Stanford Social Innovation Review

Stanford Social Innovation Review is an award-winning magazine covering best strategies for nonprofits, foundations, and socially responsible businesses. Published quarterly by the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Social Innovation Articles: Microfinance

Date Author Category Title
Winter 2010
Dean Karlan
Economic Development Helping the Poor Save More

The poor are just like everyone else: they do not save as much as they would like.  Yet unlike their richer counterparts, poor people do not receive the cleverly marketed, carefully tested financial products that could help them reach their savings goals more easily.  To enrich the bottom of the pyramid, bankers to the poor should make saving money easier by using the latest findings from economics and psychology.

Spring 2009
Alana Conner
Economic Development Research: No Profit for Her

Research shows that men may be more effective than woman at utilizing microfinance investments. 

Spring 2009
Steven Lawry
Economic Development • Philanthropy, Responsible Investing Effective Funding

How foundations can best support social innovators.

Winter 2009
Jennifer Roberts
Social Entrepreneurship What’s Next: Let’s Play Microloan

Win beads, give loans.

Winter 2009
Jennifer Roberts
Economic Development • Social Entrepreneurship What’s Next: Beyond Microfinance

Two new players in the world’s social investing scene seek financial returns along with social impact.

Summer 2008
Jonathan C. Lewis
Economic Development • Corporate Social Responsibility Microloan Sharks

Commercial microfinance institutions (MFIs) must calculate two bottom lines: alleviating poverty for clients and also generating profits for investors. To achieve the latter goal, some MFIs charge their impoverished clients exorbitant interest rates. The recent Banco Compartamos IPO in Mexico raises a red flag, demonstrating how easily well-intentioned MFIs and their investors can shift from microlending to microloan-sharking.

Summer 2008
Alex Counts
Economic Development Reimagining Microfinance [Free!]

Critics of microfinance institutions (MFIs) ask them to choose between helping the poor or making money for investors, but this is a false choice. MFIs can have their impact and profit, too, says the author, the CEO of the Grameen Foundation. He sketches a new vision of microfinance as a platform, not a product; one that relies on high volumes, not high margins, and that uses limits on private benefit, holistic performance standards, and third-party certification to help MFIs meet both their bottom lines.

Summer 2008
Stephen C. Smith
Economic Development • Social Entrepreneurship • Philanthropy, Responsible Investing • Book Reviews Review: Creating a World Without Poverty [Free!]

Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohammad Yunus aims for a more just society for all.

Winter 2008
Srikant M. Datar, Marc J. Epstein, & Kristi Yuthas
Economic Development • Corporate Social Responsibility • Philanthropy, Responsible Investing In Microfinance, Clients Must Come First [Free!]

Few microfinance institutions articulate what, exactly, their ultimate goals are and how to achieve them. If the goal of microfinance is to alleviate poverty, the authors say, then MFIs should focus on helping their clients build successful enterprises, rather than on making more and bigger loans.

Summer 2007
Aneel Karnani
Economic Development • Corporate Social Responsibility • Philanthropy, Responsible Investing Microfinance Misses Its Mark [Free!]

Despite the hoopla over microfinance, it doesn’t cure poverty. But stable jobs do. If societies are serious about helping the poorest of the poor, they should stop investing in microfinance and start supporting large, labor-intensive industries.

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