Download or read book Microfinance in Africa written by S. Rajagopalan and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Contemporary Microenterprise written by Joseph Mark S. Munoz and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While there have been numerous books and articles written on the popular topic of microfinance , few books have been written on the business model behind it: the microenterprise . Due to its diversity of thought and high quality of chapter contributions, this book is poised to be the book on microenterprises . Contemporary Microenterprise is a collage of the latest research and viewpoints on the subject by recognized academics and experts from around the globe. Through the confluence of diverse and profound voices from around the world, very small (micro) businesses have proven to be the most prevalent and fastest-growing business form, and a suitable model for enterprise survival and success in a challenging global economy. Joseph Mark Munoz has brought together an international cast of contributors, and draws insights from concepts and cases from locations such as Vietnam, the United States, Latin America and Africa. The chapters include conceptual frameworks and research that yield valuable lessons and practical business solutions. The broad scope of this compendium, coupled with its careful attention to detail, will be of critical value to business students and their professors, industry executives, government officials, policymakers, consultants and entrepreneurs.

Download or read book Improving Skills Development in the Informal Sector written by Arvil V. Adams and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2013-07-18 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book uses household surveys in five countries of Sub-Saharan Africa to describe employment off the farm in the region s growing informal sector and assesses how different forms of education and training, including apprenticeships, influence choices in employment and earnings.

Download or read book Financial Performance and Outreach written by Robert J. Cull and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2006 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microfinance contracts have proven able to secure high rates of loan repayment in the face of limited liability and information asymmetries, but high repayment rates have not translated easily into profits for most microbanks. Profitability, though, is at the heart of the promise that microfinance can deliver poverty reduction while not relying on ongoing subsidy. The authors examine why this promise remains unmet for most institutions. Using a data set with unusually high quality financial information on 124 institutions in 49 countries, they explore the patterns of profitability, loan repayment, and cost reduction. The authors find that institutional design and orientation matter substantially. Lenders that do not use group-based methods to overcome incentive problems experience weaker portfolio quality and lower profit rates when interest rates are raised substantially. For these individual-based lenders, one key to achieving profitability is investing more heavily in staff costs-a finding consistent with the economics of information but contrary to the conventional wisdom that profitability is largely a function of minimizing cost.

Download or read book Global Economic Prospects January 2019 written by World Bank Group and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-02-12 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The outlook for the global economy has darkened. Global financing conditions have tightened, industrial production has moderated, trade tensions have intensified, and some large emerging market and developing economies have experienced significant financial market stress. Faced with these headwinds, the recovery in emerging market and developing economies has lost momentum. Downside risks have become more acute and include the possibility of disorderly financial market movements and an escalation of trade disputes. Debt vulnerabilities in emerging market and developing economies, particularly low-income countries, have increased. More frequent severe weather events would raise the possibility of large swings in international food prices, which could deepen poverty. In this difficult environment, it is of paramount importance for emerging market and developing economies to rebuild policy buffers while laying a stronger foundation for future growth by boosting human capital, promoting trade integration, and addressing the challenges associated with informality,

Download or read book Inclusive Finance in China written by Yan Li and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-06-01 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores for the first time the world of micro-finance, Chinese startups, and the digitalization of the Chinese economy. Through the cases such as the Ant Financial Services Group, CFPA Microfinance, micro-financial projects of China Minsheng Bank, Meixing in Nanchong, and more, this book introduces the practical exploration in the recent years from the perspectives of microfinance, financing of small and medium sized enterprises, digital inclusive finance, and credit. From the perspective of management, it especially integrates an enterprise’s task, vision, and value into the design of organization process, deeply explores how to realized the double bottom lines of social and financial performances, manifests how microfinance’s marginal cost is reduced by digital finance such as data, internet, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and the advantages of digital finance in providing convenient, low-cost, and touchable service, and discusses its huge technological bonus to small-amount, decentralized, and large-quantity microfinance. This book will be of value to journalists, economists and researchers.

Download or read book Harvesting Prosperity written by Keith Fuglie and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book documents frontier knowledge on the drivers of agriculture productivity to derive pragmatic policy advice for governments and development partners on reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity. The analysis describes global trends and long-term sources of total factor productivity growth, along with broad trends in partial factor productivity for land and labor, revisiting the question of scale economies in farming. Technology is central to growth in agricultural productivity, yet across many parts of the developing world, readily available technology is never taken up. We investigate demand-side constraints of the technology equation to analyze factors that might influence producers, particularly poor producers, to adopt modern technology. Agriculture and food systems are rapidly transforming, characterized by shifting food preferences, the rise and growing sophistication of value chains, the increasing globalization of agriculture, and the expanding role of the public and private sectors in bringing about efficient and more rapid productivity growth. In light of this transformation, the analysis focuses on the supply side of the technology equation, exploring how the enabling environment and regulations related to trade and intellectual property rights stimulate Research and Development to raise productivity. The book also discusses emerging developments in modern value chains that contribute to rising productivity. This book is the fourth volume of the World Bank Productivity Project, which seeks to bring frontier thinking on the measurement and determinants of productivity to global policy makers.

Download or read book Crying Out for Change written by Deepa Narayan-Parker and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A multi-country research initiative to understand poverty from the eyes of the poor, the Voices of the Poor project was undertaken to inform the World Bank's activities and the upcoming World Development Report 2000/01. The research findings are being published in three books: "Can Anyone Hear Us?" gathers the voices of over 40,000 poor women and men in 50 countries from the World Bank's participatory poverty assessments (Deepa Narayan, Raj Patel, Kai Schafft, Anne Rademacher, and Sarah Koch-Schulte, authors). "Crying Out for Change" pulls together new field work conducted in 1999 in 23 countries (Deepa Narayan, Robert Chambers, Meera Shah, and Patti Petesch, authors). "From Many Lands" offers regional patterns and country case-studies (Deepa Narayan and Patti Petesch, editors). Voices of the Poor marks the first time such an exercise has been undertaken in so many developing countries and transition economies around the world. It provides a unique and detailed picture of the life of the poor and explains the constraints poor people face to escape from poverty in a way that more traditional survey techniques do not capture well. Each of the three volumes demonstrates the importance of voice and power in poor people's definition of poverty. Voices of the Poor concludes that we need to expand our conventional views of poverty which focus on income expenditure, education, and health to include measures of voice and empowerment.

Download or read book Ghana written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2011-06-14 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the 2003 Financial Stability Assessment Program (FSAP) update, Ghana’s financial system has undergone rapid growth and structural transformation. The authorities have been implementing reforms to enhance the financial system’s resilience to shocks and its contribution to growth. The vulnerabilities reflect the interplay of several factors, but state involvement is an important element. The other contributory factors include deficiencies in commercial banks’ risk management, supervision, and the insolvency regime. Additional recommendations are detailed in the Report on the Standards and Codes on Compliance (ROSC) with the Basel Core Principles (BCP).

Download or read book The East African Community written by Ms.Catherine McAuliffe and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2012-11-14 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The East African Community (EAC) has been among the fastest growing regions in sub-Saharan Africa in the past decade or so. Nonetheless, the recent growth path will not be enough to achieve middle-income status and substantial poverty reduction by the end of the decade—the ambition of most countries in the region. This paper builds on methodologies established in the growth literature to identify a group of countries that achieved growth accelerations and sustained growth to use as benchmarks to evaluate the prospects, and potential constraints, for EAC countries to translate their recent growth upturn into sustained high growth. We find that EAC countries compare favorably to the group of sustained growth countries—macroeconomic and government stability, favorable business climate, and strong institutions—but important differences remain. EAC countries have a smaller share of exports, lower degree of financial deepening, lower levels of domestic savings, higher reliance on donor aid, and limited physical infrastructure and human capital. Policy choices to address some of these shortcomings could make a difference in whether the EAC follows the path of sustained growth or follows other countries where growth upturns later fizzled out.

Download or read book Microfinance Institutions written by R. Mersland and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-12-11 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research on MFI performance is still in its infancy. MFIs are hybrid organizations with dual objectives. Performance studies in microfinance are therefore less straightforward compared to performance studies in traditional banking research. This book contains new MFI performance research by top scholars from across the globe.

Download or read book Making Finance Work for Africa written by Patrick Honohan and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2007 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on its extensive experience in helping restructure and reform financial systems, the World Bank examines the state of African domestic financial systems in a global comparison. It identifies promising trends as well as pinpointing the major shortcomings that are observed across sub-Saharan Africa. Policy recommendations distinguish between those designed to make finance a more effective driver of economic growth and those designed to give low income, small-scale and other excluded groups better access to financial services.

Download or read book Fintech with Artificial Intelligence Big Data and Blockchain written by Paul Moon Sub Choi and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-03-08 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book introduces readers to recent advancements in financial technologies. The contents cover some of the state-of-the-art fields in financial technology, practice, and research associated with artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain—all of which are transforming the nature of how products and services are designed and delivered, making less adaptable institutions fast become obsolete. The book provides the fundamental framework, research insights, and empirical evidence in the efficacy of these new technologies, employing practical and academic approaches to help professionals and academics reach innovative solutions and grow competitive strengths.

Download or read book Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2008-10-07 with total page 792 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 'Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook' provides an up-to-date understanding of gender issues and a rich compilation of compelling evidence of good practices and lessons learned to guide practitioners in integrating gender dimensions into agricultural projects and programs. It is serves as a tool for: guidance; showcasing key principles in integrating gender into projects; stimulating the imagination of practitioners to apply lessons learned, experiences, and innovations to the design of future support and investment in the agriculture sector. The Sourcebook draws on a wide range of experience from World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and other donor agencies, governments, institutions, and groups active in agricultural development. The Sourcebook looks at: access to and control of assets; access to markets, information and organization; and capacity to manage risk and vulnerability through a gender lens. There are 16 modules covering themes of cross-cutting importance for agriculture with strong gender dimensions (Policy, Public Administration and Governance; Agricultural Innovation and Education; Food Security; Markets; Rural Finance; Rural Infrastructure; Water; Land; Labor; Natural Resource Management; and Disaster and Post-Conflict Management) and specific subsectors in agriculture (Crops, Livestock, Forestry, and Fisheries). A separate module on Monitoring and Evaluation is included, responding to the need to track implementation and development impact. Each module contains three different sub-units: (1) A Module Overview gives a broad introduction to the topic and provides a summary of major development issues in the sector and rationale of looking at gender dimension; (2) Thematic Notes provide a brief and technically sound guide in gender integration in selected themes with lessons learned, guidelines, checklists, organizing principles, key questions, and key performance indicators; and (3) Innovative Activity Profiles describe the design and innovative features of recent and exciting projects and activities that have been implemented or are ongoing.

Download or read book Decent Work and Economic Growth written by Walter Leal Filho and published by Springer. This book was released on 2020-10-20 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The problems related to the process of industrialisation such as biodiversity depletion, climate change and a worsening of health and living conditions, especially but not only in developing countries, intensify. Therefore, there is an increasing need to search for integrated solutions to make development more sustainable. The United Nations has acknowledged the problem and approved the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. On 1st January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda officially came into force. These goals cover the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. The Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals comprehensively addresses the SDGs in an integrated way. The Encyclopedia encompasses 17 volumes, each one devoted to one of the 17 SDGs. This volume addresses SDG 8, namely "Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all" and contains the description of a range of terms, to allow a better understanding and foster knowledge. The predominant economic model is promoting a lopsided economic growth that is further increasing the gap between the have and the have-nots. This SDG is not just proposing the attainment of more just and empowering economic models, but it also puts at the forefront the well-being of workers by striving to provide employment and better working conditions that respect the dignity of workers. Concretely, the defined targets are: Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value Substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and end child labour in all its forms Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment Devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries Develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization Editorial Board Rimjhim M Aggarwal, Rosa Maria Fernandez, Edurne A. Inigo, Nerise Johnson, Dmitry Kurochkin, Wim Lambrechts, Sonja Rewhorn, Marco Tortora, Tony Wall

Download or read book Information Economy Report 2010 written by United Nations and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Microfinance Mirage written by Esayas Bekele Geleta and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-03-09 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microfinance has long been considered a development strategy that can correct the failure of the global credit market and address the financial needs of the poor enabling them to create and run profitable business enterprises. The Microfinance Mirage argues that this neo-liberal oriented analysis overemphasises the economic argument whilst ignoring the cultural roots of inequality and subordination. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted among rural credit clients in the Northern region of Ethiopia, Esayas Bekele Geleta provides a nuanced critical analysis of microfinance challenging the common assumption that it facilitates the building of social capital, poverty reduction and the empowerment of women. Making a unique contribution to our further understanding of the microfinance industry the research shows that, in some cases, microfinance can result in the disintegration of pre-existing relationships and in the disruption and destruction of the livelihoods of the poor. Exploring the impact of microfinance in one of the poorest regions of sub-Saharan Africa, this book demonstrates its potential and problems and shows the complex and contradictory social and cultural environments in which projects are often located.