Overview

Since the 1980s when the microfinance revolution began, much has been accomplished, but the field became more refined in the 1990s as a result of shifts in paradigms, strategies and development practices. This volume addresses the three policy objectives that now occupy those who wish to use credit as a development tool: financial sustainability of microfinance institutions, outreach to the poor and welfare impact. Inevitable trade-offs exist among these objectives, and the book advances an analytical framework that assists students of and experts in microfinance to identify the tradeoffs and synergies at the institutional level and in the policy environment. The book features a wealth of empirical data and innovative analytical studies, and critically discusses the role of public support for microfinance institutions (MFIs) in light of the social costs and benefits generated by such financial systems. The book is organized into five parts. The first discusses the demand for and access to financial services by the poor, emphasizing that demand-oriented, pro-poor financial services are crucial in reaching the poor. The second is concerned with two of the criteria used to evaluate MFIs - outreach and financial sustainability. The third features innovative econometric studies seeking to evaluate the impact of MFIs at the household level. The fourth looks at the role of both public- and private-sector institutions in developing sustainable financial systems, and the fifth summarizes implications for policy and research.

Full Product Details

Author:   Manfred Zeller ,  Richard L. Meyer
Publisher:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.544kg
ISBN:  

9780801872266

ISBN 10:   080187226
Pages:   424
Publication Date:   14 January 2003
Recommended Age:   From 17
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Out of stock  

Table of Contents

Contents: List of FiguresList of TablesList of BoxesForeword Preface 1 Improving the Preformance of Microfinance: Financial Sustainability, Outreach, and Impact MANFRED ZELLER AND RICHARD L. MEYERPART I Access to and Demand for Financial Services by the Poor 2 Access to and Demand for Financial Services by the Rural Poor: A Multicounty Synthesis MANFRED ZELLER AND MANOHAR SHARMA3 Characteristics of Household Demand for Financial Services in Highly Uncertain Economies: A Review of Evidence from Burkina Faso GENEVIEVE NGUYEN, BETTY WAMPFLER, MICHEL BENOIT-CATTIN, AND KIMSEYINGA SAVADOGO4 Wealth and Rural Credit among Farmers in Mexico: Is Market Participation Consistent with Trageting? JULIE STANTON5 Credit Constraints and Loan Demand in Rural Bangladesh MANFRED ZELLER AND MANOHAR SHARMA6 Improving Access to Land Markets: Evidence from Engineering Farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa MICHAEL LYNE AND MARK DARROCHPART II Outreach and Financial Sustainability of Institutions 7 Outreach and Sustainability of Member-based Rural Financial Intermediaries JULIA PAXTON AND CARLOS E. CUEVAS8 Microcredit and the Poorest of the Poor: Theory and Evidence from Bolivia SERGIO NAVAJAS, MARK SCHREINER, RICHARD L. MEYER, CLAUDIO GONZALEZ-VEGA, AND JORGE RODRIGUEZ-MEZA9 An Operational Tool for Evaluating the Poverty Outreach Development Policies and Projects MANFRED ZELLER, MANOHAR SHARMA, CARLA HENRY, AND CECILE LAPENU10 Transaction Costs of Group and Individual Lending and Rural Financial Market Access: The Case of Poverty-Oriented Microfinance in Cameroon FRANZ HEIDUES, DIEUDONNE BELLE-SOSSOH, AND GERTRUD BUCHENRIEDERPART III Measuring the Impact of Microfinance 11 Impact of Microfinance on Food Security and Poverty Alleviation: A Review and Synthesis of Empirical Evidence MANOHAR SHARMA AND GERTRUD BUCHENRIEDER12 Impact of Acces to Credit on Maize and Tobacco Productivity in Malawi ALIOU DIAGNE13 Explaining Poverty: An Empirical Analysis of the Effects of Ill Health and Uncertainty on the Savings of Rural Pakistani Households ANJINI KOCHARPART IV Toward Economic Sustainability of Rural Financial Systems for the Poor: The Role of Public Action and the Private Sector 14 The Microfinance Revolution: Implications for the Role of teh State CECILE LAPENU15 Recent Developments in Rural FInance Markets JACOB YARON AND McDONALD BENJAMIN16 Credit Systems for the Rural Poor in the Economic Transition of China: Institutions, Outreach, and Policy Options ZHU LING, JIANG ZHONGYI, JOACHIM VON BRAUN17 Summary and Implications for Policy and Research RICHARD L. MEYER AND MANFRED ZELLER Contributors Index

Reviews

<p> The book features a wealth of empirical data and innovative analytical studies and critical discussions of the role of public support for microfinance institutions in light of the social coasts and benefits generated by such financial systems... The book provides sound information and remarkable experience from many countries about financial services for the poor. -- S. Bauer, German Journal of Agricultural Economics

Author Information

Manfred Zeller was a research fellow at IFPRI and leader of its multicountry program on rural financial policies and food security until 1999. He is now professor at the University of Gottingen, Germany, and director of its Institute of Rural Development. Richard L. Meyer is Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Specialist in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University.

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