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Various reports have it that poverty is more prevalent among people in rural communities with women being the most vulnerable group. Globally, improved access to micro credit is promoted as an important strategy in the struggle against poverty in developing economies. Using a sample of 104 rural women selected through multi-stage sampling technique, this study examined group participation and access to micro credit among women in rural communities of Osun and Oyo States, Nigeria. The results showed that about 85.6% of rural women belonged to micro credit groups notably religious and traders associations through which 42.3% were able to source credit. Rural women were only able to meet 40.3% of the capital need through micro-credit offered by the groups. Cooperative societies granted higher volume of credit than the local groups while women farmers had access to greater volume of credit than women traders; however, micro credit was yet to have significant impact on poverty status of the women.

The article presents a study on poverty reduction and micro-credit in Bangladesh. The study provides an overview regarding the access of rural poor to micro-credit and its effects on poverty and to the income of its recipients. The result of the study reveals that micro-credit utilization poses a positive effect on poverty reduction, standard of living, assets endowments, and on income.

Copyright of Asian Journal of Women's Studies 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.)

Without access to specific credits from private banking and with little support from the State, the poor implement their own strategies in order to access the land, housing and its progressive improvement. In Latin America between 50 and 75 % of households are self–produced by its inhabitants (Ortíz, 1995). AVE and CEVE have implemented a program of funding and technical assistance for the construction and improvement of housing on the basis of a small fund that has been re–used more than four times. The recipients are families with basic needs, scattered throughout the city of Córdoba that are homeless or have a housing deficit. The program supports the implementation of low–cost housing solutions that contribute to improving the quality of these families life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to finance has become increasingly difficult, particularly for new and service-based industries without tangible assets to use as security. Globally, credit guarantee schemes (CGS) are seen as important instruments to facilitate achievement of national economic goals, as they enable entrepreneurs to gain access to finance for venture creation and development. We reviewed CGS literature between 1990 and early 2011. We discovered largely descriptive studies on the various conditions of the guarantees, and considerable research gaps. The desirability of CGS appears to be assumed whilst measurement of CGS performance provides ambiguous results. We recommend research in a variety of areas including: identification of factors that minimise risk, the impacts of varying risk sharing ratios, unintended CGS consequences, reporting the social dimensions, valuing intangibles, default rates in Asian countries, and collateral in a knowledge based economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Microfinance is seen as a key development tool, and despite the current deepening crisis within the industry, it continues to grow in sub-Saharan Africa. We systematically reviewed the evidence of the impacts of micro-credit and micro-savings on poor people in sub-Saharan Africa. We considered impacts on income, savings, expenditure, and the accumulation of assets, as well as non-financial outcomes including health, nutrition, food security, education, child labor, women’s empowerment, housing, job creation, and social cohesion. The available evidence shows that microfinance does harm, as well as good, to the livelihoods of the poor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Many tropical biodiversity projects seek to combine development and conservation goals. Here, we assess the performance of a revolving fund, established by Fauna & Flora International (FFI), in delivering sustainable and equitable benefits to coastal community livelihood groups and individuals while ensuring that it did no apparent harm to the environment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 103 loan recipients to determine changes in attitude, perception and behaviour. After a 9 month preparation phase the project succeeded in changing a community view towards the fund from being overwhelmingly pessimistic to overwhelmingly optimistic and then loaned IDR 602,977,400 (USD 66,261), with near perfect repayment rates thereafter (indicating financial sustainability). Most (92%) respondents thought that the fund had been a success, mainly (56%) because it had increased their perceived daily income. Even though most (59%) of the loan recipients met with FFI staff at least once per month on average during the project, the linkages between conservation and development were only understood by some (40%). Nevertheless, understanding was highest amongst the project's main target group, fishermen. Furthermore, nearly half of all respondents said they now acted if they found people fishing with spear guns or throwing litter into the sea (a violation of customary law), indicating a positive change in behaviour. Although this study cannot unambiguously demonstrate that this change was purely due to the fund, as FFI was conducting other conservation activities, it helped to develop a strong relationship with the community and create an enabling environment for implementing this broader set of activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper is based on a systematic review of evidence of the impact of microfinance on the lives of poor women, men and children in sub-Saharan Africa. It focuses specifically on longer-term non-financial outcomes related to health and nutrition and education. The paper contrasts microfinance's early days' initially refreshing and encouraging promises of a development initiative that empowers people to help themselves while 'paying for itself' with a more gloomy picture that derives from the synthesis results of our systematic review. It presents two simple models that show the pathways from microfinance to increased investment in improved health and education, contrasting theory with our synthesis results. Our discussion highlights that thinking through microfinance makes it necessary to thoroughly investigate both the theory behind interventions and the evidence for their impact. It raises the essential question: Is microfinance about providing banking services to the unbanked, or is microfinance a development intervention that concerns itself with the attainment of long-term sustainable responses to high levels of poverty? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the mechanism design theory, this paper designs collusion-proof group lending contracts with asymmetric information, and studies the effect of the government subsidies of MFIs and rural house-holds on collusion-proof group lending contracts. The results show that collusion-proof group contracts which are designed by MFIs can avoid adverse selection and moral hazard, and farmers of high-efficiency teams could obtain some information rents but this contract would extract all rents to maintain farmers of other teams at their zero status quo utility level. If the villages' composition and project revenue make MFIs' maximum expected payoff below zero, government should provide fiscal subsidy to MFIs for stimulating them to provide group contracts to those villages, and the subsidy must make MFIs' maximum expected payoff to be no less than zero. Also government should provide fiscal subsidy to rural house-holds for avoiding them to choose strategic default, while the subsidy should equal to the value that rural households' repayment minus their profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this interview with the Guangzhou-based newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily, conducted in December 2010 during her participation of the ‘West Heavens: India-China Summit on Social Thought’, Tejaswini Niranjana questions accepted notions about women and development, explains the reasons for finding alternative reference points in each other for non-Western societies, which resulted in the historical emergence of Cultural Studies in India, and speaks for the need for substantive mutual cultural exposure between India and China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) as implemented by a Catholic Church development organisation (Diocesan Development Services; DDS) in Nigeria, including the trade-offs involved and the meaning of 'success' with this process. SLA sets out to assess the ability of a social unit to enhance its assets and capabilities in the face of shocks and stresses over time and could be said to be a practical framework for evidence-based intervention. DDS implemented an SLA to help provide the basis for changes planned to an existing intervention, namely micro-credit. Given the challenges involved in SLA, DDS decided upon a number of trade-offs to balance the significant cost in resource against what it was looking for from the process. The first driver was a perceived need from DDS to provide quality evidence to help plan changes to its micro-credit scheme. The evidence gained from the SLA was also intended to help provide credibility when approaching major donors for support with the scheme. Secondly there was a desire to use the SLA as a means to identify and work with a group of households in an area where DDS had little prior experience on the assumption that these households could form the basis for a wider involvement with the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I argue that micro-equity may be used to complement or substitute micro-credit programmes, which involve lending rather than risk sharing. By becoming a stockholder in the micro-enterprise rather than a lender, the micro-equity provider is in a more tightly coupled relationship, providing knowledge and guidance necessary for ensuring success of the venture. Moreover, I show that while micro-credit financing places a heavy cash drain on micro-enterprises and leads to sub-optimal growth during the course of the evolution of the micro-enterprise, the mix of micro-equity with micro-credit may prove to be more valuable to nurture the sustainable growth of micro-enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan is facing twin challenges for revival of the economy and reduction in rural poverty. For this purpose the government has introduced number of initiatives, of which micro credit is very important. Moreover, about 52 percent of population is women folk, hence revival of economy and rural poverty reduction is almost impossible without their involvement. The present research was conducted at Technology Transfer Institute (PARC), AARI, Faisalabad during 2008-09 to find out the impact of micro-credit scheme implemented under Punjab Rural Support Programme (PRSP) on the socio-economic conditions of female population in the rural areas of district Faisalabad. Sample size of 120 women was taken randomly from the community organizations (COs) supervised by the PRSP. Primary data were collected through personal interviews with well-designed and pre-tested questionnaire. As a result of micro credit activity, livestock population at farm and landless families has increased significantly. About 27 percent females reported betterment in their social status in their family system as well as in village due to income generation activity triggered by micro-credit. Similarly, betterment in household consumption was also noticed both in farmers and landless families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Large numbers of households in rural areas in Bangladesh have no access to electricity. Providing these households with electricity by extending the country’s already overloaded grids is neither an economically nor a technically feasible option. Rural electrification strategies therefore, by necessity, need to rely on stand-alone generation systems. One of these is solar home systems (SHS) and the SHS program developed and implemented in Bangladesh has been highly successful, with very large numbers of rural households now participating in the program. What makes the program’s success most remarkable is the fact that it targets households with very low incomes using a purely market-based approach. Those participating in the program pay the full, unsubsidised cost of their SHS using a micro-credit loan facility and are charged high interest rates. Understanding the reasons behind the success of the Bangladeshi program therefore holds potentially valuable lessons for SHS programs being implemented in other developing countries. A comprehensive qualitative and quantitative survey was used to find those factors perceived by program stakeholders as being most critical to the program’s success to date and the factors considered most likely to impact on its future success. The two primary reasons for the program’s success were perceived to be its strong focus on meeting householders’ needs and on its ability to make the solar home systems as affordable as possible. The continued success of the program was considered likely to be determined by a variety of factors, including the ability of program implementers to control increases in the cost of SHS, to maintain the quality of SHS and components and to increase program loan recovery rates, the degree to which the program is integrated into national, energy policy, and the degree to which local banks become involved in the program. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The specific objective of the study was to determine the impact of BRDB micro-credit towards uplifting the social status of the beneficiaries measured by computing change in 'income', 'food consumption', 'housing unit', 'drinking water source and toilet condition', and 'family asset'. Attempts were also made to determine and describe ten selected profiles of BRDB beneficiaries, and to explore the relationship between these profiles and impact of micro-credit. This study also identified the problems faced by the beneficiaries in receiving and utilizing micro-credit. The study was conducted at Naikhongchhari in Bandarban district of Bangladesh. The findings indicated that most (60%) of the respondents could change their socio-economic status to medium scale compared to 38% in low and 2% in high scale after involvement with BRDB micro-credit programs. Beneficiaries' education, farm size, organizational participation with BRDB, yearly savings, credit received and attitude towards BRDB micro-credit had positive and significant relationship with the impact of BRDB micro-credit while age, family size, credit utilization, credit recovery procedure had not any significant relationship with the impact of micro-credit towards uplifting the social status of the beneficiaries. On the basis of the Problem Facing Index (PFI) 'do not get current credit when any one of them did not repay previous loan' was ranked first followed by 'insufficient amount of credit' whereas 'decisions taken based on nepotism' was ranked last. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livelihood development is often integrated into coastal management projects as a strategy for increasing project success. This strategy is taken because it is known that livelihood development increases the interest, support, and trust of the community in coastal and marine ecosystem conservation. The research described in this article explores what factors contribute to enterprise success and whether livelihood interventions lead to other benefits in addition to employment and income generation. A learning portfolio approach was used that draws on the field sites and projects supported by the USAID-funded Sustainable Coastal Communities and Ecosystem (SUCCESS) Program. Our experience suggests that key factors that influence livelihood enterprise success (revenue generation) include: the type of enterprise supported, the form of extension support provided, community context, and enterprise ownership (i.e., group or individual). The results also confirm the idea that there are important benefits from livelihood development not related to profitability, which can improve the impact of coastal management programs. We found benefits that include increased resilience, community and gender empowerment, stronger social ties, and improved coordination with local government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: We evaluate the impact of agricultural credit program participation on children’s school attendance in rural Malawi. Our paired-site sampling survey reveals that credit uptake decreased school attendance by young girl children. This finding raises concerns that young girl children are exploited as child labor, either at home or in the field, when working adults become more involved in income-generating activities financed by credit. The data, however, do not show clear evidence for young girls staying at home to do household chores or working in the fields in households that obtained credit, but instead find simultaneous occurrence between attending school and taking responsibilities for domestic chores by young children. It would appear, therefore, that credit uptake delays the realization of this concurrence among young girl children and leads to delayed school enrollment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Geographical development economics as reflected in the recent report by World Bank (2009) Reshaping Economic Geography (henceforth WDR-2009) and Sachs' (2005) End of Poverty has placed geographical factors of distance and density at the core of economic development. However, development geography has largely moved beyond a paradigm of modernity. This article seeks to narrow the above disciplinary divide and suggests that explanations of distance and density are not irrelevant but will need to be better integrated to local knowledge, practices and power relations in development schemes which are valued by development geographers. The latter is examined in the context of micro-credit programmes in two lagging areas, Soc Son and Vinh Loc, in northern Vietnam. Drawing from interviews and surveys of 160 female participants, we show that micro-credit, WDR-2009 and Sachs' geographical variables significantly affect poverty levels. However, qualitative interviews also reveal that the effects of distance, density and micro-credit schemes are constituted differently in the two areas. Relative to their Vinh Loc counterparts, Soc Son's participants experience less distance and density problems but are confronted with greater vulnerability to coercive relations of rule. In contrast, the approach to rule in the more geographically distressed area of Vinh Loc is underscored by flexibility and compromise which seek to cultivate conditions that sustain local livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on extensive field interviews, the author identifies the key elements in the group dialogue process used by Manavodaya, a nonprofit in northern India that trains development facilitators to empower women villagers for sustainable development through Self-Help Groups. The deeply reflective dialogue among members of a Self-Help Group moves through several phases: from polite conversation to resistance and debate; from fear of change to the recognition of possibility; from disempowering assumptions to a new perspective on one's circumstances; and from unquestioning acceptance of existing institutions and cultural practices to a creative stance of collaborative action. Manavodaya's process embraces the entire journey from dialogue to action. The collective reflection practice that Manavodaya has developed uniquely synthesizes three streams in the civic engagement literature: transformational dialogue, co-creativity and systems change; and international participatory development based on the tools and methods of action research. Yet Manavodaya's practice of collective reflection derives directly from a social learning process honed from practice in the most challenging conditions of rural India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Bangladesh have witnessed massive growth in size, budget and scale of operations. They enjoy growing support from international donors and operate outside the direct control of the government. Their handling of the massive funds aside, increasing involvement of NGOs in economic, social and at times political spheres has given rise to widespread concerns about their accountability including their relationships with the government, donors and the community. This article examines and analyses various dimensions of NGO accountability in Bangladesh. Drawing on evidence from the Grameen Bank and the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC)—two of Bangladesh's largest and the most successful NGOs—the paper argues that NGO accountability in Bangladesh has been more rhetorical than real. It shows that while formal accountability measures are in place, they suffer from a range of inadequacies and shortcomings. Consequently NGO accountability has remained weak and ineffective in relation to major agents such as the government, donors and the clients. The article further shows that some of the recent developments, such as the proliferation of NGO operations, government organisation (GO)-NGO collaboration and the growing involvement of NGOs in commercial activities, have imposed further limitations on their accountability to key stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To identify whether individual and household economic empowerment is associated with lower intimate partner violence in low and middle income country settings. Methods Systematic PubMed and internet searches. Results Published data from 41 sites were reviewed. Household assets and women's higher education were generally protective. Evidence about women's involvement in income generation and experience of past year violence was mixed, with five finding a protective association and six documenting a risk association. Conclusion At an individual and household level, economic development and poverty reduction may have protective impacts on IPV. Context specific factors influence whether financial autonomy is protective or associated with increased risk. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This article was published online on 6 October 2008. Errors were subsequently identified. This notice is included in the online and print versions to indicate that both have been corrected [17 April 2009]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revue Tiers Monde is the property of Librairie Armand Colin 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 purpose of this essay is to: (1) detail how recent trends in philosophical theory have made it possible for philosophers of technology to critically discuss technology transfer; (2) demonstrate that economic standards of assessment are conducive to obscuring the hidden tradeoffs that technological practices, such as mobile phone use in Bangladesh, can engender; and (3) provide the basis of an alternative model that can reflexively addresses dimensions of technology transfer that neo-classical economic accounts occlude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop more understanding around three main concepts: microfinance, micro-small enterprises and human capital. The purpose was to find the links and relationships between the concepts and to determine how microfinance supports micro-small enterprises and the impact of the gains from micro-small enterprises operation on expenditure on human capital. The study targeted women-owned micro-small enterprises within Khartoum State. The study followed a qualitative interpretive perspective and applied the grounded theory methodology. Accordingly, 'theoretical sampling' and the 'constant comparative' techniques were used. In-depth unstructured interviews were conducted with women entrepreneurs in traditional and non-traditional types of ventures. Data analysis followed the grounded theory coding techniques, building categories and identifying the relationships between them to formulate concepts that help informing about the main research questions. The findings revealed that all the studied group of women entrepreneurs within urban settings of Khartoum State utilize some form of informal microfinance/micro-credit services, predominantly personal lending and rotating saving and credit groups. It was also revealed that these women entrepreneurs spend their earned income mainly on family well-being, children health and education which are basic components of human capital. In addition, women entrepreneurs gain more skills and knowledge ultimately leading to the improvement of their human capital. This study concludes that microfinance informal services provides support to women micro-small enterprises and enables them to contribute to human capital development, of their children, of other family members and of the entrepreneur herself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using detailed micro-data on social relations and networks from rural Bangladesh, this paper examines the social determinants of children's schooling in a developing country. We employ a comprehensive set of controls for parental sociability and NGO membership as proxies for family social capital. We find no evidence that parental sociability bolsters child outcomes as inputs in the educational production function or indirectly via boosting maternal social knowledge, which is an important predictor of children's educational status. On the other hand, the effect of maternal social knowledge prevails even when we additionally control for neighbourhood-level unobservables and maximum education level of the household. To be precise, we find no evidence to suggest that 'social' parents are 'better' parents: social knowledge endowment of mothers is not related to their sociability. Rather, educated parents and those with higher unobserved taste for child quality have better social knowledge irrespective of their sociability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The state of Andhra Pradesh, India, provides a case study of a liberalization program with an emphasis on women’s empowerment. Based on the state budget data and fieldwork data from two villages, this paper investigates the content of this policy regime to argue that women’s empowerment policies were ultimately constrained by the policy context of liberalization. The state lowered shares of expenditure upon social reproduction and the substantive content of women’s empowerment policy was reduced to a thrift and micro-credit program. Fieldwork data indicate, the latter lacks administrative support and relies upon the expenditure of time and resources by participants themselves, re-emphasizing class and caste inequalities among women and undermining the broader project of empowerment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It is argued that without collateral the poor often face binding borrowing constraints in the formal credit market. This justifies a micro-credit program, which is operated by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies to provide the poor with preferential credit. The present paper examines poverty targeting and the impact of the micro-credit program. It is found that the program is not very pro-poor in terms of targeting. The nonpoor account for a larger proportion of the participants. The nonpoor also tend to receive larger amounts of credit compared to the poor. However, the program has reduced the poverty rate of the participants. The positive impact is found for all three Foster-Greer-Thorbecke poverty measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vietnamese women are subject to many restrictions related to gender and their position in the household that affect their ability to make strategic choices. For example, they have unequal access to capital and other resources. Studies have shown how gender inequities cause women, especially poor women, to bear the brunt of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Micro-credit through women's groups has been reported to contribute to women's empowerment. This raises the question of whether and how microcredit programs for women in the special circumstance of living with an HIV infection can empower these women and improve their economic status and their health. This article describes how a small group of HIV+ women in Hanoi followed over a period of two years gained in five dimensions of empowerment at the household level by micro-credit offered through a support group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sample of 356 members of women’s groups, aged 18–49, in the Dominican Republic were interviewed by trained female interviewers. Data among 273 partnered women were analyzed. The dependent variable, a measure of HIV-related negotiation, was examined for associations with control of own money, level of women’s group participation, and ever having received a loan through a micro-credit program. Findings suggest control of own money to be significantly associated with HIV-related negotiation. Ever having received a loan and level of women’s group participation, however, were not significantly associated with HIV-related negotiation. Empowerment measured as control of own money may influence HIV protective behavior among partnered women in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an ethnographic study of the effects of micro-credit on gender relations in rural Bangladesh. Focusing on the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh and three other leading non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the country, I analyze the role of gender in the expansion of globalization and neoliberalism in Bangladesh. The Grameen Bank has become a global symbol of poor women's empowerment and is celebrated for its 98 percent loan recovery. In this article, I examine some of the NGO tactics behind the loan recovery programs. In particular, I examine how Bangladeshi rural women's honor and shame are instrumentally appropriated by micro-credit NGOs in the furtherance of their capitalist interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an analysis of a government-led microcredit initiative in the state of Tabasco. It incorporates the viewpoints of various government employees who were involved in the initiative's design and responsible for the offices and field staff who implemented it, and especially the viewpoints of the women who were the beneficiaries of the program. Thus, the program operation and the women's perspective of its impact are reconstructed. The information contained in the text stems from a review of the guideline documents of the program, structured, semi-structured and in-depth interviews with the women beneficiaries, government employees, the operating and coordinating staff of the offices, and intermediary finance administrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the advances of a research project about the efforts of a women's association of the coastal region of Jalisco within the frame of the Alternative Rural Financing System (SIFRA), and in particular the expansion and reformulation of livelihood strategies that women are developing with this micro-credit program's support. It discusses the relevance of the concepts of assets and social capital to analyze the program's results, as well as their usefulness to identify the shared resources and understand the processes through which they are established, used, and tested. It also argues that such processes are vulnerable to conflicts and the exercise of power, and that keeping this in mind may help to avoid turning social capital into a normative concept and to define its analytical capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a literature review concerning the base of the pyramid (BoP), this article introduces an integral framework to be used by academics and corporations in order to justify their incursion in BoP markets. Poverty reduction dominates the global development agenda. It is clear that conventional solutions to poverty, such as direct governmental aid and charitable donations from institutions and individuals, are insufficient; thus there is a need for a more systemic solution. In the last 15 years, a good number of NGOs, corporations, researchers and international funds have become increasingly aware that there is a significant potential market at the emergent consumer base. Businesses may perceive this as a tempting opportunity for market development, and an opportunity to help the poor with innovative value propositions. After reviewing anthropological theories regarding human motivation and needs, and their managerial implications, J.A. Pérez López formulated a framework called the 'Octagon', which is a useful tool in understanding the role of an organisation vis-à-vis its employees and consumers. The framework proposed in this article is based on the Octagon model, and helps to identify opportunities at the BoP, designing articulated value propositions for those potential consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines factors, internal and external to micro- enterprises, which affect their participation in the credit market in Nigeria. Data were collected from credit institutions (excluding the commercial banks) and enterprises for analysis. Both descriptive, probit as well as regression analyses were carried out. The results show that 61.3% of the firms obtain loans from informal sources while 30% did not apply for loans because of inadequate collateral security, difficult loanprocessing procedures (25%) and high interest rates (20%). Income levels of firm owners and the values of initial capital were found to decrease the likelihood of firms demanding credit while the type of enterprise and the level of sales increase the likelihood of firms demanding credit. Furthermore, interest rates, collateral security and minimum balance requirements decrease the volume of loan delivered by credit institutions. Altogether, credit institution's lending policies account for 81% of the amount loan advance by institutions. The findings imply that entrepreneurs need to acquire substantial amount of initial capital and increase their sales volume to be less depended on external sources of funds for operation. Credit institutions should charge equilibrium interest rates, reduce the processing and application period in order to encourage patronage by entrepreneurs while at the same time keeping an eye on sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Eradicating poverty is a fundamental development challenge. Can micro-credit programmes be effective in poverty alleviation? This case study focuses on a replication of the Grameen Bank Approach (GBA) in Malaysia. It reviews access to capital in rural Malaysia, and examines Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia's membership requirements, types of loan offered, and administration; how rural women use their loans; the major characteristics of the businesses; and the motivation to set up small businesses. The objective is to identify whether providing start-up loans for small businesses in rural areas can be effective in achieving the Malaysian Government's long-term objectives. Similarities between Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia and the Grameen Bank are discussed. Suggestions are made to enhance small-business development in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines empirically the impact of micro-credit on poverty in Bangladesh. Unlike previous studies, the focus is on both objective and subjective poverty and particular attention is paid to the length of time programme participants have had access to micro-credit. A household-level survey (N = 954) was carried out, collecting information about micro-credit recipients from Grameen Bank, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee and the Association of Social Advancement. Our two main findings are, first, micro-credit is associated with both lower objective and subjective poverty and, secondly, the impact of micro-credit on poverty is particularly strong for about six years with some levelling off after that point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines women's work and shifts among factory, domestic service, sex work, and urban micro credit sectors in Bangladesh using a continuum of formal-informal-household labor. We explore women's income generating strategies and possible alternatives during global restructuring and changes in trade agreements. The end of Multi-Fibre Agreement in 2004 threatens women's garment employment and Bangladesh's dependence on garments to produce 76 percent of its export earnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes, in case study form, the Small Farmers and Business Bank, Ltd. (SFBB) of Belize, Central America. Using in-depth, qualitative, semi-structured interviews of fifteen SFBB micro and small enterprise (MSE) borrowers, a preliminary assessment of the SFBB and its impact on MSE firm-level and national development is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• We present a theoretical model of spousal bargaining using Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROSCA) membership. • We examine the effect of ROSCAs and exogenous micro-credit on women's empowerment in India. • ROSCA increases regular cash flow for women by 1.7 percentage points (pp) and property ownership by 3.3 pp. • We find ROSCAs to be better than exogenous micro-credit schemes in increasing women's socio-economic autonomy. • Endogenous micro-credit could be critical for financial inclusion of women in developing countries. This study examines the effects of Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs) on women's socio-economic freedom and autonomy at the national level in India. We compare ROSCAs to agency based micro-credit schemes and analyze their effects using nationally representative longitudinal gender-disaggregated data from 2005 to 2012. Building on a theoretical model of household savings and spousal bargaining power, we use individual fixed effects and instrumental variable regressions to test the theoretical predictions. Results show that ROSCA membership increases the likelihood of women's cash in hand for expenditure by 1.7 percentage points, say in major purchase decisions by 3.9 percentage points and fertility choice by 4.7 percentage points. These margins exceed those for exogenous micro-credit schemes and are robust to sensitivity tests. This study is the first to contrast ROSCAs with other micro-credit schemes at the national level. We propose scaling up and associating longstanding ROSCAs with self-help groups for more inclusive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]