Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
992093 World Development 2013 15 Pages PDF
Abstract

SummaryThis paper investigates why and under which institutional circumstances female membership in microfinance institutions (MFI) improves MFI performance in terms of debt repayment. Specifically, this paper theorizes that female membership in MFIs improves the MFI’s performance through enhanced debt repayment, especially under adverse cognitive and regulatory institutional conditions. We draw upon unique qualitative and quantitative data covering 26 microfinance projects in 22 African, Eastern European, Latin American, and Asian countries. This study has implications for the microfinance literature in that it challenges the widely held assumption that female participation has a positive effect on MFI performance under all institutional circumstances.

Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities Economics, Econometrics and Finance Economics and Econometrics
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