Can Microfinance Reduce Economic Insecurity and Poverty? By How Much and How?

Nazrul Islam

Working Papers from United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs

Abstract: The paper suggests that, rather than through its narrow, direct financial impact, microfinance may prove to be more potent in reducing insecurity and poverty through its indirect, broader impact leading to a more egalitarian initial endowment distribution that is necessary for the "take-off" of an equitable growth process. The paper begins by examining the distinctive roles of micro credit, micro savings, and micro insurance programs in dealing with poverty and insecurity, and highlights the complementariness that exists among these programs and how this complementariness can be used to overcome the weaknesses of the individual programs.

Keywords: Poverty; Economic insecurity; Micro credit; Micro savings; Micro insurance; Micro finance; Non Government Organizations (NGO) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G21 G22 O16 O17 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 22 pages
Date: 2009-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-mfd
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:une:wpaper:82

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