Targeted Credit Programs and Rural Poverty in Bangladesh

Abstract

No AccessWorld Bank Discussion Papers12 Aug 2013Targeted Credit Programs and Rural Poverty in BangladeshAuthors/Editors: Shahidur R. Khandker, Osman H. ChowdhuryShahidur R. Khandker, Osman H. Chowdhuryhttps://doi.org/10.1596/0-8213-3706-8SectionsAboutPDF (0.2 MB) ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Abstract:This paper is one of several papers produced as a research output under the research project, " Credit Programs for the Poor: Household and Intrahousehold Impacts and Program Sustainability. " One of the project ' s objectives was to develop a methodology to estimate the costs and benefits of group-based credit programs. It included identifying program effects on household and individual outcomes as well as analyzing the women ' s participation in these credit programs and the ensuing effects on household and intrahousehold outcomes by gender. Another of the project ' s objectives was to analyze the financial and economic efficiency of the credit programs, which depend on resource-intensive group formation and monitoring. The aim was to estimate the cost structures of the programs and examine how the programs operate and whether and under what conditions such group-based credit programs are sustainable. This paper discusses the influences of targeted credit interventions on poverty among program participants and non-participants living in program areas, in comparison with poverty situations of households living in non-program areas. The discussion is based on the household data collected from 1,800 households randomly drawn from both program and non-program areas of Bangladesh. Data analysis shows that it takes about five years for poor program participants to rise above the poverty line and eight years for them to reach the level where they no longer take loans from a targeted credit program. The results also show that targeted programs have helped program beneficiaries to invest increasingly in non-farm rather than farm resources, clearly denoting a structural shift from traditional farm activities in rural Bangladesh. Policy interventions may be needed to use the superior skills of the participants who graduate from these targeted programs to create more dynamism in the rural economy. Previous bookNext book FiguresReferencesRecommendedDetailsCited ByIs Microcredit a Reverse Innovation?FIIB Business Review, Vol.11, No.29 October 2020Islam, Neoliberalism and Social Inequality in Bangladesh: A Social Policy Perspective19 December 2020Trade-off between outreach and sustainability of microfinance institutions: evidence from sub-Saharan AfricaEnterprise Development and Microfinance, Vol.28, No.3Exploring Impact of Targeting the Ultra Poor Programme on Health Issues in BangladeshJournal of Health Management, Vol.18, No.319 August 2016Functioning Achievements in Urban Bangladesh: A Comparison with Rural AreasJournal of Contemporary Asia, Vol.46, No.229 September 2015A Nexus Between Child Labour and Microfinance: An Empirical InvestigationEconomic Papers: A journal of applied economics and policy, Vol.34, No.1-26 April 2015Measuring the Performance of Microfinancing Institutions: A New ApproachSouth Asia Economic Journal, Vol.13, No.123 March 2012Can microcredit worsen poverty? Cases of exacerbated poverty in BangladeshDevelopment in Practice, Vol.21, No.8Examining the Critical Factors Affecting the Repayment of Microcredit Provided by Amanah Ikhtiar MalaysiaSSRN Electronic JournalEmpirical Investigation on Repayment Performance of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia's Hardcore Poor ClientsSSRN Electronic JournalExamining the Effect of Microcredit on Employment in Peninsular MalaysiaSSRN Electronic JournalInvestigating the Effect of the Utilization of Microcredit on Hardcore Poor Clients Household Income and AssetsSSRN Electronic Journal View Published: December 1996ISBN: 978-0-8213-3706-6 Copyright & Permissions Related RegionsSouth AsiaRelated CountriesBangladeshRelated TopicsFinance and Financial Sector DevelopmentPoverty ReductionRural Development KeywordsRURAL POVERTYCREDITPOVERTY MITIGATIONHOUSEHOLDSHOUSEHOLD INCOMECONSUMER CREDITSTRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENTWELFAREBANGLADESHSOUTH ASIACREDIT PROGRAMSESTIMATES OF POVERTYHOUSEHOLD WELFAREPOVERTY ALLEVIATIONRURALRURAL CREDITRURAL DEVELOPMENTRURAL POORRURAL POVERTYSAVINGS PDF DownloadLoading ...

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