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Abstract

Since its emergence in the 1970s, microfinance has been considered an effective tool to alleviate poverty and reduce vulnerability, however, its role in achieving this mission has often been debated and questioned. The purpose of this study is to add to existing literature by investigating the role of microfinance in alleviating poverty and empowering women from the perspective of service users. The study examines the impact of microfinance in three areas: i) the impact at the household level, ii) impact on women, and iii) the impact on the economy as a tool to support and promote small entrepreneurship and job creation. The study also investigates the efficiency of microfinance institutions in targeting the poor.
While the study targeted the Middle East and North Africa region as a study area, the microfinance experience in Yemen was selected as an empirical case study for this research. The study used mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative approaches of primary and secondary data. a onetime survey of 200 microfinance participants was conducted, in addition to a total of five semistructured in-depth interviews with key informant stakeholders in the industry. Secondary data such as official statistics and reports published by international, regional, and national organizations were used. Descriptive and inferential statistical approaches were employed to analyze the data.
The study results reveal a positive impact of microfinance at the socio-economic level (income, savings behaviors, asset acquisition) and living standards (education, health, and consumption) of participating households and women. The results show a positive impact of microfinance on women's empowerment and independence, as well as on job creation and support for small enterprises. The study results also indicate that the impact of microfinance increases over time, the longer the poor have access to credit, the greater the impact of microfinance programmes. On the other hand, the results reveal that MFIs do not have effective client-targeting policies and practices. The study also reveals significant challenges still facing the microfinance industry in the region and Yemen in terms of unsustainable financing, inefficiency, and limited outreach.

Course: International Development Studies (DL) - MSC - P2517PTD

Date Deposited: 2022-07-25

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13931.html