Microfinance ecosystem: How connectors,interactors, and institutionalizers co-create value

Since the mid-1990s, the number of microfinance institutions (MFIs) has grown tremendously, with more than 10,000 worldwide varying in size and approach. Despite this growth, however, the value of MFIs has been hotly debated. Managers and founders of MFIs have also faced the challenge of balancing social and financial objectives and understanding effective ways of evaluating their organization’s effectiveness. In this article, we closely examine the operations of three distinct types of MFIs and offer a framework of how they collectively create value, with each playing a unique role in a symbiotic relationship: Namaste, an interactor; Kiva, a connector; and Accion, an institutionalizer. Interactors build relationships with clients and facilitate the flow of information to connectors and institutionalizers that disseminate this data to capital markets, build confidence, and fuel capital flow into the MF industry. Institutionalizers disseminate innovation and best practices. Thus, it is critical that each MFI recognizes its symbiotic role and evaluates itself accordingly instead of spreading itself across roles.     

中国农村金融改革和发展的理论反思与实证检验——基于企业家精神的视角

本文基于最新的"金融发展、企业家精神及经济增长"理论分析框架,重新审视和反思现有农村金融理论和我国的农村金融改革实践,将农村金融发展是否有利于培育农村地区的企业家精神并鼓励创新和创业作为评判农村金融改革和发展作用的重要标准。基于2006-2009年省际面板数据,实证检验农村金融发展与农村企业家创新和创业精神之间的关系,结果显示新一轮农村金融市场化改革对于农村地区企业家创新精神具有显著的促进作用,但是对农村地区企业家创业精神的支持仍显不足。最后,本文提出未来中国农村金融改革的思路和突破口。     

金融发展、支农目标与微型金融机构的成本效率——以江苏省小额贷款公司为例

成本效率的提升是微型金融机构可持续发展的关键环节。本文采用56家江苏省小额贷款公司调查数据,分析了金融发展、支农目标以及融资结构对微型金融机构成本效率的影响。结果表明：（1）处于起步阶段的小额贷款公司和金融机构之间的竞争所带来的影响,要大于商业银行人才和技术的正向溢出以及政府监管所带来的影响,总体上金融发展对小额贷款公司成本效率的影响为负;（2）小额贷款公司的支农广度目标和成本效率之间是正向关系,而支农深度目标和成本效率之间是反向的权衡关系;（3）小额贷款公司的融资结构和成本效率之间是正向关系,扩大商业资金来源,有利于提高小额贷款公司的成本效率。     

区域金融生态优化中的地方政府作用分析--以广东省为例

在中国的金融改革和发展进程中,政府在金融生态优化中一直发挥着作用,这一作用应当是具有重要性和主导性。通过对广东省金融生态总体规划和具体策略的阐释,并对其经验进行总结,提出包容性金融生态的概念和相关政策建议。政府应该遵循金融生态优化中的内在规律;需要有的放矢、因地制宜,考虑资源禀赋、经济基础甚至是人文环境的不同;处理好金融生态三大要素间的关系;以包容性金融生态建设的理念来处理金融发展与社会建设的关系。     

Teaching financial literacy: a survey of community‐based educators

A nationwide online survey of financial educators in adult community‐based financial education programmes in the US was conducted to examine teaching beliefs, related curriculum and teaching strategies used to reach underserved populations. A transformative learning theoretical framework was used to discover how financial education engages learners in relation to their own lives. Survey findings indicate in community‐based settings financial educators are largely White, female, college educated and with multiple years of experience; believe their role is to provide expert information to help learners make informed financial choices; and often adapt published materials to reflect the life circumstances of learners. Learners are more racially diverse than educators, most having attended high school, who identify their own financial need to attend the programmes. Programmes do not often target specific groups, are frequently free and can take place in a variety of face‐to‐face settings. Implications indicate best practices for financial educators require inclusive, culturally responsive pedagogies.     

Interview with Robert A. Lindsay,Vice President,Public Affairs and Communication for Coca-Cola Africa Group,United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

The paper empirically investigates the extent to which environmental factors affect the intermediation performance of the financial superstructure in Nigeria. A number of intermediation-environmental models were constructed and estimated against annual Nigerian data from 1970 to 2000. Among the various environments of financial intermediation, the socio-political environment, the regulatory environment, and the eco-financial environment exert very great influences on the operations of the financial superstructure. This is based on the evidence from the results, which revealed the socio-political index, regulatory index, and foreign exchange market variables as the most critical predictors of the financial intermediation-output-related index. Other factors such as inflation, taxation, financial market imperfection, and the growth rate of the economy appear not to exert statistically significant effects on the intermediation operations of the financial superstructure. Generally, the utility of the specified models was satisfied as indicated by the results of the global statistics.     

Microfinance,the long tail and mission drift

Poor people were excluded from financial services until microfinance institutions (MFIs) emerged. The mission of MFIs is to alleviate poverty, contributing to women empowerment, especially in rural communities. Microcredits can be analyzed under Pareto's 80/20 Principle. Their clients are situated in the long tail of the wealth distribution function. This niche market is not very attractive, because of its high administrative costs, lack of deposits and the need for compensating low revenues with fluctuating subsidies. Some MFIs have drifted from their mission. This paper presents a model to explain microfinance mission drift, tested with hypotheses. The results from the empirical study show a pattern of mission centered MFI: a small NGO, with labor productivity, receiving donations and obtaining a high yield. It can be concluded that there is a need for reducing interest rates. According to the long tail theory, this could be done by using efficient technology, as it has been achieved in the e-commerce sector.     

Coping with a Small Financial System

Abstract

Does it matter that all of the sub-Saharan African countries have small financial systems? In this short paper, we review the reasons why absolute size is relevant, and consider some of the possible ways of alleviating the problems resulting from having a small financial system. One of the potential solutions is regional cooperation. This has already been tried, with a degree of success, in parts of Africa. More could be done.     

透析中国转型时期的"特殊金融谜团"

我国目前尚处于经济社会转型时期,与众不同的制度环境和一系列"本土化特征",决定了中国金融体系中具有发达市场经济国家所没有的"特殊金融谜团".这些谜团的出现是中国由计划体制向市场体制转型中的经济问题在金融领域里的必然反映.它表明,尽管经过20多年的经济金融改革,中国的金融深化取得了重大进展,但是由于采取的是渐进的改革方式,我国当前依然存在着许多无法用市场经济成熟、发达国家总结的一些金融理论来加以解释的谜团现象.     

金融机构的性质、理论支撑与市场的关系

当代金融这个概念,较多地倾向金融市场.在这种情况下,金融机构的存在及其理论支撑如何认定,特别是结合我国的现实,如何做出合理的解释,本文做了进一步探讨.此外,对金融机构与金融市场的关系,也提出了自己的见解.     

国内关于国际金融危机成因的研究综述

论文发现,国内的相关研究,分别基于金融体系、美国国内经济失衡、国际环境和马克思经济理论等探讨国际金融危机的成因。基于金融体系展开的研究分别从金融体系运作、金融产品创新、金融体系顺周期因素和金融监管等视角进行探讨。基于美国国内经济失衡展开的研究分别从失衡本身、联储货币政策和政府经济政策等视角展开论述。基于国际环境展开的研究则分别从国际失衡本身、国际货币体系和新兴国家责任等视角进行分析。论文分别从以上几个方面对国内关于国际金融危机成因的研究进行系统的介绍和评价。     

Financial reforms in Chinese banking: The impact on personal lending and operational efficiency

The Chinese financial system has historically been one of secrecy, distrust, and corruption. The process does not align with the western standards of transparency and auditing. In contrast to the transaction-based business culture of the West, Chinese business society is relationship-based (quanxi), which still seems to play a key role in the credit decision. With the growth of the emerging middle class, access to financial instruments such as credit cards, life insurance, stock purchases, and the like will play a greater role in the life of the Chinese consumer. Based on these forecasts, the authors recommend seven actions to manage financial activities in China, all of which are explored within this article.