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The Politics of Subversion in Development Practice: An Exploration of Microfinance in Nepal and Vietnam

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  • Yogendra Shakya
  • Katharine Rankin

Abstract

This paper considers the ways in which beneficiaries of microfinance programmes in two Asian countries routinely transgress programme protocols and regulations, and fail to conform to the entrepreneurial subjectivities the programmes seek to promote. It aims to develop an interpretive framework for these practices. Specifically, we take up Abu-Lughod's injunction to 'use resistance as a diagnostic of power' in order to explore the political rationalities and governmental technologies of microfinance, as well as the cultural ideologies and material conditions in particular locales. We then consider the difficult question of political agency by drawing on prevailing theories of resistance to develop a typology that distinguishes among three overlapping kinds of transgressive practices. The objective ultimately is to explore how this interpretive framework might contribute to imagining more politically engaged and responsive models of development, as well as to critiquing the market-oriented foundation of existing models.

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  • Yogendra Shakya & Katharine Rankin, 2008. "The Politics of Subversion in Development Practice: An Exploration of Microfinance in Nepal and Vietnam," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(8), pages 1214-1235.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:44:y:2008:i:8:p:1214-1235
    DOI: 10.1080/00220380802242461
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. repec:pri:rpdevs:morduch_microfinance_poor is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Jonathan Morduch, 1998. "Does Microfinance Really Help the Poor? New Evidence from Flagship Programs in Bangladesh," Working Papers 198, Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Research Program in Development Studies..
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    Cited by:

    1. W. Nathan Green & Theavy Chhom & Reach Mony & Jennifer Estes, 2023. "The Underside of Microfinance: Performance Indicators and Informal Debt in Cambodia," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 54(4), pages 780-803, July.
    2. Katarzyna Cieslik & Olivia D’Aoust, 2018. "Risky Business? Rural Entrepreneurship in Subsistence Markets: Evidence from Burundi," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(4), pages 693-717, September.
    3. Katarzyna Cieslik & Marek Hudon & Philip Verwimp, 2015. "Unruly Entrepreneurs - Value Creation and Value Capture by Microfinance Clients in Rural Burundi," Working Papers CEB 15-013, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    4. Tanima, Farzana Aman & Brown, Judy & Wright, Jan & Mackie, Vera, 2023. "Taking critical dialogic accountability into the field: Engaging contestation around microfinance and women’s empowerment," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    5. Watts, Natasha & Scales, Ivan R., 2020. "Social impact investing, agriculture, and the financialisation of development: Insights from sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    6. Minh T.N. Nguyen, 2021. "Portfolios of Social Protection, Labour Mobility and the Rise of Life Insurance in Rural Central Vietnam," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 52(2), pages 316-339, March.
    7. Tanima, Farzana Aman & Brown, Judy & Dillard, Jesse, 2020. "Surfacing the political: Women’s empowerment, microfinance, critical dialogic accounting and accountability," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    8. Sutter, Christopher & Bruton, Garry D. & Chen, Juanyi, 2019. "Entrepreneurship as a solution to extreme poverty: A review and future research directions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 197-214.
    9. Mohummed Shofi Ullah Mazumder, 2022. "The Effects of Microfinance Programs on Recipients’ Livelihoods in Rural Bangladesh," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(3), pages 1383-1418, June.

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