On ne prête pas qu'aux riches

Today over three billion people do not have access to any financial service and over one billion are deprived the right to take out a loan, and therefore the right to personal initiative in an economic endeavor. Maria Nowak realized early that economic thinking was stuck in a simplistic 19th century equation of profit versus social security and decided that something had to be done. For the past thirty years the concept of micro-finance has been working to rectify this colossal injustice and has proven there are ways to allow the poor to access capital. Over sixty million people have benefited from micro-finance and its popularity is steadily climbing. Through multiple concrete examples in France, Africa and Eastern Europe Maria Nowak demonstrates that it is not necessary to choose between an unbridled liberal economy and socialized government. We only need to find the correct balance between free enterprise and social protection. An engaging, revolutionary book in every sense of the word. Excellent for breaking economic molds and proving that people can and will pull themselves out of poverty if given a chance. The results of micro-finance have been so encouraging that the United Nations have decided to name 2005 the International Year of Microcredit.