Conventional banking practices do not easily accommodate the financial needs of poor persons. Group-lending, on the other hand, has found several advantages in the context of poor borrowers with no collateral to offer. An important advantage is that the bank’s losses due to unsuccessful...

This study aims to examine the circumstances under which different types of regional integration lead to convergence and growth, and how such integration could best be fostered. It covers regions across the world, but focuses on developing country regions and Africa in particular. Factors which...