This paper describes a new index of the quality of the business environment for microfinance institutions (the Global Microscope on the Microfinance Business Environment). Regressions are used to validate the index by linking it and its sub-components to microfinance outcomes. The main findings...

This paper examines the contract design problem of microfinance institutions seeking to maximize outreach to the poor while remaining financially sustainable. A dynamic model of group lending is developed that shows how optimal interest rates depend on information regarding moral hazard and...

Die Autoren beschreiben und diskutieren das Programm einer Nichtregierungsorganisation (NRO) in Gambia, das zum Ziel hat, die einheimischen informellen Spar- und Kreditvereinigungen mit der formalen Finanzinstitution zu verbinden. Die sorgfältige institutionelle Ausgestaltung durch die NRO...