Understanding the Diversity and Complexity of Demand for Microfinance Services: Lessons from Informal Finance

Isabelle Guérin, Soléne Morvant-Roux and Jean-Michel Servet
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Soléne Morvant-Roux: Department of Political Economy, University of Fribourg, RUME and CERMi, Switzerland
Jean-Michel Servet: Graduate Institute (IHEID), Genéva, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement-UMR 201 and CERMi, France

Chapter 5 in The Handbook of Microfinance, 2011, pp 101-121 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: AbstractThe following sections are included:The Social Meaning of Money, Debt and SavingMoney: A source of tension between the individual and the groupInformal finance: Diverse practices and landscapesIn What Ways Do People Perceive and Experience Finance?Saving and credit: A false dichotomyROSCAs: Individual projects and collective constraintsThe circulation of money and juggling practicesFlexibility and negotiabilityThe Role of Informal Financial Practices in the Appropriation of MicrofinanceBorrowing to onlend: Abuse or a normal part of the system?Group lending: Internal arrangements and the reproduction of pre-existing practicesSubstitution or leverage effect?ConclusionReferences

Keywords: Microfinance; Poverty; Microcredit; Informal Markets; Microsavings; Microinsurance; Social Responsibility; Randomized Impact Evaluations; Ethics; Gender; South Asia; Latin America; Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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