Microfinance expansion and its effects on cost efficiency

Jules Yimga

The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 2018, vol. 69, issue C, 205-216

Abstract: Although the scalability of microfinance has gained much attention in recent times, questions about its effects remain largely unanswered. Within the rationale for scalability, resides the inherent notion that a microfinance institution could make up for its loan-size disadvantage by disbursing enough small loans that would potentially translate in scale economies and thus cost efficiency gains. We test this assertion in the presence of “uncontrolled growth”—the surge in microfinance lending during the boom years of 2004–2008. In a nutshell, are cost efficiencies evident during rapid microfinance expansion? We find that aggressive microfinance growth consistently results in cost inefficiencies.

Keywords: Microfinance; Cost efficiency; Panel estimation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G21 G23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:quaeco:v:69:y:2018:i:c:p:205-216

DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2018.03.006

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