This chapter focuses on the literature that discusses the performance of microfinance
institutions (MFIs). It provides a systematic overview of research that analyses the …

Microfinance is often assumed to be an ethically progressive industry, but in recent years it
has been the target of much ethical criticism. Microfinance institutions have been accused of …

This paper uses stochastic frontier analysis to examine whether there is a trade-off between
outreach to the poor and efficiency of microfinance institutions (MFIs). We find convincing …

Most of the customers of microfinance institutions are female. But do men and women
benefit from the same credit conditions? We investigate this issue by presenting an original …

Recent evidence suggests only modest social and economic impacts of microfinance.
Favorable cost-benefit ratios then depend on low costs. This paper calculates the costs of …

Conventional microfinance institutions (MFIs) can promote financial inclusion, but they also
prompt ethical concerns regarding the social consequences of commercialization and high …

Financial inclusion is said to foster development and growth. However, progress in financial
inclusion has been slow in rural areas where poverty is most pronounced. This is often …

We evaluate the efficiency of microfinance institutions (MFIs) using a structural approach
which also captures these institutions' outreach and sustainability objectives. We estimate …

This paper examines the relation between geographic diversification and credit risk in
microfinance. The empirical findings from the banking industry are mixed and inconclusive …

This paper starts from the observation that 23% of the world's microfinance institutions (MFIs)
manage without subsidies. We examine how unsubsidized institutions cope with their social …