Matching Items (9)
Description
The microfinance industry provides financial services to the world's poor in hopes of moving individuals and families out of poverty. This dissertation document suggests that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are changing the microfinance industry, especially given recent advancements in mobile banking, Internet usage and connectivity, and a decreasing digital divide. These impacts are discussed in three essays. First, ICTs impact intermediation among various players in the microfinance industry. Second, ICTs impact the extent to which microfinance institutions (MFIs) extend their outreach to poorer or more geographically remote borrowers. Finally, ICTs impact the location of decision rights given newly forming peer-to-peer (P2P) social microlending organizations. As the microfinance industry increases its adoption and reliance on ICTs, new and interesting opportunities abound for researchers in the information systems discipline.
ContributorsWeber, David Michael (Author) / Riggins, Frederick J. (Thesis advisor) / Kulkarni, Uday R. (Thesis advisor) / Carey, Jane M. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Arizona Microcredit Initiative (AMI) is a student-run nonprofit organization that empowers passionate men and women to start their own companies. Through this project, AMI will continue to fulfill its mission by establishing organizational processes that staff members can reference while making strategic decisions in the future. This project provides detailed information regarding AMI's Founding and History, along with current operations. This information being available to AMI members will allow the team to continue to empower themselves, AMI clients, and the organization as a whole to grow and make a larger impact in the Greater Phoenix community.
ContributorsDodell, Daniel (Co-author) / Schnell, Jennifer (Co-author) / Benesh, Jordan (Co-author) / Levendowski, Glenda (Thesis director) / Geiger, Karen (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
My interest in this topic began last summer when I was fortunate enough to travel to Tomatin, Honduras on a microfinance mission with the organization Global Brigades. Microfinance previously an unknown concept to me, but once I saw the effect it had on the lives of those in need, I was immediately sold on its effectiveness. Microfinance stems from the field of developmental aid. While generally understood as one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against poverty, question as to which methods and techniques are the most effective are still unanswered. It is the goal of my thesis to examine the research in the area of microfinance, reveal the most effective methods, and apply these findings to improve the structure of the Global Brigade microfinance institution in Tomatin.
ContributorsZurek, Joseph William (Author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / Herbert, Anne (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
By volunteering with a microfinance program in the historic coastal town of Saint-Louis, Senegal in the fall of 2016, I became embedded within the Senegalese culture and gained a unique perspective on the loan process. Coordinated by the for-profit organization, Projects Abroad, the microfinance office aimed to help women and Talibés (young men studying the Quran) gain financial independence through small-scale sustainable entrepreneurship while simultaneously providing its volunteers with meaningful experiences.
The purpose of my thesis is to examine the interactions among the Senegalese staff, international volunteers, and Senegalese loan participants, and the ways in which their constantly evolving reactionary relationships impacted the program. The paper provides a context of Saint-Louis, Senegal as well as the Projects Abroad Organization and outlines the loan process prior to examining the daily activities of the program. I highlight important factors such as religion, education, gender roles, and saving techniques in order to show how juxtaposing values and traditions played key roles in the program’s evolution. Ultimately, I argue that the heterogeneity of values, norms, and expectations among those participating in the program created both obstacles and opportunities for program implementation and the ways in which to gauge its success.
By sharing my personal observations and experiences, I hope to provide the reader with a greater understanding of the complexities of intercultural communication in the microfinance arena. In the words of the American economist and philosopher Tyler Cowen, “Real cultural diversity results from the interchange of ideas, products, and influences, not from the insular development of a single national style.”
The purpose of my thesis is to examine the interactions among the Senegalese staff, international volunteers, and Senegalese loan participants, and the ways in which their constantly evolving reactionary relationships impacted the program. The paper provides a context of Saint-Louis, Senegal as well as the Projects Abroad Organization and outlines the loan process prior to examining the daily activities of the program. I highlight important factors such as religion, education, gender roles, and saving techniques in order to show how juxtaposing values and traditions played key roles in the program’s evolution. Ultimately, I argue that the heterogeneity of values, norms, and expectations among those participating in the program created both obstacles and opportunities for program implementation and the ways in which to gauge its success.
By sharing my personal observations and experiences, I hope to provide the reader with a greater understanding of the complexities of intercultural communication in the microfinance arena. In the words of the American economist and philosopher Tyler Cowen, “Real cultural diversity results from the interchange of ideas, products, and influences, not from the insular development of a single national style.”
ContributorsDavis, Claire Mello (Author) / Sivak, Henry (Thesis director) / Haines, Chad (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
This thesis examines the marketing efforts of Arizona Microcredit Initiative (AMI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit run by Arizona State University students. The mission of AMI is to empower and education underserved entrepreneurs in greater Phoenix through microloans up to $5,000, free consulting and free business education workshops. Included is an analysis of past marketing efforts, research on potential solutions and recommendations for future marketing strategy.
ContributorsNichols, Elizabeth (Author) / Shockley, Gordon (Thesis director) / Geiger, Karen (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Microfinance is a term that refers to providing basic financial services to the poor; it has become a powerful tool for poverty alleviation. The idea is a relatively new one - modern microfinance began through experiments in the 1970's - but it has grown quickly and currently serves over 155 million clients worldwide. There are many studies that provide evidence of the positive impact of microfinance and the movement has an array of enthusiastic proponents. It is certainly not the only solution in the battle against poverty, however, and there are also studies that question the true depth of its impact. In looking at microfinance around the globe, one thing becomes clear: although it is an international phenomenon, microfinance has definitely found more success in some regions over others.
ContributorsEdgell, Bailey (Author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / Schoellman, Todd (Committee member) / Forbes, Stephen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor)
Created2012-12
DescriptionThe paper covers the everchanging relationship between Microfinance and child education numbers in India. The aim is to take a broad-stroke view of the entire country and see if there is a correlation that can be made between these two aspects.
ContributorsSheth, Avi (Author) / Brooks, Wyatt (Thesis director) / Tang, Xu (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Civic & Economic Thought and Leadership (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
In this paper, I study many-to-one matching markets in a dynamic framework with the
following features: Matching is irreversible, participants exogenously join the market
over time, each agent is restricted by a quota, and agents are perfectly patient. A
form of strategic behavior in such markets emerges: The side with many slots can
manipulate the subsequent matching market in their favor via earlier matchings. In
such a setting, a natural question arises: Is it possible to analyze a dynamic many-to-one
matching market as if it were either a static many-to-one or a dynamic one-to-one
market? First, I provide sufficient conditions under which the answer is yes. Second,
I show that if these conditions are not met, then the early matchings are "inferior"
to the subsequent matchings. Lastly, I extend the model to allow agents on one side
to endogenously decide when to join the market. Using this extension, I provide
a rationale for the small amount of unraveling observed in the United States (US)
medical residency matching market compared to the US college-admissions system.
Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) are designed to improve the welfare of the poor.
Group lending with joint liability is the standard contract used by these institutions.
Such a contract performs two roles: it affects the composition of the groups that form,
and determines the properties of risk-sharing among their members. Even though the
literature suggests that groups consist of members with similar characteristics, there
is evidence also of groups with heterogeneous agents. The underlying reason is that
the literature lacked the risk-sharing behavior of the agents within a group. This
paper develops a model of group lending where agents form groups, obtain capital
from the MFI, and share risks among themselves. First, I show that joint liability
introduces inefficiency for risk-averse agents. Moreover, the composition of the groups
is not always homogeneous once risk-sharing is on the table.
following features: Matching is irreversible, participants exogenously join the market
over time, each agent is restricted by a quota, and agents are perfectly patient. A
form of strategic behavior in such markets emerges: The side with many slots can
manipulate the subsequent matching market in their favor via earlier matchings. In
such a setting, a natural question arises: Is it possible to analyze a dynamic many-to-one
matching market as if it were either a static many-to-one or a dynamic one-to-one
market? First, I provide sufficient conditions under which the answer is yes. Second,
I show that if these conditions are not met, then the early matchings are "inferior"
to the subsequent matchings. Lastly, I extend the model to allow agents on one side
to endogenously decide when to join the market. Using this extension, I provide
a rationale for the small amount of unraveling observed in the United States (US)
medical residency matching market compared to the US college-admissions system.
Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) are designed to improve the welfare of the poor.
Group lending with joint liability is the standard contract used by these institutions.
Such a contract performs two roles: it affects the composition of the groups that form,
and determines the properties of risk-sharing among their members. Even though the
literature suggests that groups consist of members with similar characteristics, there
is evidence also of groups with heterogeneous agents. The underlying reason is that
the literature lacked the risk-sharing behavior of the agents within a group. This
paper develops a model of group lending where agents form groups, obtain capital
from the MFI, and share risks among themselves. First, I show that joint liability
introduces inefficiency for risk-averse agents. Moreover, the composition of the groups
is not always homogeneous once risk-sharing is on the table.
ContributorsAltinok, Ahmet (Author) / Chade, Hector (Thesis advisor) / Manelli, Alejandro (Committee member) / Friedenberg, Amanda (Committee member) / Kovrijnykh, Natalia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
As of 2021, over $124 billion of Microfinance has been distributed by the World Bank amongst 140 million borrowers globally. Systems of credit and finance are spread unevenly around the world; in under-developed countries credit bureaus are uncommon and banking networks are more selective regarding loans. Therefore, a system of microloans has emerged, which has targeted small business owners who would not typically qualify for traditional loans from banks and other financial institutions. With approval, microloans typically provide the full loan amount upfront and charge the borrower monthly repayments with interest. On a broad scale, the difference between traditional finance and Microfinance lies within their scope. Microfinance is focused on the individual level to those defined as poor or impoverished by the World Bank, while traditional finance is focused on whole economies or corporations. The primary concern with Microfinance options like this is the higher probability of borrowers defaulting on their loans. This engenders an inescapable cycle of late payments and increased interest rates ultimately resulting in the borrower spending more money than they borrowed. However, Microfinance plans of this type are often the option for individuals stuck in impoverished countries or dismantled economies.
At its core, Microfinance is a profit-focused industry that targets individuals that have proved they are not able to repay loans on the conditions of lenders. This arguably sexist industry has presented itself as an opportunity for those less fortunate to obtain funding for dreams currently unattainable given their circumstances. Thus, it is the institutions behind the Microfinance industry that are the problem, not the loans themselves.
ContributorsSchoennagel, Jake (Author) / Niebuhr, Robert (Thesis director) / Suk, Mina (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor)
Created2022-12