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Does Microcredit Reduce Poverty? An Empirical Exploration In India, Aneel Karnani, Seema Sahai
Does Microcredit Reduce Poverty? An Empirical Exploration In India, Aneel Karnani, Seema Sahai
Markets, Globalization & Development Review
Microcredit has grown dramatically over the last few decades and its supporters have made extravagant promises about its potential impact on reducing poverty. However, much recent research has shown that microcredit has no significant impact on reducing poverty. In this exploratory study we interview 205 clients of for-profit microcredit to better understand the causes of why microcredit has not lived up to its promise. We find the basic problem is that the lending policies of the microcredit organizations are designed to lower the costs and risks, and hence increase the profits of the organization, and are not responsive to the …
Invited Perspective - Engaging Aspirations To Nurture Communities, Kentaro Toyama
Invited Perspective - Engaging Aspirations To Nurture Communities, Kentaro Toyama
Subsistence Marketplaces
For subsistence communities, the question is whether aspirations can be applied to motivate behavior that is, on the one hand consistent with people’s aspirations, but which might otherwise be difficult to elicit. Could poorer households be encouraged to save, to spend more on their children’s education, or to act against unhealthy social norms? A couple of examples suggest this is not only possible, but highly successful in contexts where other appeals fail.