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Journal of Microfinance / ESR Review

Abstract

Management decision making in MFIs is becoming increasingly tied to collecting information about social performance. This paper examines the impact of participation in an Ethiopian microfinance program on indicators of socioeconomic status including wealth, income, and home or land ownership.A survey assessing these outcomes was conducted in May 2003 in two predominantly rural sites in Southern Ethiopia and included 819 households. The article discusses management decisions made as the result of survey findings about socioeconomic status and food security to increase retention rates and to facilitate client savings. Additionally, the management was prompted to increase the number of female clients and raise the proportion of female loan officers. This paper illustrates how data from routine monitoring and evaluation can be linked to MFI management decision making, which ultimately results in providing better microfinance services.

Biography

Shannon Doocy is a Research Associate in the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.; Dan Norell is a Team Leader for Microenterprise Development, World Vision US.; Shimeles Teffera is a Technical Officer for the WISDOM Microfinance Institution.; Gilbert Burnham is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Section

Articles

Journal Title

Journal of Microfinance

Issue and Volume

7-1

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