The next IPID Talk will be on Thursday, December 1st at 1:00pm in Room 70 of the Minnesota Population Center (50 Willey Hall).
Click here for a campus map: http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/maps/WilleyH/
Aryn Baxter from Comparative & International Development Education and friends will be leading a fascinating discussion about whether microfinance is really as great as it's cracked up to be.
It promises to be a thought provoking time. Come and bring friends.
Announcement:
When: December 1st, 2011, 1-2 PM
Topic: Magical Microfinance: Mighty or Maligned?
Who: Aryn Baxter, Tam Weiss, Yui Bi (Comparative & International Development Education program) and Brooke Krause (Applied Economics) are currently working together on a longitudinal evaluation of an entrepreneurship education program that includes increasing youth access to financial services. They will facilitate a discussion on the current debates surrounding microfinance.
Where: Room 70 of the Minnesota Population Center (50 Willey Hall)
Questions:
· What are the distinguishing features of microfinance?
· Is microfinance better for the poor than other forms of finance, such as moneylenders or banks?
· Have microfinance programs diverted attention from more pro-poor interventions?
· Is there an appropriate role for microfinance in poverty alleviation?
· Based on perspectives from your discipline, what critical issues, theoretical or practical implications are raised from using microfinance as a tool to achieve poverty alleviation?
Resources:
· http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/15/opinion/15yunus.html
· http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/loan-ranger/
