scholarly journals Mobile Money and the Impact of Mobile Phone Regulatory Enforcement Among the Urban Poor in Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-44
Author(s):  
Laura Stark
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Regulatory Enforcement ◽  
Mobile Money ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Urban Conditions ◽  
The Impact

Mobile money provides a tool for survival, particularly in urban conditions shaped by city regulations that make microvending difficult for the poor. An analysis of 165 interviews conducted in two low-income neighborhoods in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania over 8 years demonstrates how interlocked layers of technology and interaction make mobile money services semiformal. I introduce two mobile money-enabled survival strategies: intrahousehold transfers for day-to-day survival (transfers within the same city) and resource safeguarding through kin remittances of start-up capital (home-based subsistence business capital stored for kin access in emergencies). The recent tightening of mobile phone regulations in the global South has disrupted users’ multilevel and formal/informal-hybrid infrastructures of money movement in these communities. Such tougher regulations could result in a new digital divide that hinders rather than facilitates the financial inclusion of the poor.

Urbanization and Its Impact on Urban Poor Housing Policies Based on Some Experiences of Third World Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-55
Author(s):  
بلال ردمان علي الذبحاني ◽  
محمد أحمد سلام المذحجي
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Third World ◽  
Housing Policies ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Third World ◽  
The Impact

Many third world countries have experienced a process of rapid urbanization. The rapid rural–urban migration and the lack of proactive planning have resulted in the expansion of slums and squatter settlements inhabited by low-income and the poor, excessive house rents and poor or total absence of infrastructural facilities. The problem more recently exacerbated in most cities of the third world as a result of the failure of governments to respond adequately to the urban development challenges by adopting adequate housing policies to the urban poor. This paper focuses on the study of urbanization and the impact of poverty and deprived urban living conditions on urban areas. It aims to find out the correlation between the poor urban areas and the housing policies, pinpoints the most successful housing policies to be taken to provide an adequate environment, and proposes basic guidelines for housing policies of the poor in the countries of the third world. Keywords:  Urban poor, Urbanization, Housing policies, Third world countries.

scholarly journals The Impact of Interest Rate Ceilings on Microfinance Industry

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Ali Saleh Alshebami ◽  
D. M. Khandare
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Research Subject ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Good Intention ◽  
The Interest Rate ◽  
The Impact

<p>Imposing ceilings on the interest rate has recently become one of the new hottest topics in microfinance industry; various debates have been discussing this issue to know the effect of interest rate ceilings on the supply of credit in particular and on microfinance industry in general. However in spite of the good intention behind these ceilings, there was no absolute result stating that ceilings have really contributed to the improvement or protection of the poor clients, indeed, these ceilings have hurt those low income people instead of helping them, due to these ceilings most of MFIs left the market or reduced their scale due to the inability to continue operating with low interest rate leaving the very poor clients without access to credit. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to review the impact of imposing such ceilings on the interest rates and to find out what alterative solutions can be employed as substitutes for them. This paper is entirely based on the secondary data collected from various records related to microfinance such as microfinance books, official websites and reports, published papers, and other sources related to the research subject.</p>

scholarly journals Challenges Facing Financial Inclusion Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Tea Kasradze
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Financial Products ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Poor Population

Financial inclusion is often considered as an access to financial resources for the wide public and small and medium-sized businesses, although it is a much broader concept and includes a wide range of access to quality financial products and services, including loans, deposit services, insurance, pensions and payment systems. Mechanisms for protecting the rights of consumers of financial products and services are also considered to be subject to financial inclusion. Financial inclusion acquires great importance during the pandemic and post-pandemic period. The economic crisis caused by the pandemic is particularly painful for low-income vulnerable population. A large part of the poor population who were working informally has lost source of income due to lockdown from the pandemic. Remittances have also been reduced / minimized, as the remitters had also lost jobs and are unable to send money home. Today, when people die from Coronavirus disease, it may be awkward to talk about the financial side of a pandemic, but the financial consequences can be far-reaching if steps are not taken today to ensure access to and inclusion of financial resources. The paper examines the impact of the pandemic on financial inclusion and the responses of the governments and the financial sectors to the challenge of ensuring the financial inclusion of the poor population and small and medium enterprises.

scholarly journals The Nexus between Mobile Money Regulation, Innovative Technology and the Promotion of Financial Inclusion in Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Howard Chitimira ◽  
Elfas Torerai
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Innovative Technology ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Mobile Money ◽  
The Poor

The advent of mobile money innovations has given people in rural areas, informal settlements and other poor communities an opportunity to participate in Zimbabwe's mainstream financial economy. However, the technology-driven money services have presented some challenges to the traditional banking sector in general and the regulation of financial services in particular. Firstly, most mobile money services are products of telecommunication corporations, which are not banks. Telecommunication companies use their network reach to provide mobile money services via mobile devices at a cheaper cost than banks across the country in Zimbabwe. As such, banks face unprecedented competition from telecommunications companies that are venturing into financial services. It also appears that prudential regulation of banks cannot keep up with the fast pace at which technological innovations are developing and this has created a disjuncture between the regulation and the use of technological innovations to promote financial inclusion in Zimbabwe. The Banking Act [Chapter 24:20] 9 of 1999, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Act [Chapter 22:15] 5 of 1999 and the National Payment Systems Act [Chapter 24:23] 21 of 2001 have a limited scope in terms of the regulation of mobile money services in Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development launched the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) 2016-2020 to provide impetus to the financial inclusion of the poor, unbanked and low-income earners in Zimbabwe. However, the NFIS appears to push more for bank-led financial inclusion than it does for innovation-driven initiatives such as mobile money services. This article highlights the positive influence of mobile money services in improving financial inclusion for the poor, unbanked and low-income earners in Zimbabwe. The article also seeks to point out gaps and flaws in the financial services regulatory framework that may limit the potential of mobile money services to reach more people so that they actively participate in the Zimbabwean economy. It is submitted that the Zimbabwean mobile money services regulations and the financial regulatory framework should be carefully amended in line with the recent innovations in mobile money to adequately regulate the use of mobile money services and innovative technology to address the financial exclusion of the poor, unbanked and low-income earners in Zimbabwe.

scholarly journals Political Consequences of Survival Strategies among the Urban Poor

2018 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 869-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Desmond ◽  
Adam Travis
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Political Capacity ◽  
Political Consequences ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Participatory Inequality

Combining ethnographic and statistical methods, this study identifies interlocking mechanisms that help explain how disadvantaged neighborhoods influence their residents’ political capacity. Support systems that arise in low-income neighborhoods promote social interaction that helps people make ends meet, but these systems also expose residents to heavy doses of adversity, which dampens perceptions of collective political capacity. For the poorest residents of these neighborhoods in particular, the expected positive effect of informal social support is suppressed by the negative effect of perceived trauma. These findings present a micro-level account of poverty, social interaction, and political capacity, one that holds implications for scholarship and public policy on participatory inequality.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Impact of Microfinance for Women in Albania

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 233
Author(s):  
Oltiana Muharremi ◽  
Filloreta Madani ◽  
Erald Pelari
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Micro Enterprises

<p class="Default"><em>Microfinance is defined as any activity involving the offering of financial services such as loans, savings and insurance to individuals with low income.</em><em> </em><em>Creating social value includes reducing poverty and having a better impact to improve living conditions through capital for micro-enterprises; insurance and savings deposits for reducing risk and boosting consumption. Worldwide microfinance actors promote access to basic financial services by developing new tools, a variety of products and the adoption of an integrated banking access.</em></p><p class="Default"><em>Initially, microfinance was largely gender neutral: it sought to provide credit to the poor who had no assets to pledge as collateral. It quickly emerged, however, that women invested their business profits in ways that would have a longer-lasting impact on their families and communities. Consequently women became fundamental to the success of the microfinance model as a poverty alleviation tool. The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of microfinance loans in improving the lives of women borrowers, as well as in strengthening their social influence and the microcredit impact in promoting savings. This study is based on an empirical investigation of 384 structured questionnaires and surveys directed at microfinance institutions and their clients in the regions of Vlore and Fier, Albania.</em></p>

Kaantabay Sa Kauswagan: Empowering the Urban Poor in Naga City, Philippines

2005 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 56-59
Author(s):  
Wilfredo Prilles
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Central Government ◽  
City Government ◽  
Political Will ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Resources And Capabilities ◽  
Vital Factor

Initiated in 1989, the KsK programme (literally Partners in Development) shows how a tri-partite approach of pooling resources and capabilities of private landowners, city and central government and the poor can be used to improve urban living conditions. Strong political will and an enlightened perception of the poor has enabled a city government to reduce poverty, manage urbanisation and improve quality of life in urban areas. Eighty-one per cent of the 7,400 low-income houses have been improved to date. Strong community participation has been a vital factor in achieving this success.

scholarly journals Poor Settlements in Chittagong city, Bangladesh: The context of Pollution and Health Risk

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-250
Author(s):  
Alak Paul ◽  
Md Nakib Haider ◽  
Naznin Nahar Sultana
Keyword(s):  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Neighbourhood Environment ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Hazardous Area ◽  
The Government

Background: The rapid rate of urbanization in Bangladesh has created some adverse effects on the overall urban environmental health of the cities. Among all, mass poverty, expansion of poor neighbourhood, inadequate supply of urban services such as water, sanitation, waste disposal etc. are mostly responsible for health risks of urban people particularly in low income areas. Objectives: The aim of this paper is to determine the health risks of the environmentally poor neighbourhoods in Chittagong city by exploring the discourse of pollution, risk, and stigma. Methods: The study is predominantly based on qualitative data collection methods like participant observations, a case study and FGDs. The method has delivered an in-depth understanding of the pollution-related risks, the physical and mental sufferings of the urban poor due to  pollution. Though it is solely a qualitative study, the study is complemented  by a quantitative survey method and  personal interviews. Findings: The study revealed that there are two leading environmental risk factors– the structural setting of the neighbourhood and coping practices to everyday life of the poor settlers, who  affect the neighbourhood environment. The poor structured living houses, shared kitchens in the environmentally hazardous area, dirty playgrounds, unhygienic latrines, and waste disposal sites near neighbourhoods enhance the risk of diseases and injuries for inhabitants. Similarly, lack of access to pure drinking water, fuel, are generating health risks. Consequently, dwellers, especially women and children, suffer from cough and cold, diarrhoea, gastric/acidity, worm disease, respiratory illness, scabies, headache, allergy, and jaundice regular interval of time. Conclusion: The study concludes that  physical structure of the neighbourhood, and the physical and mental sufferings of its inhabitants are interdependent. To reduce the sufferings of inhabitants and their health hazards can be reduced with the combined efforts of the  Government and the NGOs and  the local people as well.  Implications: This findings of the study can be useful to the  concerned authorities of Bangladesh in planning appropriate policies to  control pollution and minimize health risks.  For that purpose this study can serve as reference.

Moving On and Moving Back: Rethinking Inequality and Migration in the Latin American City

2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 587-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRYAN R. ROBERTS
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Guatemala City ◽  
Family Based ◽  
Using Data ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
External Actors ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis paper focuses on the similarities and differences between contemporary urban organisation and that of the 1960s in Guatemala City and other Latin American cities, mainly using data taken from a re-study of low-income neighbourhoods in Guatemala City. It looks at the impact of sharper patterns of residential segregation, changes in migration patterns, rising levels of crime and violence, and the increase in the relationships of the urban poor with external actors, such as governments and NGOs. Severe inequality persists, but is mediated by an improvement in living standards, by the range of consumer goods accessible to the poor, and by community- and family-based adaptation.

Housing and the Urban Poor: The Case of Bogotá, Colombia

1977 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-124
Author(s):  
Timothy O'Dea Gauhan
Keyword(s):  
Housing Market ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Industrialized Nations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Low Income Housing

In a setting as complex as the modern city we can expect that a number of diverse factors wil combine to influence the urban environment and the quality of life and well being of those who reside in it. In the major cities of the developing world, where change is typically rapid, economic and social relationships are diverse, and the patterns of development are often different and in some ways more complex than those of the cities of industrialized nations, and the forces which shape the character of urban life are particularly numerous and often confusing.The present paper examines a single component of the total environment of the Latin American city of Bogotá, Colombia: the low-income housing market. We begin by looking at some of the more important environmental, socioeconomic, and political factors that have shaped the character of the low-income housing market of the city, with an emphasis on the impact of public policy.

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