Microfinance and Its Discontents

Microfinance and Its Discontents
Author: Lamia Karim
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2011
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0816670943

The first feminist critique of the much-lauded microcredit process in Bangladesh.

Finance Against Poverty: Volume 1

Finance Against Poverty: Volume 1
Author: Hulme David
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2005-08-12
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1134803842

In two volumes these books review and expand the theory that poverty in the world's poorest regions could be alleviated by providing small loans to micro-entrepreneurs. Volume 1 provides detailed analysis of this theory and offers policy recommendations for practitioners in this field. Volume 2 presents empirical evidence drawn from comparative experiences in seven developing countries. The work assesses the success of this policy and provides some startling conclusions. This is essential reading for all those interested in development, poverty-reduction, social welfare and finance.

Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan

Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan
Author: Nabeel A. Goheer
Publisher: International Labour Office
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2003-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9789221136286

This report is the outcome of a research study initiated and financed by the ILO with the aim of better understanding Pakistani women entrepreneurs and their problems. It offers a portrayal of the specific business environment for women in this country and shows how a complex interplay of different factors has resulted in the disadvantaged status of women in society thus restricting their mobility, economic participation and business activity. The book includes the results of a survey undertaken in the region of 150 women entrepreneurs and follows with a set of recommendations. Narrative stories of 20 selected women entrepreneurs from various economic backgrounds, diverse family set-ups, and different professions are also included.

Microfinance in Africa

Microfinance in Africa
Author: S. Rajagopalan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2009
Genre: Africa
ISBN:

Africa is home to some of the poorest and vulnerable populations in the world. The ten poorest countries in the world are in Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest incidence and greatest depth of poverty in the world. Fewer than one in five adults in Africa has access to the services of a formal or semi-formal financial institution. Microfinance in Africa is growing, though. A broad range of diverse institutions offer financial services to the poor and low-income clients in Africa. These include non-governmental organizations, non-banking financial institutions, cooperatives, credit unions, rural banks, Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs), postal financial institutions and an increasing number of commercial banks. Increasingly, technology is being used to expand microfinance outreach mobile phone banking is one such example. This book provides an overview of the microfinance sector in Africa, reviews the performance and impact of microfinance institutions in the region, and outlines some of the opportunities and challenges that African microfinance has on hand.

Empowerment and Poverty Reduction

Empowerment and Poverty Reduction
Author: Deepa Narayan-Parker
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 412
Release: 2002-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780821351666

This publication offers a framework for the empowerment of people living in poverty throughout the world that concentrates on increasing people's freedom of choice and action to shape their own lives. Based on analysis of practical experiences, the book identifies four key elements to support empowerment: information, inclusion and participation, improved accountability and local organisational capacity. This framework is then applied to five areas of action to improve development effectiveness: provision of basic services, improved local governance, improved national governance, pro-poor market development, and access to justice and legal aid. It also offers twenty 'tools and practices' which concentrate on a wide-range of topics to support the empowerment of the poor.

Women’s empowerment in agriculture and dietary quality across the life course: Evidence from Bangladesh

Women’s empowerment in agriculture and dietary quality across the life course: Evidence from Bangladesh
Author: Sraboni, Esha
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 101
Release:
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

Using nationally representative survey data from rural Bangladesh, this paper examines the relationship between women’s empowerment in agriculture and indicators of individual dietary quality. Our findings suggest that women’s empowerment is associated with better dietary quality for individuals within the household, with varying effects across the life course. Women’s empowerment is associated with more diverse diets for children younger than five years, but empowerment measures are not consistently associated with increases in nutrient intake for this age group. Women’s empowerment is positively and significantly associated with adult men’s and women’s dietary diversity and nutrient intakes. Different empowerment domains may have different impacts on nutrition, but other characteristics, such as maternal schooling and household socioeconomic status, may play a more important role for younger children. The importance of maternal education in the dietary quality of young children, and the relatively greater importance of women’s empowerment for older children and adults, imply that policies designed to empower women and improve nutritional status should be informed by knowledge of which specific domains of women’s empowerment matter for particular nutritional outcomes at specific stages of the life course.

Gender and Economic Growth in Kenya

Gender and Economic Growth in Kenya
Author:
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2007
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0821369202

This book examines the legal, administrative, and regulatory barriers that are preventing women in Kenya from contributing fully to the Kenyan economy. Building on the 2004 FIAS Improving the Commercial Legal Framework and Removing Administrative and Regulatory Barriers to Investment report, this study looks at the bureaucratic barriers facing women in Kenya through a gender lens.

Voice and Agency

Voice and Agency
Author: Jeni Klugman
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2014-09-29
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1464803595

"The 2012 report recognized that expanding women's agency - their ability to make decisions and take advantage of opportunities is key to improving their lives as well as the world. This report represents a major advance in global knowledge on this critical front. The vast data and thousands of surveys distilled in this report cast important light on the nature of constraints women and girls continue to face globally. This report identifies promising opportunities and entry points for lasting transformation, such as interventions that reach across sectors and include life-skills training, sexual and reproductive health education, conditional cash transfers, and mentoring. It finds that addressing what the World Health Organization has identified as an epidemic of violence against women means sharply scaling up engagement with men and boys. The report also underlines the vital role information and communication technologies can play in amplifying women's voices, expanding their economic and learning opportunities, and broadening their views and aspirations. The World Bank Group's twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity demand no less than the full and equal participation of women and men, girls and boys, around the world." -- Publisher's description.