Intro -- About the author -- Preface -- Acronyms -- 1 | Introduction -- Bringing reality back in -- 2 | The rise of microfinance -- Birth of an idea -- The case for microfinance -- Conclusion -- 3 | Microfinance myths and realities -- The basic myths behind the microfinance model -- Myths behind the 'new wave' microfinance model -- Conclusion -- 4 | Microfinance as poverty trap -- What do microfinance impact assessments tell us? -- Figure 4.1 Simple response to an increase in supply of microenterprises -- Microfinance and key development triggers -- Conclusion -- 5 | Commercialization: the death of microfinance -- Background to commercialization -- The gathering storm -- Table 5.1 The rise of consumer microloans in selected countries -- The perfect storm - the 'Compartamos affair' -- Key problematic issues raised by the Compartamos episode -- Conclusion -- 6 | The politics of microfinance -- Bringing capitalism to the poor to make capitalism safe for the rich -- Microfinance is local neoliberalism -- Conclusion -- 7 | Alternatives to conventional microfinance -- A preliminary word on at-risk groups -- Financial sector models associated with local and regional development success -- Vietnam - a special case of 'progress with the wrong model' -- Conclusion -- 8 | Conclusion: the need for a new beginning -- Concluding thoughts -- Notes -- to 1 and 2 -- to 3 -- to 4 -- to 5 -- to 6 -- to 7 -- to 8 -- Bibliography -- Index.

Shows why many of the most fundamental building blocks of microfinance are largely myths, before going on to demonstrate that microfinance actually undermines the institutional foundations required for sustainable development and poverty reduction.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2018. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.