Read more
Despite the considerable economic growth of the Asia-Pacific, poverty continues to be a major problem. One key way to create sustainable livelihoods and to provide poor households an escape route from poverty is microfinance. Since the early 1980s, microfinance practitioners have proven that the poor are creditworthy, capable of utilizing scarce capital efficiently in viable incom-generating projects and able to pay back their loans. This book collects the experience of microfinance practitioners in 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific region to describe the present state of the art. It is designed to provide an overview of the subject: why it is so essential to poverty reduction; what is the best practice; what kind of policy framework and regulatory environment is required. It offers both an extensive survey of the academic literature and a selection of case studies, all from authors who have been active practitioners in microfinance for many years. The case studies cover four key countries in South Asia and three countries in East Asia in which microfinance had become particularly important. There is also a regional chapter covering the Pacific islands.
List of contents
Part I Microfinance: From Theory to Practice; Chapter 1 Financing a Revolution: An Overview of the Microfinance Challenge in Asia-Pacific, Mike Getubig, David Gibbons, Joe Remenyi; Chapter 2 Is there a 'State of the Art' in Microfinance?, Joe Remenyi; Part II Microfinance in South Asia; Chapter 3 Bangladesh: The Pioneering Country, Iftekhar Hossain, Javed Sakhawat, Ben Quiñones, Stuart Rutherford; Chapter 4 Microfinance in India: Adjusting to Economic Liberalization, Sanjay Sinha, John Samuel, Ben Quiñones; Chapter 5 Microfinance in Nepal: Coping with Dispersed Markets, Harihar Dev-Pant, Dipak Dhungel, H. Dieter Seibel; Chapter 6 Microfinance in Sri Lanka: The Importance of Adapting to Local Conditions, Sunimal Fernando, Joe Remenyi; Part III East Asia and the Pacific Islands; Chapter 7 Microti na rice in Indonesia: Experiments in Linkages and Policy Reform, Uben Parhusip, H. Dieter Seibel; Chapter 8 Microfinance in Malaysia: Aiming at Success, Siwar Chamhuri, Ben Quiñones; Chapter 9 Microfinance in the Philippines: Battling the System, Ruth Callanta, Edgardo Garcia, Gilberto M. Llanto, H. Dieter Seibel; Chapter 10 Microfinance in the Pacific Islands: Adjusting to Aid Dependence and the Dutch Disease, Joe Remenyi; Part IV Conclusions: Learning from Experience; Chapter 11 Microfinance For and By the Poor: Lessons from Experience, David Gibbons, Ben Quiñones, Joe Remenyi, H. Dieter Seibel;
About the author
Joe Remenyi Programme Coordinator, Asian and Pacific Development Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Benjamin Quiñones Jr.
