This book presents a new paradigm for introducing technology in the microfinance industry of Bangladesh that could help ameliorate current constraints. Under the new paradigm, a centralized Information and communication technology (ICT) platform will be established to serve the microfinance...

Weaknesses in the corporate sector have increasingly been cited as important factors in financial crises in both emerging markets and industrial countries. Analysts have pointed to weak corporate performance and risky financing patterns as major causes of the East Asian financial crisis. And...

The issue of"an appropriate"legal framework, especially in the case of the takeover market, has been poorly studied in the case of emerging markets, yet it is of immediate relevance and practical policymaker interest. The study makes a first attempt to analyze takeover regulations in a...

The authors examine patterns of media ownership in 97 countries around the world. They find that almost universally the largest media firms are controlled by the government or by private families. Government ownership is more pervasive in broadcasting than in the printed media. Government...

Expanding housing finance to the underserved in South Asia, a first regional effort on the topic, examines housing needs and shortages in South Asia, and outlines shortcomings of the market for home mortgages. The primary purpose of this book is to pull together housing and housing finance...

The debate on whether natural disasters cause significant macroeconomic impacts and indeed hinder development is ongoing. Most analyses along these lines have focused on impacts on gross domestic product. This paper looks beyond this standard national accounting aggregate, and examines whether...