The impact of subsidies on the efficiency of microfinance institutions (MFIs) is a key question in the field, given the large volume of subsidies received over the last twenty years. Using an original database of rating agencies, this paper gives empirical evidence on the impact of subsidy...

Farber, Gillet and Szafarz (2006) propose a general formula for the WACC in which the expected return on the tax shield appears explicitly. The classical Modigliani-Miller and Harris-Pringle WACC formulas for specific debt policies are then derived from the general formula after having...

The question this article seeks to answer is whether the relationship between legal status and performance is influenced by the geographical area to which the MFI belongs, as postulated in some work. To this end, we study a sample of 202 MFIs in the period 2001 to 2006. The results show that in...

This paper is devoted to the analysis of liquidity risk in microfinance. Using a re-sampling method, we estimate withdrawal rate distributions for migrants’ and locals’ deposits, using an original database of 7,828 deposit contracts issued between 2002 and 2008 by 12 village banks belonging...

We complement standard portfolio theory à la Markowitz by adding a social dimension. We distinguish between two main setups, taking social returns as stochastic in the first, but as deterministic in the second. Two main features need to be introduced: Every asset must be assigned a...

En Afrique subsaharienne, les zones agricoles et rurales abritent plus de trois quarts de la population et contribuent pour la grande part à l’emploi, au PIB, aux recettes d’exportations et à l’offre alimentaire. Dès lors, le financement des activités qui se développent dans ces zones...

This paper compares the loans granted to male and female entrepreneurs by a French microfinance institution (MFI). The sample period is split in two: before and after the MFI implemented France's regulatory EUR 10,000 loan ceiling. In the first period, the MFI does not co-finance projects with...

Empirical evidence shows that fundamental models have produced disappointing results over the past 20 years while carry trade strategies have performed superbly. But the real picture is much more complex. In fact, the track records of both strategies have varied considerably. This article shows...