Microfinance and Poverty Alleviation: Case Studies from Asia and the Pacific
Despite the considerable economic growth of the Asia-Pacific, poverty continues to be a major problem. One key way to create sustainable livelihoods and to provide poor households an escape route from poverty is microfinance. Since the early 1980s, microfinance practitioners have proven that the poor are creditworthy, capable of utilizing scarce capital efficiently in viable incom-generating projects and able to pay back their loans. This book collects the experience of microfinance...
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Despite the considerable economic growth of the Asia-Pacific, poverty continues to be a major problem. One key way to create sustainable livelihoods and to provide poor households an escape route from poverty is microfinance. Since the early 1980s, microfinance practitioners have proven that the poor are creditworthy, capable of utilizing scarce capital efficiently in viable incom-generating projects and able to pay back their loans. This book collects the experience of microfinance practitioners in 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific region to describe the present state of the art. It is designed to provide an overview of the subject: why it is so essential to poverty reduction; what is the "best practice"; what kind of policy framework and regulatory environment is required. It offers both an extensive survey of the academic literature and a selection of case studies, all from authors who have been active practitioners in microfinance for many years. The case studies cover four key countries in South Asia andthree countries in East Asia in which microfinance had become particularly important. There is also a regional chapter covering the Pacific islands.
ForewordPrefaceAcknowledgementsAcronymsList of ContributorsIntroduction1Financing a Revolution: An Overview of the Microfinance Challenge in Asia-Pacific32Is there a 'State of the Art' in Microfinance?253Bangladesh: The Pioneering Country654Microfinance in India: Adjusting to Economic Liberalization845Microfinance in Nepal: Coping with Dispersed Markets1076Microfinance in Sri Lanka: The Importance of Adapting to Local Conditions1287Microfinance in Indonesia: Experiments in Linkages and Policy Reform1538Microfinance in Malaysia: Aiming at Success1809Microfinance in the Philippines: Battling the System20010Microfinance in the Pacific Islands: Adjusting to Aid Dependence and the Dutch Disease22011Microfinance For and By the Poor: Lessons from Experience253Bibliography270References270Further Reading286Index288
