Microfinance meeting the needs of poor consumers : a marketing myth?

Laurel R. Jackson, Richard Fletcher, Daniela Spanjaard, Sara M. Denize, Neeru Sharma

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperConference Paper

Abstract

We examine the weak foundations that form the basis of many assumptions being made about the poor and their money management (Ruthven, 2002).We examine the financial interfaces of the rural poor in an emerging Asian market and challenge the widely held view that microfinance is meeting the needs of a substantial number of poor consumers and contributing directly to poverty alleviation. Observation of the financial practices of the rural poor in Bangladesh suggests that microfinance is not increasing productivity or contributing to the creation of new entrepreneurial income producing activities for this group. An approach is proposed to enable closer examination of potential financial product alternatives that may serve this market more effectively.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMarketing: Shifting the Focus from Mainstream to Offbeat: Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference, held 1 - 3 December 2008 Olympic Park, Sydney, N.S.W.
PublisherPromaco Conventions for the ANZAM 2008 Conference
Number of pages8
ISBN (Print)1863081445
Publication statusPublished - 2008
EventAustralian & New Zealand Marketing Academy. Conference -
Duration: 3 Dec 2012 → …

Conference

ConferenceAustralian & New Zealand Marketing Academy. Conference
Period3/12/12 → …

Keywords

  • microfinance
  • poor
  • developing countries
  • money management
  • consumers
  • Bangladesh

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