Introduction

While we tend to think of entrepreneurs only as individuals or groups who create “firms”—that is, organizations whose primary goal is to create wealth—social scientists who study organizational emergence and entrepreneurship have been using the word “entrepreneur” to describe a broad range of organizational founders, from those starting schools and hospitals to those founding savings and loan associations and art museums. But consistently these scholars leave churches out of their examinations of entrepreneurial orientations and actions. This book is an attempt to disrupt this impulse by shining a light on a unique, but not insubstantial, set of organizational founders: individuals who start new churches. This chapter introduces three questions: (1) Are church founders “entrepreneurs”? (2) What motivates religion entrepreneurship in a crowded and competitive field trying to appeal to an increasingly anti-institutional-religion customer base? (3) What factors reduce these entrepreneurs’ uncertainty and fear of failure?

Social ties, access to loans, and loan repayments in savings and loan associations: evidence from rural Tanzania

PurposeInstitutional structures of rural savings and loan associations influence their performances. One of the guiding principles for defining clear group membership boundaries is by setting rules on who has access. Social ties is a prominent requirement for membership. The objective of the current study is to provide quantitative evidence on the role of social ties membership criteria for the performance of saving and loan associations.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional survey was conducted in July–August 2019 comprising 48 associations in 13 villages in the Iringa District of Tanzania. In the current study, the authors use two indicators to measure the social ties between members, namely social closed association (the association applies criteria to accept only members who are relatives, friends or from the same hamlet) and physical distance (the fraction of members from other villages).FindingsThe authors find that associations are diverse both in terms of social ties, physical distance and performance, even in a small homogeneous region like Iringa District. Providing loans more easily to members with social ties has a negative relationship with loan repayment rates. Associations applying the social closeness criteria experience higher default rates than those not applying. The default rates become even worse when the fraction of member members from other villages increases in the socially tied associations.Practical implicationsPhysically distant members are more likely to default as they perceive less social pressure in an association with socially tied members. Development practitioners and policy makers should integrate the potential implications.Originality/valueThe authors provide empirical evidence on the relevance of social ties on credit access and repayment in savings and loan associations, using a novel multi-level data on financial performance in the context of community-based finance organizations in rural areas.

The Impact of Village Savings and Loan Associations on the Lives of Rural Women: Pro Resilience Action (PROACT) project, Nigeria

The PROACT project uses Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) to enable rural financial inclusion. The VSLA approach is targeted at combating increased poverty and improving the resilience of poor rural farming households in Kebbi and Adamawa States, Nigeria. The three case studies presented here reflect the new, transformative realities of increased income, access to loans, safe spaces for women, improved rural enterprise and the empowerment of women engaged in the VSLAs.

Instituting village savings and loan associations scheme through action research in Zimbabwe

lage savings and loan associations schemes have become one of the critical survival strategies amidst poverty, inequality and financial exclusion thus helping low income communities to ride out poverty and make their savings and to eke out a living. However, the use of scientific procedures by ordinary people when establishing such initiatives in their villages is under-reported. This study, therefore, sought to test the utility of the action research (AR) methodology in establishing a low cost village savings and loan associations scheme intervention, with a view to assessing the extent to which the scheme can improve the livelihoods of members of the scheme, and draw lessons for future interventions. The process involved planning, designing, establishing and evaluating a village savings and loan association scheme initiative involving 15 individual members (inclusive of the researcher) in ward 8 of Seke district, Zimbabwe. Results showed that creating village savings and loan associations is possible using action research, as community participation in the design, implementation and day-to-day operations of such initiatives guaranteeing ownership and control of the initiative by the host group scheme are almost natural to action research. One of the comparative advantages of using action research is that it creates spaces for ordinary people to share their experiences, reflect, and come up with context-specific solutions, as they take responsibility for their financial wellbeing, thus helping to meet their socio-economic needs and aspirations. The strength of village savings and loan associations is that they can be replicated. The study recommends that in the era of COVID-19, social distancing rules and regulations introduced to contain the virus should be observed.

Impact of Microfinance Village Savings and Loan Associations on Women’s Empowerment and Resilience Against Vulnerability in Malawi

The purpose of this study was to explore and discuss the impact of village savings and loan associations (VSLAs) on socio-economic changes among women and resilience against vulnerability. The study employed a descriptive research design, and household-survey methods were used to obtain data from two districts: Chiradzulu Tradition Authority Maoni and Blantyre Rural Traditional Authority Kapeni. The multi-stage sampling method was used to select the samples. The sample size was 70 ( n = 70) women from VSLA groups, and the data obtained were analysed using ‘Statistical Package for the Social Sciences’ (SPSS). The findings of the study show the positive contributions of VSLAs towards women, such as an increase in the economic and social level of members. Despite these positive results, it was found that VSLA members have no access to loans from external organisations or banks, and there is also a lack of training among the VSLA members.

Role of Radio in Improving Livelihoods: The Case of Central Broadcasting Services’ Project to Empower Women in Savings and Loan Associations in Nsangi Sub-County, Wakiso District, Uganda

This study investigated Central Broadcasting Services’ Project to Empower Women in Savings and Loan Associations (CBS-PEWOSA) in Nsangi sub-county, Wakiso district, Uganda. Data was gathered from members of the associations using questionnaires, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The findings showed that the project has increased awareness about and knowledge of solutions to community development problems ranging from culture, rural development, education, and women empowerment to agriculture. Communities have been mobilized to form groups, save and borrow to invest in Small and Medium Enterprises, which has led to improvements in their livelihoods. However, illiteracy, resistance to new ideas, under funding and limited airtime allocated to development programs on the radio are constraining the project. Recommendations for the improved effectiveness of the project are made. Keywords: Media; Radio; CBS PEWOSA; Livelihoods