scholarly journals Going 'Beyond Microfinance': Enhancing Islamic Microfinance Programmes in Bangladesh

ICR Journal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-121
Author(s):  
Tawfique Al-Mubarak
Keyword(s):  
High Rate ◽  
Poverty Eradication ◽  
Grameen Bank ◽  
Poverty Level ◽  
Banking Services ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Islamic Microfinance

Microfinance programmes have been operating in Bangladesh since the early seventies. With the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and the Grameen Bank (GB) as the pioneers, many other Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Microfinance Institutes (MFIs) have grown up to provide banking services to the ‘bankless’ poor of the society. Most of these MFIs disburse cash loans, and in most cases at a high rate of interest. Of course, interest as riba is among the gravest of prohibitions in Islam. Besides, a majority of the clients who take such microfinance loans often live below the poverty level, and have their own priorities to meet before investing the loan in a profit-bearing investment. As a result, the loans turn out to be consumption loans without resulting in any profit to pay the interest therefrom. In the long run, the clients fall into the ‘debt-trap’ and get poorer. This paper suggests that if instead of disbursing cash facilities, the clients were provided with employment under specific projects of which some portions could also be sold to them after the project has recovered its capital, poverty eradication ought to become an easier task. This then goes ‘beyond microfinance’ facilities.  

Changes in Mortality Rates and Humanitarian Conditions in Darfur, Sudan 2003–2007

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 496-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Garfield ◽  
Jonny Polonsky
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Internally Displaced ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Dramatic Decline ◽  
The Us

AbstractThe Darfur region of Sudan has been an intense focus of humanitarian concern since rebellions began there early in 2003. In 2004, the US Secretary of State declared that conflict in Darfur represented genocide. Since 2003, many sample surveys and various mortality estimates for Darfur have been made. Nonetheless, confusion and controversy surrounding mortality levels and trends have continued. For this project, results were reviewed from the highest quality field surveys on mortality in Darfur conducted between 2003 and 2008. Trend analysis demonstrated a dramatic decline in mortality over time in Darfur. By 2005, mortality levels had fallen below emergency levels and have continued to decline. Deaths directly due violence have declined as a proportion of all of the deaths in Darfur. Declining mortality in Darfur was not associated with other proximate improvements in well-being, such as improved nutrition. Without large-scale, humanitarian intervention, continuing high rates of mortality due to violence likely would have occurred. If mortality had continued at the high rate documented in 2004, by January 2009, there would have been 330,000 additional deaths. With the humanitarian assistance provided through the United Nations and non-governmental organizations, these people are alive today. A focus on excess deaths among non-combatants may draw attention away from other needs, such as establishing better security, improving service delivery to the displaced, and advocating for internally displaced persons to be reached today and to re-establish their lives and livelihoods tomorrow.

scholarly journals Questioning Bangladesh's Microcredit

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafiqul Islam Molla ◽  
Md. Mahmudul Alam ◽  
Abu N.M. Wahid
Keyword(s):  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Nobel Peace Prize ◽  
Grameen Bank ◽  
Success Story ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Average Return ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations

The microcredit (MC) program of Bangladesh has been a well-known success story for generation of self-employment, and poverty alleviation. Variants of this MC model are being implemented in more than 60 different countries of the world. It has become almost a universal antidote for poverty especially from 2006 when Professor Muhammad Yunus- the founder of the Grameen Bank (GB) and the bank itself shared the Nobel peace prize. Although the GB is the pioneer of MC program in Bangladesh, there are many other non-governmental organizations (NGO)s that offer the same program in Bangladesh in different forms and names. The providers of MCs claim that the overwhelming majority of the borrowers are using the loan funds profitably for productive purposes, repaying the loans and interest regularly, and thus improving their socio-economic conditions steadily. The findings of the present study are somewhat contrary and disturbing to the claim of the MC programs. This study finds that a bulk of the MC is borrowed for non productive purposes. About one quarter of the borrowers use the credit exclusively for consumption and debt repayment purposes. Nearly half of them use the credits entirely for investment purposes. For all, the return on investment is very meager. About two-third of the borrowers, on average have an impressive 83% net return on investment available for payment of interest and dividend in addition to the principal. But in case of as high as one third of them, average return on investment is not enough even to cover the most minimum or tolerance level of wages for family labors, let alone paying any interest and making any profit after keeping aside the principal.

Ohmage to Resistance

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronnie D. Lipschutz
Keyword(s):  
International Institutions ◽  
Democratic Deficit ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Global Environmental Politics ◽  
Institutional Frameworks ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Global And Local

This essay disputes the arguments made by Robert Paehlke and John Dryzek in their contributions to this issue of Global Environmental Politics. Both reform and resistance are necessary, but not sufficient, elements in collective efforts to facilitating global and local environmental protection and sustainable development. What is essential, as well, are campaigns to establish alternative institutional frameworks for the fulfillment of these goals. This essay suggests that initiatives such as those found around the issue of sustainable forestry practices might be the basis for such frameworks and, in the long run, could pressure both capital and governments to agree on strengthened and effective systems of public environmental regulation. The essay also notes the so-called democratic deficit among non-governmental organizations and movements, but questions whether there is any democracy among capitals and international institutions.

Transparency in the WTO's Decision-Making

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 701-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
PANAGIOTIS DELIMATSIS
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Director General ◽  
Poverty Eradication ◽  
Trading System ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Input And Output ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Multilateral Trading System ◽  
Pros And Cons

AbstractIn almost 20 years of existence, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has managed to be at the forefront of public discussions on international organizations (IOs). Transparency in the WTO decision-making has been on the agenda of the multilateral trading system for several years. Pressures from developing countries, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the civil society in particular have led to significant improvements towards more openness and participation in the WTO decision-making. This article posits the WTO within the current debates about more institutional transparency in IOs. It discusses the current features of good governance in the WTO decision-making and the consensus rule in particular, in an attempt to identify the pros and cons of this voting tradition in a modern IO. It also discusses the recent selection of the new WTO Director-General. A central insight of the paper is that input and output transparency of the WTO could be further enhanced by increased, managed participation of NGOs. As the WTO is gradually becoming a genuine IO in terms of membership and gets involved in global discussions relating to finance, climate change, or poverty eradication, public scrutiny will only increase and thus improved governance is an irreversible process. However, divergences in the views of WTO Members as to the proper scope of WTO input and output transparency will most probably lead to extended negotiations. Some thoughts about the future prospects of and possible avenues for the WTO system are also identified.

Development of Islamic microfinance: a sustainable poverty reduction approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halima Begum ◽  
A.S.A. Ferdous Alam ◽  
Md Aslam Mia ◽  
Faruk Bhuiyan ◽  
Ahmad Bashawir Abdul Ghani
Keyword(s):  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Profit Maximization ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Ethical Practice ◽  
Poverty Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The People ◽  
Financial Benefits ◽  
Islamic Microfinance

Purpose Though microfinance has been working for many years as a tool to eradicate poverty from its root, most of the least developed and developing countries are yet to significantly alleviate it from the society. The purpose of this paper is to focus on Shariah-based microfinance products in the context of sustainable poverty alleviation approach and provide them financial benefits to enhance their livelihoods. Design/methodology/approach Here, this qualitative study critically analyzes the basics of the sustainable Islamic microfinance to exterminate the level of poverty. Findings Islamic microfinance is a more ethical practice than the traditional motives of profit maximization, and it encourages extending the time of repayment if the debtors are in hardship. In some case, it suggests to give charity if the creditor has capability. Research limitations/implications Most importantly, research scholars and experts have already criticized the concept of conventional microfinance on the basis of various points, especially for its high rate of interest. Social implications Islamic microfinance is provided with a view to fulfill two tools simultaneously, i.e., social and financial inclusion. In this case, credits and Zakah can be given to the extreme poor people for satisfying basic needs. In terms of social responsibility, Islam encourages the people to be soft in case of collecting the lending money. Originality/value The study discoursed that sustainable Islamic Microfinance (IM) may be a promising future option to draw the attention of the religiously sensitive people toward the Shariah-based microfinance which can, in turn, mitigate the poverty level.

Poverty Relief, Global Institutions, and the Problem of Compliance

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Fuller
Keyword(s):  
Political Climate ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Global Institutions ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Intractable Problems ◽  
Global Coordination ◽  
Institutional Solution

AbstractThomas Pogge and Andrew Kuper suggest that we should promote an ‘institutional’ solution to global poverty. They advocate the institutional solution because they think that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can never be the primary agents of justice in the long run. They provide several standard criticisms of NGO aid in support of this claim. However, there is a more serious problem for institutional solutions: how to generate enough goodwill among rich nation-states that they would be willing to commit themselves to supranational institutional reforms. In the current international political climate, the implementation of such institutional reforms introduces several intractable problems, including difficulties of global coordination and enforcement. I defend the solution of NGO aid from the criticisms presented by Pogge and Kuper, and propose how it might be reformed. My main suggestion is that all practising NGOs should be required to be ‘accountable for reasonableness’ in the sense that Norman Daniels and James Sabin have outlined.

scholarly journals Micro Finance Schemes : An Insight into the Impact on Standard of Living and Level of Awareness Amongst Target Social Groups.astudy of Bhopal District

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shumayela Mohsin Hasan ◽  
S. D. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Standard Of Living ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
Poverty Eradication ◽  
Grameen Bank ◽  
Poverty Level ◽  
Additional Support ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Careful Investigation ◽  
Insight Into

Today if you look at the financial system around the globe, more than half the population in the world- around three billion – do not qualify to take out a loan from a bank (Muhammad Yunus).This reason turned out to be the actual driving force behind the birth of the microfinance movement stating from Grameen Bank in Bangladesh in 1983 to Grameen America movement today. Microfinance has received increasing attention as an effective strategy to alleviate poverty by providing financial services to the poor who have little or no access to capital and formal financial services, as well as providing additional support services such as training on education, healthcare and other basic needs. Yet the increasing attention and reputation that microfinance institutions (MFIs) have achieved, their contribution to poverty alleviation on a global level remains limited. The research paper aims to take an insight into the impact of microfinance schemes on the standard of living of the beneficiaries who have availed the advantage of such schemes in the district of Bhopal. The study aims to reveal the experience of these beneficiaries through careful investigation and analysis. The Microfinance schemes propose to aim at poverty eradication among the society. The objective of this study thus brings under its purview the examination of how these schemes have impacted greatly on asset acquisition and savings of the beneficiaries tocurb down their poverty level. A total of 720 beneficiaries of State Bank of India in Bhopal were selected as the study sample who had alreadyavailed the benefits of these Microfinance schemes. A primary questionnaire was formulated to record the experiences of these beneficiaries and thus the results were analyzed. Furthermore, the paper also examines the level of awareness about the microfinance schemes amongst the target social groups for whom these schemes have been devised.

Rural water services in Guatemala: a survey of institutions and community preferences

Water Policy ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Vásquez
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Government ◽  
Role Of The Government ◽  
Community Preferences ◽  
Operation And Management

This paper investigates how drinking water is delivered in rural areas in Guatemala. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the government, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and communities. Community preferences for improved water services are also investigated. Findings suggest that governmental and non-governmental organizations require communities to take on the operation and management of water services as a condition to investing in infrastructure. Communities are also required to contribute to the implementation of water systems. These requirements are not necessarily responsive to community preferences which, coupled with low system revenues, may jeopardize the sustainability of water projects in the long run.

Conservation units: a new deforestation frontier in the Amazonian state of Rondônia, Brazil

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. PEDLOWSKI ◽  
E.A.T. MATRICARDI ◽  
D. SKOLE ◽  
S.R. CAMERON ◽  
W. CHOMENTOWSKI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Conservation Units ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Over the past several decades, the Brazilian State of Rondônia has been the destination of many rural migrants drawn from Brazil's middle southern regions by massive government colonization projects. Factors such as explosive population growth, logging, mining, small-scale farming and ranching have synergistically fuelled deforestation in the state. The total area deforested in Rondônia in 1978 was 4200 km2. In 1988, the area increased to 30 000 km2, in 1998 to 53 300 km2 and by the year 2003, a total of 67 764 km2 of Rondônia was deforested. In response to the high rate of deforestation observed in Rondônia and other Amazonian states, state and federal agencies worked to create a network of conservation units (CUs) in Brazil during the 1990s that was signed into law(Law 9985/00) in 2000. The ability of these CUs to reduce the rate of deforestation was analysed. Remotely-sensed data from Landsat and thematic coverages were used to measure deforestation inside all CUs in Rondônia. A more detailed analysis of CUs with the highest levels of deforestation, including an analysis between soil types and deforestation and a forecast of potential future deforestation, was conducted. The creation of conservation units in Rondônia has been useful in curbing deforestation within their boundaries; however, many CUs face pressure from the combined activities of illegal loggers, cattle ranchers and small-scale farmers seeking new sources of timber and agricultural land. For example, an exponential increase in the amount of deforestation was observed in Rondônia's Bom Futuro National Forest between 1992 and 2000. A regression model indicated a total of 20 500 ha deforested by 2002, while measurements from 2002 imagery showed an actual total deforestation of 20 720 ha. Should this trend persist, Bom Futuro National Forest could be completely deforested by 2017. CUs in Rondônia must be developed and implemented jointly by all stakeholders through the creation of partnerships between local communities, non-governmental organizations and government agencies.

Fostering social capital through NGO design

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Young Larance
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Capital Formation ◽  
Grameen Bank ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Rural Bangladesh ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Poor Women

Across rural Bangladesh, non-governmental organizations are offering poor women economic opportunities and access to social development. Findings outlined in this article suggest the social implications of micro-credit lending via the Grameen Bank can be as powerful as the economic implications. In a village-level assessment, Grameen Bank members’ gradual social capital formation was evidenced in evolving trust and expanded networks.

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