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University of Massachusetts Amherst

Microfinance

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Microfinance, Household Indebtedness And Gender Inequality, Theresa Mannah-Blankson Jul 2016

Microfinance, Household Indebtedness And Gender Inequality, Theresa Mannah-Blankson

Doctoral Dissertations

My dissertation explores the implications of access to microfinance for gender equity and household welfare in Ghana. The study draws on the quantitative and qualitative evidence from a unique dataset generated from a survey of 499 households, with and without access to microfinance, during my field research work in Ghana from May to July 2013. The motivation for the dissertation derives from evidence suggesting that access to finance is an important tool for fighting poverty and reducing inequality. However, for most developing countries access to finance for the poor is mainly through the informal or the semi-formal sector, including microfinance …


Reaching The Poorest Through Microfinance: Learning From Saving For Change Program In Mali, Mukul Acharya May 2009

Reaching The Poorest Through Microfinance: Learning From Saving For Change Program In Mali, Mukul Acharya

Open Access Dissertations

This study used secondary data to analyze the Saving for Change (SfC) program of Oxfam America in Mali. SfC uses a model of microfinance that is based on education and savings-led approach and self-help methodology. The program teaches the poorest women how to form and manage a group to handle savings and credit related needs. The group learns to systematically collect savings from its members; lend the money to its members with interest and keep a record of all transactions. SfC has created an oral recordkeeping system which is helpful for groups that have mostly or all illiterate women. The …