Microfinance and Poverty—A Macro Perspective
Abstract
We test the hypothesis that microfinance reduces poverty at the macro level using cross-country and panel data which are constructed by the Microfinance Information Exchange data on Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) and the World Bank data. Taking account of the endogeneity associated with MFIs’ loans, we show that a country with higher MFIs’ gross loan portfolio per capita tends to have lower levels of poverty indices. Contrary to recent micro evidence, our results suggest that microfinance significantly reduces poverty at macro level and thus reinforce the case for channeling funds from development finance institutions and governments of developing countries into MFIs.Download Info
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Bibliographic Info
Article provided by Elsevier in its journal World Development.
Volume (Year): 40 (2012)
Issue (Month): 8 ()
Pages: 1675-1689
Contact details of provider:
Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/worlddev
Related research
Keywords: microfinance; poverty; loan portfolio; macro and global;Other versions of this item:
- Katsushi Imai & Raghav Gaiha & Ganesh Thapa & Samuel Kobina Annim, 2010. "Microfinance and Poverty A Macro Perspective," The School of Economics Discussion Paper Series 1020, Economics, The University of Manchester.
- Katsushi S. Imai & Raghav Gaiha & Ganesh Thapa & Samuel Kobina Annim, 2010. "Microfinance and Poverty -A Macro Perspective," Discussion Paper Series DP2010-33, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
- Katsushi S. Imai & Ganesh Thapa & Samuel Kobina Annim, 2010. "Microfinance and Poverty -A Macro Perspective," Discussion Paper Series DP2010-30, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
- C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Longitudinal Data; Spatial Time Series
- E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
- G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
- I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
- O15 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
References
References listed on IDEASPlease report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
- Morduch, Jonathan, 1999. "The role of subsidies in microfinance: evidence from the Grameen Bank," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 229-248, October.
Citations
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.Cited by:
- Katsushi S. Imai & Raghav Gaiha & Ganesh Thapa & Samuel Kobina Annim, 2013. "Financial Crisis in Asia: Its Genesis, Severity and Impact on Poverty and Hunger," Discussion Paper Series DP2013-10, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
- Katsushi S. Imai & Raghav Gaiha & Ganesh Thapa & Samuel Kobina Annim & Aditi Gupta, 2012. "Financial Performance of Microfinance Institutions-A Macroeconomic and Institutional Perspective," Discussion Paper Series DP2012-04, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
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