Competing in the world economy does not automatically boost a nation's productivity and restructure its economy. Such progress requires mobilizing capital, employment, technology and knowledge. Opportunities beyond the business realm must be fully exploited to the benfit of society as a whole....

For women microentrepreneurs, access to financial services matters. It is critical to their ability to make productive investments in their businesses. As part of IDB's efforts to strengthen women's roles in economic development, the Women in Development Unit undertook a study to analyze the...

This paper presents a conceptual framework for explaining Credit Unions (CUs) loan delinquency and profitability in developing countries. It also offers an empirical estimation for a unique sample of CUs in Latin America.

This study focuses on how Latin America¿s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can participate in global markets in a way that provides for sustainable growth. In addition, it study analyzes the impact of collective efficiency on clusters upgrading and undertakes an investigation of the...

The primary objective of this document is to put forward standard definitions for the selected financial terms, and suggest a standard method of calculating certain financial ratios. This section defines certain key financial accounts used by MFIs. The definitions are provided in two main...

This report intends to introduce the discussion of gender gaps in entrepreneurship development and to explore possible actions that could effectively foster women's entrepreneurship. With this purpose in mind, the authors searched for results of recent fieldwork on women entrepreneurs in Latin...

This paper aims to reveal some basic trends in the financing of microfinance institutions, such as where the financing comes from, and how the distribution changes over time. The paper does not claim to be a comprehensive review of this topic, but it offers some new information and points to...

The purpose of this technical guide is to provide a standard format for the analysis of institutions that provide financial services to the microenterprise sector. The technical guide outlines the appropriate techniques and scope of analysis for evaluating and designing programs of support to...

This technical guide highlights 14 of the most commonly used indicators published by the Roundtable Group and illustrates how they are used. It provides some explanation and analysis of the indicators for those who are interested in understanding their application as well as weaknesses. For each...

The purpose of this publication is to distill the concepts, trends, and best practices in social enterprise development developed through case studies into models and guidelines for building new partnerships that will revolutionize the field in the decade to come. It explores the dynamics of an...