This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

The Evolution of A Microcredit Institution: The Irish Loan Funds, 1720 - 1920

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Aidan Hollis
Arthur Sweetman

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

We introduce the Irish loan funds, a set of independent but regulated microcredit societies, which in the mid-nineteenth century were lending to 20% of Irish households. Their institutional evolution is traced from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. This system was remarkably successful at transferring capital to the "industrious poor" on a large scale over a long period. We argue that its structure conferred many advantages on the funds, enabling them to mitigate informational problems and allowing sufficient flexibility for the institution to survive even the Great Famine. Empirical analysis confirms their sensitivity to external economic factors and their role in promoting diversification.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://repec.economics.utoronto.ca/files/UT-ECIPA-ECPAP-96-01.ps
File Format: application/pdf
File Function: MainText
Download Restriction: no
File URL: http://repec.economics.utoronto.ca/files/UT-ECIPA-ECPAP-96-01_1.ps
File Format: application/pdf
File Function: Addendum
Download Restriction: no
File URL: http://repec.economics.utoronto.ca/files/UT-ECIPA-ECPAP-96-01_2.ps
File Format: application/pdf
File Function: Addendum
Download Restriction: no
File URL: http://repec.economics.utoronto.ca/files/UT-ECIPA-ECPAP-96-01.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function: MainText
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Toronto, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number ecpap-96-01.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 42 pages
Date of creation: 02 Jan 1996
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:tor:tecipa:ecpap-96-01

Contact details of provider:
Postal: 150 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario
Phone: (416) 978-5283
Fax: (416) 978-6713

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (RePEc Maintainer).

Related research
Keywords:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
N23 - Economic History - - Financial Markets and Institutions - - - Europe: Pre-1913
O16 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment
O17 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
Please 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.:
  1. North, Douglass C., 1984. "Government and the Cost of Exchange in History," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 44(02), pages 255-264, June. [Downloadable!]
  2. Udry, Christopher, 1994. "Risk and Insurance in a Rural Credit Market: An Empirical Investigation in Northern Nigeria," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 61(3), pages 495-526, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Hoff, Karla, 2008. "Joseph E. Stiglitz," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4478, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  4. Adams, Dale W & Von Pischke, J. D., 1992. "Microenterprise credit programs: Deja vu," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 20(10), pages 1463-1470, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Banerjee, Abhijit V & Besley, Timothy & Guinnane, Timothy W, 1994. "Thy Neighbor's Keeper: The Design of a Credit Cooperative with Theory and a Test," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 109(2), pages 491-515, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Besley, Timothy & Coate, Stephen & Loury, Glenn, 1993. "The Economics of Rotating Savings and Credit Associations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(4), pages 792-810, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Aruna Srinivasan, 1994. "Intervention in credit markets and development lending," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, issue May, pages 13-27.
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? You too can volunteer for RePEc, for example by encouraging others to use our services.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-21.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.