Inequality and the polarizing impact of microcredit: evidence from Zambia's copperbelt

James Copestake

Journal of International Development, 2002, vol. 14, issue 6, 743-755

Abstract: While much research has addressed the impact of microcredit on poverty, less attention has been paid to inequality. This paper draws on research on the Zambian Copperbelt to show how impact on income distribution depends upon who obtains loans, who graduates to larger loans, who exits and group dynamics. Some initial levelling up of business income was found, but the more marked overall effect among borrowers was of income polarisation. To gain a full picture, more research is needed into the wider impact of the big gainers not only on their competitors, customers and employees, but also on political tolerance of inequality. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Date: 2002
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (28)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1002/jid.921 Link to full text; subscription required (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:14:y:2002:i:6:p:743-755

DOI: 10.1002/jid.921

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of International Development is currently edited by Paul Mosley and Hazel Johnson

More articles in Journal of International Development from John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().