Microfinance institutions and female entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: avoidable female unemployment thresholds

Simplice Asongu and Nicholas Odhiambo

No 23/007, Working Papers of The Association for Promoting Women in Research and Development in Africa (ASPROWORDA). from The Association for Promoting Women in Research and Development in Africa (ASPROWORDA)

Abstract: The present study contributes to the extant literature by assessing how microfinance institutions (MFIs) affect female entrepreneurship, contingent on female unemployment levels. The study focuses on 44 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the period 2004 to 2018. The empirical evidence is based on interactive quantile regressions, which put emphasis on nations with high, low and intermediate levels of business constraints. The analysis is tailored to provide avoidable female unemployment levels in the implementation of policies designed for MFIs to promote female business ownership. The hypotheses that MFIs are favorable for female business owners and some critical rates of female unemployment should be avoided in order for the favorable incidence to be maintained is exclusively valid in the 10th quantiles of the cost of business by females and time to start-up a business by females. Policy implications are discussed. This study has complemented the extant literature by providing actionable female unemployment critical masses that governments can act upon in tailoring the nexus between the relevance of MFIs in the doing of business by females.

Keywords: Africa; Microfinance; Gender; Inclusive development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G20 I10 I32 O40 O55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 22
Date: 2023-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ent, nep-mfd and nep-pay
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Forthcoming: Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies

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https://publications.asproworda.org/RePEc/aak/aak- ... b-Saharan-Africa.pdf Revised version, 2023 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Microfinance institutions and female entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: avoidable female unemployment thresholds (2023)
Working Paper: Microfinance institutions and female entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: avoidable female unemployment thresholds (2023)
Working Paper: Microfinance institutions and female entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: avoidable female unemployment thresholds (2023)
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