Bolivia's macroeconomic performance in the period 1994 to 1998 is analyzed and compared with the performance in former periods and the performance of other developing countries (grouped according to income, region, and debt status). This allows to assess what has been achieved in Bolivia since...

Can microcredit make an already slippery slope more slippery? : some lessons from the social meaning of debt / Thomas Dichter -- Is microdebt good for poor people? : a note on the dark side of microfinance / David Hulme -- Imagining microfinance more boldly : unleashing the true potential of...

The poor can and do save, but often use formal or informal instruments that have high risk, high cost, and sub-optimal design. This could lead to undersaving compared to a world without market or behavioral frictions. Undersaving has important welfare consequences: variable consumption, low...