Microfinance: Limitations and Challenges of a Lucrative Practice

This book is the result of action research. It analyzes and measures the wealth creation of a sample of business units in Benin that use microloans to fund their operations. It examines the relationship of mutual dependence between these economic units and microfinance institutions (MFIs), and seeks to identify the contribution of each to wealth creation. A somewhat contingent application of the Economic Value Added (EVA) model provides an opportunity for all stakeholders in the decentralized financing system to question the (in)effectiveness of wealth creation attributed to microfinance as a development tool. The theoretical results obtained were compared with empirical data, using the perceived satisfaction of "entrepreneurs" who are beneficiaries of microfinance as a benchmark. Several exogenous factors likely to explain the level of value creation were evaluated. Microfinance, as it is currently practiced, should give pause to any development-oriented mindset. This book is the result of that inquiry.