Before Microfinance: The Social Value of Microsavings in Vincentian Poverty Reduction

Before microfinance: The social value of microsavings in Vincentian poverty reduction

The purpose of this article is to present and discuss the values and limits of microfinance within the context of poverty reduction, international development and community empowerment. The main thesis is that microfinance requires a more complex strategy than simply the provision of credits. The development of financial capital depends on the increase in human capacity and social capital. Micr...

Microfinance as a Poverty Reduction Tool—A Critical Assessment

This paper attempts to provide a critical appraisal of the debate on the effectiveness of microfinance as a universal poverty reduction tool. It argues that while microfinance has developed some innovative management and business strategies, its impact on poverty reduction remains in doubt. Microfinance, however, certainly plays an important role in providing safety-net and consumption smoothen...

microfinance an approach for increasing output in the agricultural sector and poverty reduction in rural areas

considering the expansion of global poverty and its resulting concerns, the objectives of the millennium development goals (mdgs) may not be achieved unless a solution is found for this widespread phenomenon. therefore finding a solution for poverty reduction and improving the welfare of the vulnerable group has become a universal objective. this paper discusses the poor performance of formal f...

Measuring poverty of microfinance clients in Haiti

Fonkoze, a microfinance institution in Haiti, has used a poverty “scorecard” to benchmark existing client data to the $1-a-day extreme poverty line. By referring to data from a national survey of household income, 12 variables already routinely collected by Fonkoze were found to be suitable as indicators of whether a household is above or below the extreme poverty line. A scorecard was construc...

Gender and Reduction of Poverty in Iran