure; savings and borrowing amounts; financial freedom; and, capacity building and awareness levels. A sample group consisting of 114 participants of SHGs responded to the survey instrument. The t-test results for mean values before and after joining SHGs showed a significant change in levels of women empowerment in all the four areas. The prime reason for this empowerment was joining SHGs and using micro-credit programmes. It becomes apparent from this research that joining SHGs, and consequently, getting access to financial services increased the ability of poor women to control their savings and generate income from their occupation. They also experienced a greater decision-making role in their families and in local society, enhanced levels of self-confidence, self-efficacy and self-esteem, and heightened freedom of mobility to increase business and social activities outside home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Khushali Bank Limited (KBL) is one of the micro-credit organizations in Pakistan which are extending micro-credit services to small farmers with the aim to increase agricultural productivity and income of farmers. This study was conducted with the aim to assess the effects of micro-credit programme of KBL on agricultural productivity in district Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. The study was conducted in three purposively selected villages namely; Nasir Kaly, Shankar and Kodeenaka. From the field surveys, it was found that majority of the respondents were smallholders or tenants. After procuring and properly utilizing credit, the yield of the major crops such as wheat, maize, and sugarcane and the resultant income of the respondents exhibited significant increase, as confirmed by higher t-values. The study concludes that the socio-economic conditions of the farmers can be improved if credit programme is extended which could benefit all farmers in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aim is to identify the impact of start-up capital on the development of women's enterprises as well as to study the effect of using the start-up capital on the family welfare and standard of living and discuss the problems and constraints that face women enterprises. The researcher used qualitative questionnaire to collect data on a purposive sample of 100 women who benefit from the start-up capital. The majorities of women entrepreneurs are illiterate or have basic education. Women entrepreneurs contribute to the sustainable livelihood of their families and communities. Microfinance helps empower women from poor households to make this contribution. Access to start-up capital increases the income of women entrepreneurs. Women have been shown to spend more of their income on their households, therefore, when women are helped to increase their incomes, the welfare of whole family is improved. Women's increased income benefits their children, particularly in education, diet, health care, and clothing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the promotion of data sharing has come with the recognition that not all scientists around the world are equally placed to partake in such activities. Notably, those within developing countries are sometimes regarded as experiencing hardware infrastructure challenges and data management skill shortages. Proposed remedies often focus on the provision of information and communication technology as well as enhanced data management training. Building on prior empirical social research undertaken in sub-Sahara Africa, this article provides a complementary but alternative proposal; namely, fostering data openness by enabling research. Towards this end, the underlying rationale is outlined for a ‘bottom-up’ system of research support that addresses the day-to-day demands in low-resourced environments. This approach draws on lessons from development financial assistance programs in recent decades. In doing so, this article provides an initial framework for science funding that call for holding together concerns for ensuring research can be undertaken in low-resourced laboratory environments with concerns about the data generated in such settings can be shared.

Microfinance has been treated as an important tool for economic development. Microfinance lenders offer small loans to aspiring as well as current business owners. These loans assist people in getting access to traditional financing and offer jobs to local communities. The size of microfinance loan may vary from lender to lender. But it plays vital role in economic development through job creation, financial stability and global poverty. Microfinance encompasses the provision of financial services and the management of small amounts of money through a range of products and a system of intermediary functions that are targeted at low income clients. In this paper the authors tries to highlight MFIs and their impact on capacity building of SHGs.

Community wildlife management programs in African protected areas aim to deliver livelihood and social benefits to local communities in order to bolster support for their conservation objectives. Most of these benefits are delivered at the community level. However, many local people are also seeking more individual or household-level livelihood benefits from community wildlife management programs because it is at this level that many of the costs of protected area conservation are borne. Because community wildlife management delivers few benefits at this level, support for their conservation objectives amongst local people often declines. The study investigated the implications of this for reducing poaching in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Three community wildlife management initiatives undertaken by Park management were compared with regard to their capacity to deliver the individual and household-level benefits sought by local people: community conservation services, wildlife management areas and community conservation banks. Interviews were carried out with poachers and local people from four villages in the Western Serengeti including members of village conservation banks, as well as a number of key informants. The results suggest that community conservation banks could, as a complementary strategy to existing community wildlife management programs, potentially provide a more effective means of reducing poaching in African protected areas than community wildlife management programs alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Psychoanalysis & Education is the property of International Journal of Psychoanalysis & Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In India, the focus of the financial inclusion at present is confined to ensuring a bare minimum access to a savings bank account without frills to all. Internationally, financial inclusion has been viewed in a much wider perspective. The recent financial crisis has shown that financial innovation can have devastating systemic impact. International standard setters’ and national regulators’ response has been a global concerted effort to overhaul and tighten financial regulations. The need was felt for more innovative, cost effective and easily accessible delivery channel which would take financial services to the nooks and corners of India. The paper attempts to analyze contribution of Indian banking sector as a whole under the supervision and guidelines of RBI in implementing the financial inclusion through ‘No frill accounts’, etc. The objectives of the paper are to study financial inclusion in banking sector, reasons for low inclusion and role of technology in banking services and to assess the performance of the banks.

Towards improving the socio-economic condition of low-income households, development organizations offer a repertoire of initiatives. This study focused on the impacts of access to working capital and enterprise development training programs, on the performance and sustainability of micro-enterprises owned and managed by low-income households, in the state of Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia. The data of 450 micro-entrepreneurs, was randomly selected from the participants’ list of three development organizations servicing Kelantan: Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM); National Entrepreneurs Economic Group Fund (TEKUN); and Malaysia Fisheries Development Board (LKIM). This study revealed several participation indicators (i.e., years of participation, total number of trainings, total number of training hours received, and number of center meetings or discussions attended, etc.), which have a positive effect on micro-enterprise performance and sustainability. However, the findings were inconclusive as one of the key participation indicators, ‘total amount of economic loans received’, showed a negative (not statistically significant) effect on micro-enterprise performance and sustainability. This study expanded the limited literature on micro-enterprise performance and sustainability, and the role of working capital and enterprise development training programs; thus providing a clearer understanding of the effectiveness of current development initiatives.

This study intends to examine the effect of economic vulnerability on participation in development initiatives, household income, micro-enterprise income and net worth of micro-enterprise asset among low-income households in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. Adopting a cross-sectional design, this study collected data from randomly selected 450 micro-entrepreneurs who were being served by three major development organizations in Kelantan, Malaysia. The findings revealed that the level of economic vulnerability among the respondents had a significantly negative effect on the participation of development initiatives, household income, micro-enterprise income and the net worth of microenterprise asset among the low-income Kelantanese households. This study provided insights for a comprehensive policy formulation for rural development as it identified program participation issues and gaps faced by the targeted cohort, which if effectively addressed can lead to an increase in participation in development programs, together with household and micro-enterprise income and assets, among the low-income economically vulnerable households in Kelantan, Malaysia.

To improve the socio-economic condition of low-income households, underlying organizations offer a variety of products and services such as access to working capital and training programs. This study examined the impact of access to working capital and training programs on household income and economic vulnerability among participants of AIM, TEKUN, and LKIM in Kelantan, Malaysia. Adopting a cross-sectional design, data were collected randomly from 450 micro-entrepreneurs living in seven districts in Kelantan. The finding revealed that the total amount of economic loan received, length of the programs participation, and number of hours spent on training programs had a positive effect on household income in order to decrease the level of economic vulnerability. The finding provided useful information for policies development that prioritizes poverty eradication among low-income households who were vulnerable to weak economic situation.

The goal of this paper is to examine the question—‘Does income earned by members of women’s self-help groups (SHGs) through micro-credit programs empower them?’ The nature of the topic dictates the use of cross-sectional survey technique and comparative analysis to determine the levels of women empowerment before and after joining SHGs. A five-point Likert-type scale was developed, for which Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient was observed to be 0.824. The survey instrument contained four sections, namely, income and expenditure; savings and borrowing amounts; financial freedom; and, capacity building and awareness levels. A sample group consisting of 114 participants of SHGs responded to the survey instrument. The t-test results for mean values before and after joining SHGs showed a significant change in levels of women empowerment in all the four areas. The prime reason for this empowerment was joining SHGs and using micro-credit programmes. It becomes apparent from this research that joining SHGs, and consequently, getting access to financial services increased the ability of poor women to control their savings and generate income from their occupation. They also experienced a greater decision-making role in their families and in local society, enhanced levels of self-confidence, self-efficacy and self-esteem, and heightened freedom of mobility to increase business and social activities outside home.

Micro-finance appears today as the most promising tool in the struggle against poverty and banking exclusion. By providing micro-credit, collecting saving and supplying microinsurance, microfinance institutions (MFIs) are renewing the banking activity by practices as innovative as the group lending method. However, the real impacts of the microfinance on target populations are to be confirmed, theirevaluation colliding with numerous difficulties. Nevertheless, the future development of micro-finance depends on its superiority over other tools in achieving its objectives. Hence, the need to develop more rigorous studies on the impacts, and mature reflection on sources of funding for MFIs in a context of growing of ethical finance and socially responsible investment.

Microcredit has been found to be an intervention to improve the livelihood of women micro entrepreneurs in developing countries. It is often used as an attractive strategy to enhance the livelihoods of women as it provides micro entrepreneurs with the avenue to generate more income. The study focused on the effect of micro credit on rural households' livelihood: evidences from women micro entrepreneurs in Oyo State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted and 180 beneficiaries of microcredit were used. The result of the study revealed that microcredit had a positive effect on household income and welfare which led to improvement in the standard of living and opportunity to save money. The women micro entrepreneurs were able to contribute significantly to their children's education improve the quality of meals intake and employment and housing conditions of their households. The microcredit scheme also contributed to beneficiaries' development, sustainability and local governance participation. Above all, the respondents felt empowered. It is therefore concluded that those concerned with availing funds in form of microcredit and microfinance in general should take into consideration the results of these indicator variables for better livelihood of rural households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The paper uses two rounds of survey to examine the relative returns to micro-credit for small-scale businesses in two regions of Ghana. Propensity scores matching and the nearest neighbour matching are used to assess the return to micro-loans on retail businesses of clients and non-clients. Micro-credit impacts on sales, stock, expenses and profit for clients as compared with non-clients. Women-owned businesses produce higher returns from micro-credit than men-owned businesses. Individual and enterprise characteristics influence access to micro-credit. The paper offers policy recommendations to microfinance institutions on whom and which business activity to give credit. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, the relationship between the private sector and international development has been deeply ambivalent. For many, a vibrant private sector and competitive markets are the essential prerequisites of development. For many others, development is principally concerned with ameliorating the dislocation associated with capitalist profit seeking. In the last generation, this ambivalence has given way to an emphasis on the complementarities between the private sector and development. Yet skeptics have continued to criticize the form of development this trend has promoted. We review the historical conditions behind this trend; the controversies concerning transnational corporations and foreign direct investment; the rise of corporate social responsibility; the parallel rise of philanthrocapitalism; and the growth of micro-credit as a market-oriented vehicle for poverty alleviation and empowerment. When taken together, it is clear that private sector actors have become increasingly influential in the new landscape of development, yet their effects remain ambiguous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test whether there is higher return rate of investment for poor farmers than for un-poor farmers and to discuss its implication for poverty reduction microcredit rate policy. Design/methodology/approach – By using the household-level data of six provinces of China, farmer household production function is used in this paper to estimate the investment return rate of farmer. Findings – The paper indicates that regardless which kind of grouping standard is adopted, the investment return rates of poor farmer households in general are far lower than the non-poor. In general, the richer a farmer household, the higher is the return rate of his household productive operations. Practical implications – The study of this paper reminds policy makers that poverty reduction microcredit rate should really take endurance capacity of poor farmers for credit rate into accounting because of the low return rate of their family investment. Exorbitant credit rate should be avoided to protect the credit right of poor farmers. Originality/value – There is seldom study on the comparison of return rates of family operation investment between poor and un-poor farmers; there is also unenough empirical study on the rationality of high interest rate on poor households from the return rate of investment point of view. The authors expect this paper will have some contribution on these two points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the effect of a law that banned micro-credit lending in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Regions in Andhra Pradesh are matched to regions that did not face the ban. A difference-in-difference estimation of changes in matched regions is used to establish a causal impact on average household consumption in the region. The results show that the average household consumption in the ban-affected regions dropped by 15% immediately after the ban compared to the matched regions, and persisted for four quarters. The result is robust to cross-sectional variations in regional exposure to micro-finance prior to the ban, variation in rural and urban locations and variations in matching strategy. The analysis points to a ban as a sub-optimal intervention to improve customer welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]