Rural Innovations

Category

funding

350 entries tagged funding.

Articles — 322

  • Enhancing Rural Innovation in Canada

    OECD · 2024 · OECD Rural Studies

    OECD Rural Studies report examining Canada's rural innovation ecosystem — the actors, funding flows, and policy levers that shape innovation in rural and remote regions, with comparative international benchmarks. Verify exact publication year on the cover.

  • Identifying and Responding to the Challenges of Sustaining a Tuition Support Program in a Rural Setting

    Alexa Ferdinands, Matt Ormandy, Maria Mayan · 2024 · Journal of Rural and Community Development, 19(1), 28-48

    Identifies challenges in sustaining a rural tuition support program and offers responses for community-based education programs working with limited resources in rural Canada.

  • Creating value in ecosystems: Crossing the chasm between knowledge and business ecosystems

    Bart Clarysse, Mike Wright, Johan Bruneel, Aarti Mahajan · 2014 · Research Policy, 43, 1164-1176

    Studies 138 innovative start-ups in Flanders to compare their knowledge ecosystem and business ecosystem. Finds the knowledge ecosystem well-structured but the business ecosystem nearly absent locally — implications for ecosystem policy.

  • Has Digital Financial Inclusion Narrowed the Urban-Rural Income Gap: The Role of Entrepreneurship in China

    Xuanming Ji, Kun Wang, He Xu, Muchen Li · 2021 · Sustainability

    Digital financial inclusion significantly narrows China's urban-rural income gap, primarily through expanding access to financing. The effect operates mainly by enabling rural residents to start businesses and create jobs. Coverage breadth matters most; depth of use and digitalization show weaker effects. The impact is strongest in economically disadvantaged regions with lower education levels. The paper recommends policies leveraging digital finance to promote rural entrepreneurship.

  • Agriculture in the developing world: Connecting innovations in plant research to downstream applications

    Deborah P. Delmer · 2005 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

    Plant genomics and molecular breeding offer powerful tools to improve crops for poor farmers in developing regions. The paper argues that translating these innovations into real benefits requires better collaboration between public and private plant scientists, new funding mechanisms, and targeted research on abiotic and biotic stresses. While private companies have successfully developed improved maize and cotton varieties, the public sector must build capacity to apply these same techniques to crops serving the poorest farmers.

  • Micro-entrepreneurship and subjective well-being: Evidence from rural Bangladesh

    Muhammad Faress Bhuiyan, Artjoms Ivļevs · 2018 · Journal of Business Venturing

    Microcredit-enabled entrepreneurship in rural Bangladesh reduces overall life satisfaction indirectly by increasing worry, despite having no direct negative effects. Female micro-borrowers report higher satisfaction with financial security and life achievement. Borrowers with more assets also experience greater satisfaction with financial security. The findings suggest microcredit's well-being impacts are complex and vary by gender and asset levels.

  • Infrastructure Investment and Rural Economic Development: An Evaluation of USDA's Broadband Loan Program

    Ivan T. Kandilov, Mitch Renkow · 2010 · Growth and Change

    The USDA's Broadband Loan Program, launched in 2002, significantly boosted employment, payroll, and business establishments in recipient communities during its pilot phase (2002–2003). However, benefits concentrated in rural areas near cities. The newer program phase showed no measurable economic impact yet, likely due to insufficient time for effects to materialize.

  • A Multivariate Model of Micro Credit and Rural Women Entrepreneurship Development in Bangladesh

    Sharmina Afrin, Nazrul Islam, Shahid Uddin Ahmed · 2009 · International Journal of Business and Management

    Microcredit programs in Bangladesh help rural women survive but don't automatically build entrepreneurial skills. This study identifies key factors driving entrepreneurship among women borrowers using statistical modeling. Financial management skills and group identity strongly predict entrepreneurial development, while family business experience and access to credit options also matter. The findings show microcredit's impact depends on developing specific capabilities beyond basic lending.

  • Rural Financial Development Impacts on Agricultural Technology Innovation: Evidence from China

    Yuyu Liu, Duan Ji, Zhang Lin, Jingjing An, Wenyan Sun · 2021 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

    Rural financial development significantly boosts agricultural technology innovation in China. The study of 31 Chinese provinces from 2003 to 2015 shows that rural finance efficiency drives innovation in low-marketization regions, while rural finance scale matters more in high-marketization regions. Stronger agricultural technology innovation subsequently supports rural economic development.

  • Does Digital Inclusive Finance Promote Coastal Rural Entrepreneurship?

    Wenwu Xie, Wang Tao, Xuan Zhao · 2020 · Journal of Coastal Research

    Digital inclusive finance significantly promotes rural entrepreneurship in China, particularly in central inland regions. The study analyzes payment services and monetary fund indices using national panel data, finding that digital finance reduces financial exclusion and improves access to capital. However, the effect varies by region—coastal and western areas show weaker impacts than inland central regions.

  • Inclusive Finance, Farm Households Entrepreneurship, and Inclusive Rural Transformation in Rural Poverty-stricken Areas in China

    Tian Liu, Guangwen He, Calum G. Turvey · 2019 · Emerging Markets Finance and Trade

    Financial inclusion drives rural entrepreneurship and poverty reduction in China's impoverished counties. Using survey data from 988 farm households, the study shows that actually using credit—not merely accessing it—encourages entrepreneurial activities. Formal and informal credit operate through separate channels but both support entrepreneurship. Farm household entrepreneurship directly increases household income, making financial inclusion critical for inclusive rural transformation.

  • Challenges hindering women entrepreneurship sustainability in rural livelihoods: Case of Manicaland province

    Rahabhi Mashapure, Brighton Nyagadza, Lovemore Chikazhe, Nothando Msipa, Grace Kuda Portia Ngorora, Aaram Gwiza · 2022 · Cogent Social Sciences

    Women entrepreneurs in rural Zimbabwe face significant barriers to business sustainability, including lack of collateral for loans, poor access to market information, and insufficient government support. The study of 30 women in vegetable vending, clothing markets, and cross-border trading identifies patriarchal social structures and role conflicts between family and business as major obstacles. Recommendations include entrepreneurship training, government schemes, and community networks to support women's economic activities.

  • Microcredit and Rural Women Entrepreneurship Development in Bangladesh: A Multivariate Model

    Sharmina Afrin, Nazrul Islam, Shahid Uddin Ahmed · 2010 · Journal of business and management.

    Microcredit programs in Bangladesh develop rural women's entrepreneurship through multiple pathways. Financial management skills emerge as the strongest factor enabling entrepreneurial capability. Group identity among borrowers and prior family business experience also significantly support entrepreneurship development. The study challenges the view that microcredit merely enables survival, showing instead that it builds genuine entrepreneurial capacity when combined with skill development and social networks.

  • Money or Management? A Field Experiment on Constraints to Entrepreneurship in Rural Pakistan

    Xavier Giné, Ghazala Mansuri · 2019 · Economic Development and Cultural Change

    A field experiment in rural Pakistan tested whether microfinance clients benefit more from business training or larger loans. Training significantly improved business knowledge, reduced failures, enhanced practices, and increased household spending by $82 annually, with stronger effects for men. Larger loans had minimal impact, suggesting existing loan sizes already meet demand. Training proved effective but not cost-effective for lenders.

  • The Contribution of Private Industry to Agricultural Innovation

    Keith O. Fuglie, Paul W. Heisey, John L. King, Carl E. Pray, David Schimmelpfennig · 2012 · Science

    Private-sector agricultural research and development spending increased 43 percent between 1994 and 2010, driven primarily by advances in seed biotechnology. This growth demonstrates the significant role that private industry plays in funding and developing agricultural innovations.

  • Access to finance and rural youth entrepreneurship in Benin: Is there a gender gap?

    Melain Modeste Senou, Julius Manda · 2022 · African Development Review

    Rural youth in Benin face significant barriers to entrepreneurship, particularly access to finance. Using survey data from over 900 youths, the study finds that access to finance increases the probability of youth entrepreneurship by 15.2%. However, a substantial gender gap exists: young women with access to finance are 5.24% less likely to start ventures than young men. Age, education, poverty status, agricultural experience, and bank branch proximity all influence finance access. The authors recommend policymakers reduce collateral requirements to expand financing for youth, especially women.

  • Does Digital Financial Inclusion Reduce China’s Rural Household Vulnerability to Poverty: An Empirical Analysis From the Perspective of Household Entrepreneurship

    Shijiang Chen, Mingyue Liang, Wen Yang · 2022 · SAGE Open

    Digital financial inclusion reduces rural poverty vulnerability in China by enabling household entrepreneurship. The study finds that digital financial services are particularly effective for low-income households in regions with limited financial development and human capital. The research recommends that China develop digital financial inclusion infrastructure and coordinate it with other poverty-reduction policies to prevent households from returning to poverty.

  • Supporting rural entrepreneurship in the UK microbrewery sector

    Victoria Ellis, Gary Bosworth · 2015 · British Food Journal

    The UK microbrewery sector has grown rapidly, but declining pub numbers threaten sustainability. This study finds that rural microbreweries generate value beyond economics—including job creation, heritage preservation, and tourism benefits. Funding boosted entrepreneurial activity but risked distorting competition. As the market intensifies, microbrewers must innovate to survive, and policymakers need better tools to assess how grant funding affects local economies and entrepreneurship.

  • Microfinance and the business of poverty reduction: Critical perspectives from rural Bangladesh

    Subhabrata Bobby Banerjee, Laurel R Jackson · 2016 · Human Relations

    An ethnographic study of three Bangladeshi villages reveals that microfinance programs, despite promises to reduce poverty and empower women, actually increased indebtedness and worsened economic, social, and environmental vulnerabilities. The research shows that market-based poverty reduction approaches can undermine social capital rather than strengthen entrepreneurial capabilities in poor communities.

  • ‘Freedom from Poverty is Not for Free’: Rural Development and the Microfinance Crisis in Andhra Pradesh, India

    Marcus Taylor · 2011 · Journal of Agrarian Change

    The 2010 microfinance crisis in Andhra Pradesh reveals fundamental failures in neoliberal development narratives. Microfinance institutions exploited rural vulnerability caused by trade liberalization, drought, and agrarian collapse, encouraging poor farmers to take loans for consumption and debt management. The crisis demonstrates that integrating the poor into formal financial systems without addressing underlying agrarian dislocations creates instability rather than poverty reduction.

  • Does microfinance reduce rural poverty?

    Guush Berhane, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1947-9483 Berhane, Guush · 2011 · IFPRI E-brary (International Food Policy Research Institute)

    Microfinance borrowing causally increases household consumption and housing improvements among farm households in northern Ethiopia. Using panel data tracked over four rounds, the study finds that repeated borrowing produces cumulative long-term poverty reduction effects. Short-term impact estimates underestimate credit's true benefits on rural poverty.

  • Can digital technologies reshape rural microfinance? Implications for savings, credit, & insurance

    Elinor Benami, Michael R. Carter · 2021 · Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy

    Digital technologies like mobile money, digital credit scoring, and satellite imagery can address rural microfinance challenges by reducing information gaps and transaction costs in savings, credit, and insurance markets. The paper reviews evidence across these three domains and finds promising potential, but warns that digital tools have limitations requiring careful evaluation and oversight to ensure the resulting financial systems are more efficient and equitable than current alternatives.

  • Rural and micro finance regulation in Ghana: implications for development and performance of the industry

    William F. Steel, David O. Andah · 2003 · SSRN Electronic Journal

    Ghana's regulatory framework for rural and microfinance institutions shaped the development of diverse formal, semi-formal, and informal providers serving different market segments. The study finds that overly permissive early entry policies created weak institutions using untested methodologies, damaging credibility and straining supervision resources. Effective regulation requires balancing market access for broader outreach against prudential standards and adequate supervisory capacity.

  • Impact of Microfinance on Rural Households in the Philippines

    Toshio Kondo, Aniceto Orbeta, Clarence Dingcong, Christine Infantado · 2009 · IDS Bulletin

    A microfinance program in the Philippines targeting rural poor households showed mixed results. While loan availability modestly increased per capita income and expenditure, benefits concentrated among wealthier households and bypassed the poorest. The program successfully reduced reliance on informal loans and boosted savings, but failed to improve assets or human capital. The authors conclude that microfinance needs better targeting mechanisms and project selection support to effectively reduce poverty.

  • The challenge of rural financial inclusion – evidence from microfinance

    Tania López, Adalbert Winkler · 2017 · Applied Economics

    Microfinance institutions serving rural borrowers face sustainability challenges that limit financial inclusion in rural areas. Analysis of 772 microfinance institutions from 2008–2013 shows that while rural lending doesn't directly harm sustainability, institutions with more rural borrowers struggle to achieve economies of scale and productivity gains. This structural disadvantage explains why rural financial inclusion progresses more slowly than urban inclusion.

  • The role of SMEs in rural development: Access of SMEs to finance as a mediator

    Faiza Manzoor, Longbao Wei, Noman Sahito · 2021 · PLoS ONE

    Small and medium enterprises drive rural development in Pakistan, but financing access is critical. This study surveyed 338 rural entrepreneurs across three districts and found that SME growth directly improves rural development outcomes. Access to finance significantly strengthens this relationship, acting as a key mediator between SME evolution and rural development gains. The findings highlight the importance of improving credit availability for rural SMEs.

  • The “Moral Hazards” of Microfinance: Restructuring Rural Credit in India

    Stephen Young · 2010 · Antipode

    Microfinance has spread globally as a development tool since the 1970s, but this paper examines how these practices and ideas operate differently in specific places. Using fieldwork in coastal Andhra Pradesh, India, the author traces microfinance expansion across the region and analyzes a recent protest against commercial microfinance institutions, showing how economic ideas are produced, travel, and face local contestation.

  • Microfinance and Household Poverty Reduction: Empirical Evidence from Rural Pakistan

    Asad K. Ghalib, Issam Malki, Katsushi S. Imai · 2014 · Oxford Development Studies

    Microfinance access in rural Pakistan reduces household poverty, according to analysis of 1,132 households. Borrowers showed improvements across multiple indicators: higher spending on healthcare and clothing, increased household income, and better housing conditions including water supply and roof and wall quality. The study controlled for selection bias using propensity score matching.

  • From Urban to Rural: Lessons for Microfinance from Argentina

    Mark Schreiner, Héctor Horacio Colombet · 2001 · Development Policy Review

    Rural microfinance organizations in Argentina have adapted urban microfinance practices to rural contexts, but the approach faces significant obstacles. High distances, specialized farming, and elevated wages make microfinance ineffective for reaching Argentina's poorest rural populations. The paper argues that improving rural financial access requires strengthening market-supporting institutions rather than government-mandated lending programs.

  • Are Women Better Bankers to the Poor? Evidence from Rural Microfinance Institutions

    Valentina Hartarska, Denis A. Nadolnyak, Roy Mersland · 2014 · American Journal of Agricultural Economics

    Microfinance institutions with female CEOs achieve significantly higher outreach efficiency in serving poor populations while maintaining financial sustainability compared to those led by men. Using stochastic frontier analysis on panel data from over 250 MFIs, the researchers found that female leadership correlates with better performance across both social and financial goals. Promoting women to top management positions in microfinance yields measurable benefits for both poverty alleviation and institutional viability.

  • Microfinance Intervention in Poverty Reduction: A Study of Women Farmer-Entrepreneurs in Rural Ghana

    Julius A. Nukpezah, Charles Blankson · 2017 · Journal of African Business

    Microfinance programs combining credit provision with social intermediation successfully reduce poverty among rural women farmer-entrepreneurs in Ghana. Strong social networks and group relationships drive the scheme's effectiveness, improving credit access, business performance, and living standards. Poverty reduction programs in developing countries should integrate social and human development components into microfinancing policies.

  • The Role of Microfinance in Contemporary Rural Development Finance Policy and Practice: Imposing Neoliberalism as ‘Best Practice’

    Milford Bateman · 2012 · Journal of Agrarian Change

    Microcredit emerged in the 1970s as a poverty-reduction tool based on individual entrepreneurship, gaining strong support from neoliberal policymakers and international development institutions. However, evidence now shows microcredit has failed to reduce poverty or support rural development. Rural communities exposed to microcredit have suffered damage through boom-and-bust cycles. Despite this failure, major development institutions and Western governments continue supporting microfinance for ideological reasons.

  • Impact of microfinance of IBBL on the rural poor's livelihood in Bangladesh: an empirical study

    M. Mizanur Rahman, Fariduddin Ahmad · 2010 · International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management

    Microfinance provided by IBBL to rural poor in Bangladesh significantly increased household income, crop and livestock productivity, employment, and expenditure. Clients' age, family farming members, land size, and ethical values positively influenced income gains. Beneficiaries reported improved economic organization, quality of life, and awareness of health and sanitation. The study recommends expanding the program with larger investments and demand-driven training.

  • Economic evaluation of a combined microfinance and gender training intervention for the prevention of intimate partner violence in rural South Africa

    Stephen Jan, Giulia Ferrari, Charlotte Watts, James Hargreaves, J. C. Kim, Godfrey Phetla, Linda Morison, John Porter, Tony Barnett, Paul Pronyk · 2010 · Health Policy and Planning

    A combined microfinance and gender training program in rural South Africa reduces intimate partner violence while generating economic benefits. The intervention cost $7,688 per disability-adjusted life year gained during trials and $2,307 during scale-up, making it cost-effective. The program delivers health and development gains beyond violence prevention alone.

  • Can China’s digital inclusive finance help rural revitalization? A perspective based on rural economic development and income disparity

    Mingzhao Xiong, Jingjing Fan, Wenqi Li, Brian Teo Sheng Xian · 2022 · Frontiers in Environmental Science

    Digital inclusive finance in China promotes rural revitalization by expanding economic growth and reducing urban-rural income gaps. The effect varies by region, with stronger impacts in eastern and central provinces than western areas. Coverage breadth and usage depth drive revitalization, while digitalization shows a U-shaped relationship. A threshold effect exists: below certain levels, digital finance facilitates revitalization; above thresholds, effects strengthen significantly.

  • Microfinance and Women Empowerment: A Panel Data Analysis Using Evidence from Rural Bangladesh

    Sarahat Salma Chowdhury, Sifat Adiya Chowdhury · 2011 · International Journal of Economics and Finance

    Microfinance programs in rural Bangladesh serve over 90% women clients. This study uses panel data to measure whether microfinance participation genuinely empowers women by comparing outcomes like labor supply, asset accumulation, family planning, children's education, and household spending against outcomes from non-program borrowing sources. The analysis determines whether observed benefits actually constitute meaningful women's empowerment.

  • Microfinance as a Development and Poverty Alleviation Tool in Rural Bangladesh: A Critical Assessment

    Isahaque Ali, Zulkarnain A. Hatta, Azlinda Azman, Md. Shariful Islam · 2016 · Asian Social Work and Policy Review

    Microfinance programs in rural Bangladesh fail to reduce poverty effectively due to high interest rates, small loan amounts, and staff corruption. Beneficiaries face weekly repayment demands and harassment. Broader structural problems—lack of jobs, education, healthcare, natural disasters, and rising living costs—perpetuate poverty despite microfinance access. The study concludes microfinance alone cannot address multidimensional poverty without complementary development interventions.

  • Role of Islamic microfinance in women’s empowerment: evidence from Rural Development Scheme of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited

    Md. Saiful Islam · 2020 · ISRA International Journal of Islamic Finance

    Islamic microfinance services provided by Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited significantly empowered rural women in Bangladesh. The services shifted families from agriculture to retail businesses, increased household income and savings, improved living standards, and enhanced economic and socio-cultural empowerment. However, increased familial authority showed no significant effect on overall empowerment, suggesting potential tensions between different dimensions of women's empowerment.

  • Rural Microfinance Service Delivery: Gaps, Inefficiencies and Emerging Solutions

    Tapan S. Parikh · 2006

    Rural microfinance institutions face three critical operational challenges: communicating with remote clients, managing institutional data, and delivering money to distant areas. This paper identifies technology gaps in these areas based on field research across Latin America and Asia. It examines current solutions including handheld devices for data collection, management information systems, and electronic banking strategies, assessing their effectiveness and potential to help microfinance providers achieve sustainable growth and scale.

  • Microfinance against malaria: impact of Freedom from Hunger's malaria education when delivered by rural banks in Ghana

    Natalie De La Cruz, Benjamin T. Crookston, Bobbi Gray, Steve Alder, Kirk A. Dearden · 2009 · Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

    A malaria education program delivered through rural microfinance banks in Ghana significantly improved clients' malaria knowledge and prevention behaviors compared to control groups. Participants who received malaria education were more likely to identify vulnerable populations, recognize insecticide-treated nets as protective, and actually own and use bed nets. The program achieved the largest increases in net ownership and use, demonstrating that microfinance institutions can effectively support national malaria control efforts.

  • AGRICULTURAL FINANCING POLICIES AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

    Christopher C. Eze, J. Lemchi, Albert I. Ugochukwu, V.C. Eze, C.A.O. Awulonu, AE Okon, Eze, Christopher C., Lemchi, J.I., Ugochukwu, Albert I., Eze, V.C., Awulonu, C.A.O., Okon, A.X. · 2010

    Nigeria's government has created agricultural financing policies, schemes, and institutions aimed at rural development, but inadequate budget allocation and corruption undermine their effectiveness. The study recommends that Nigeria increase strategic agricultural investment, upgrade rural infrastructure, boost farm productivity, enhance competitiveness, and combat corruption to achieve rural development goals.

  • Impact of Digital Inclusive Finance on Rural High‐Quality Development: Evidence from China

    Le Sun, Congmou Zhu · 2022 · Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society

    Digital inclusive finance significantly promotes rural economic development in China by improving economic efficiency, urban-rural structure, ecological sustainability, livelihoods, and innovation capacity. The relationship is nonlinear, initially restraining growth before accelerating after a threshold. The authors recommend expanding rural digital infrastructure and inclusive finance services, particularly in economically underdeveloped regions.

  • Microfinance and Rural Household Development

    Julius H. Kotir, Franklin Obeng‐Odoom · 2009 · Journal of Developing Societies

    A study of 139 rural households in Ghana's Upper West Region finds that microfinance borrowers divert significant loan portions toward household consumption rather than productive investment. While this generates moderate improvements in household productivity and welfare, microfinance's overall impact on rural community development remains modest. The findings suggest microfinance alone does not reliably reduce poverty or drive rural economic growth.

  • Microfinance and HIV prevention – emerging lessons from rural South Africa

    Pronyk Pronyk, Kim Kim, Hargreaves Hargreaves, Makhubele Makhubele, Morison Morison, Watts Watts, Porter Porter · 2005 · Enterprise Development and Microfinance

    Microfinance programs in rural South Africa can reduce HIV vulnerability by building economic confidence and well-being among participants. The IMAGE intervention integrated microfinance with HIV prevention activities, combining loans with health education and gender equity work. The study documents operational challenges, practical lessons, and limitations from several years of field implementation, contributing evidence that economic empowerment supports HIV prevention outcomes.

  • Microfinance, Financial Literacy, and Household Power Configuration in Rural Bangladesh: An Empirical Study on Some Credit Borrowers

    Faraha Nawaz · 2015 · VOLUNTAS International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations

    Microfinance alone does not empower rural women in Bangladesh; financial literacy is essential. The study examined women borrowers' perceptions of economic and socio-cultural changes in their households. Microfinance combined with financial literacy improved women's economic position and household power dynamics. Financial literacy proved more critical than credit access for meaningful empowerment, suggesting future microfinance programs should prioritize education alongside lending.

  • Enhancing microfinance outreach through market‐oriented new service development in Indian regional rural banks

    Phil Megicks, Atul Mishra, Jonathan Lean · 2005 · International Journal of Bank Marketing

    Indian regional rural banks underperform in microfinance because they focus on products rather than markets. This paper develops a conceptual framework showing how manager attitudes, institutional characteristics, and market orientation influence service innovation, customer satisfaction, and outreach performance. The findings suggest that adopting market-oriented approaches to new service development can improve these banks' ability to serve poor populations.

  • Credit risk in Islamic microfinance institutions: The role of women, groups, and rural borrowers

    Toka S. Mohamed, Mohammed Elgammal · 2022 · Emerging Markets Review

    Islamic microfinance institutions reduce credit risk by offering more group loans, serving more women, and lending to rural borrowers. Conventional microfinance institutions show opposite patterns, benefiting from fewer group loans and rural lending. The findings demonstrate that Islamic MFIs can successfully promote financial inclusion for women and rural populations while maintaining strong credit quality by leveraging social dynamics within Muslim communities.

  • Sustainability Issues of Interest-Free Micro-Finance Institutions in Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation. the Bangladesh Perspective

    Jannat Ara Parveen · 2009 · Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management

    This study evaluates the sustainability of interest-free microfinance institutions in Bangladesh, focusing on the Rural Development Scheme of Islamic Bank Bangladesh Limited. The research examines institutional, financial, and economic sustainability indicators and finds that the scheme operates sustainably while serving rural development and poverty alleviation. The author recommends policy guidelines to support interest-free microfinance expansion in similar regions.

  • Agricultural Financing in Nigeria: An Empirical Study of Nigerian Agricultural Co-operative and Rural Development Bank (NACRDB): 1990-2010

    Odi. Nwankwo · 2013 · Journal of Management Research

    Agricultural credit significantly drives economic growth in Nigeria, but loan repayment failures have hampered development. The study of Nigeria's Agricultural Co-operative and Rural Development Bank from 1990-2010 reveals a strong relationship between agricultural financing and economic growth. The research recommends increasing loan availability and reducing interest rates to boost rural agricultural development and national economic expansion.

  • Digital inclusive finance & the high-quality agricultural development: Prevalence of regional heterogeneity in rural China

    Hanjin Li, Yang Shi, Jianxin Zhang, Zhenkun Zhang, Zhaosen Zhang, Maogang Gong · 2023 · PLoS ONE

    Digital inclusive finance significantly improves agricultural development in rural China, with the strongest effects in the Eastern region. The relationship is nonlinear, with two critical thresholds: below 4.77, digital finance has minimal impact; above 5.32, its positive effects strengthen substantially. Regional differences exist across China's three regions. The study recommends expanding digital finance in Central and Western regions to balance development and reduce financial exclusion in agriculture.

  • Improving Women and Family’s Health through Integrated Microfinance, Health Education and Promotion in Rural Areas

    Kahabi Isangula · 2012 · Journal of Sustainable Development

    Integrated microfinance combined with health education and promotion activities significantly improves rural women and family health outcomes. The review of peer-reviewed research shows these combined programs reduce intimate-partner violence, lower HIV/AIDS risk, promote mental health, and improve overall family wellbeing. Economic empowerment through local business support paired with preventive health training creates greater impact than either intervention alone in rural areas.

  • Rural tourism development and financing in Romania: A supply-side analysis

    Daniel Bădulescu, Adriana Giurgiu, Nicolae Istudor, Alina Bădulescu · 2015 · Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika)

    Rural tourism businesses in Romania can drive sustainable development by leveraging natural and cultural resources, but they struggle to secure bank financing. Banks identify these ventures as risky due to poor management, seasonality, and small scale, yet recognize their resilience. Rural tourism firms must diversify income, form associations, and maintain healthy debt levels to attract funding. Private domestic banks prove more willing to finance rural tourism than other bank types, and EU co-financing programs offer promising pathways for growth.

  • The Role and Sustainability of Microfinance Banks in Reducing Poverty and Development of Entrepreneurship in Urban and Rural Areas in Nigeria

    Abu Ikponmwosa Noruwa, Ezike John Emeka · 2012 · International Journal of Business Administration

    Microfinance banks in Nigeria's Lagos State struggle to reduce poverty and support entrepreneurship due to significant operational challenges. The study found high loan default rates among small enterprises and identified major obstacles including poor credit documentation, applicant identity verification issues, and economic instability. These problems undermine the sustainability of microfinance institutions attempting to empower rural and urban entrepreneurs through credit access.

  • Management ownership and the performance of Islamic microfinance institutions: a panel data analysis of Indonesian Islamic rural banks

    Annisa Fithria, Mahfud Sholihin, Usman Arief, Arif Anindita · 2021 · International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management

    This study examines how management ownership affects the performance of Islamic microfinance institutions in Indonesia, specifically rural Islamic banks (BPRS). Using quarterly data from 2011 to 2016, researchers found that ownership by sharia supervisory boards significantly improves profitability and efficiency, while board of directors ownership reduces financing risk. Board of commissioners ownership increases financing risk. These findings highlight the importance of sharia board involvement in improving Islamic microfinance institution performance.

  • The impact of microfinance on Indonesian rural households' welfare

    Danang Budi Santoso, Christopher Gan, Mohamad Dian Revindo, Natanael Waraney Gerald Massie · 2020 · Agricultural Finance Review

    Microfinance significantly improves welfare for rural Indonesian households, with loan purpose, income, expenditure, interest rates, loan amount, education, and marital status all influencing borrowers' welfare gains. The study surveyed rural households in Yogyakarta Province and used logistic modeling to measure microcredit impacts, providing evidence to guide Indonesian policymakers in strengthening microfinance programs.

  • Access to Microfinance by Rural Women: Implications for Poverty Reduction in Rural Households in Ghana

    Samuel Kobina Annim, Samuel Erasmus Alnaa · 2013 · Research in Applied Economics

    Microfinance access reduces poverty among rural households in Ghana's Upper East Region, though modestly. Using treatment effect estimation on 500 rural participants, the study finds that receiving microfinance credit decreases poverty by 0.12 percent, measured through consumption expenditure. The authors conclude microfinance works even in extremely poor areas and recommend expanding programs while tailoring delivery to local conditions.

  • SUSTAINABILITY OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES IN RURAL GHANA: THE ROLE OF MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS

    George Kwadwo Anane, Patrick Brandful Cobbinah, Job Kwame Manu · 2013 · Charles Sturt University Research Output (CRO)

    Microfinance institutions in rural Ghana improve small and medium enterprise performance, helping recipients enhance business activities, increase outputs, and manage finances better than non-recipients. However, challenges like delayed loan disbursement and repayment difficulties persist. The paper recommends timely credit delivery, flexible repayment terms, and awareness programs to sustain rural enterprise growth.

  • Effectiveness of Rural Microfinance: What We Know and What We Need to Know

    Ana Marr · 2012 · Journal of Agrarian Change

    Rural microfinance shows uncertain effectiveness in improving livelihoods, constrained by weaknesses in program design and the rural financial environment itself. Evidence indicates that microfinance impact remains limited. The paper argues that effectiveness requires developing new impact methodologies, expanding financial service types, and critically reducing risks and operating costs to make rural clients economically viable for financial intermediaries.

  • Transforming rural women’s lives in India: the impact of microfinance and entrepreneurship on empowerment in Self-Help Groups

    Ashwini Pandhare, Praveen Naik Bellampalli, Neelam Yadava · 2024 · Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

    Microfinance and entrepreneurship programs in rural Indian Self-Help Groups significantly empower women across social, economic, and psychological dimensions. The study found that these interventions increase financial independence, enhance decision-making participation, strengthen social networks, and boost self-confidence. Mixed-methods research combining surveys, interviews, and case studies demonstrates microfinance's transformative potential for advancing gender equality in rural communities.

  • Investments in Renewable Energy Sources in Basic Units of Local Government in Rural Areas

    Bogdan Klepacki, Barbara Kusto, Piotr Bórawski, Aneta Bełdycka-Bórawska, Konrad Michalski, Aleksandra Perkowska, Tomasz Rokicki · 2021 · Energies

    Rural local governments in Poland's Świętokrzyskie region invested minimally in renewable energy between 2016–2019, with only 28% of communes participating. EU funding proved essential for these investments to occur. Budget size and property expenditures correlated with renewable energy spending only in mixed urban-rural communes. The study reveals that without external EU support, local governments lack sufficient resources to transition away from coal dependence.

  • Microfinance Facility for Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan: An Empirical Analysis

    Touseef Ahmed Khan, Fahem Ahmed Khan, Qristin Violinda, Ilyas Aasir, Jian Sun · 2020 · Agriculture

    Microfinance programs targeting rural women entrepreneurs in Pakistan increase borrowers' income and consumption, creating financial stability and community-wide benefits. However, the programs fail to reach the extremely poor, limiting their effectiveness as a poverty reduction tool. The study uses difference-in-difference methods to isolate microfinance effects on female borrowers' welfare.

  • The impact of microfinance on rural poor households’ income and vulnerability to poverty: Case Study Of Makueni District, Kenya

    Joy M. Kiiru · 2007 · bonndoc (University of Bonn)

    Microfinance programs in Kenya's Makueni District significantly improved household incomes and reduced poverty vulnerability among rural participants compared to non-participants. The study confirms that access to credit enables poor households to start micro-enterprises and increase earnings. However, the research warns that microfinance alone cannot guarantee poverty escape without complementary policies supporting broader rural economic growth, agricultural productivity, and employment creation through public-private partnerships.

  • Microfinance towards micro-enterprises development in rural Malaysia through digital finance

    Muhammad Farhan Jalil · 2021 · Discover Sustainability

    Microfinance significantly boosts rural micro-enterprise development in Malaysia, with digital finance playing a partial mediating role. The study surveyed 563 rural micro-enterprises and found that microfinance institutions adopting digital finance can reduce transaction costs and improve productivity. Policymakers should encourage this integration to support sustainable micro-enterprise growth and poverty alleviation.

  • Local action groups and the LEADER co-financing of rural development projects in Slovenia

    Alenka VOLK, Štefan Bojnec · 2014 · Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika)

    This study examines how Local Action Groups in Slovenia evaluate rural development projects for LEADER funding. Researchers surveyed 103 LAG board members and analyzed projects funded in 2008-2009. They found that informal systems of board performance—such as personal relationships and trust—significantly influenced members' judgments about project suitability, while formal procedures had minimal impact on these decisions.

  • Impact of Microfinance on Rural Transformation in Nigeria

    Nwankwo Odi, G. A. Olukotu, Abah Emmanuel · 2013 · International Journal of Business and Management

    Microfinance banks in Nigeria fill a critical gap left by traditional deposit money banks, providing financial services to rural poor communities. The study finds that microfinance positively impacts rural transformation through agricultural loans, investment opportunities, savings mobilization, and community development financing. However, challenges including loan repayment problems, borrower illiteracy, and weak monitoring of enterprises limit effectiveness. The authors recommend better product-customer alignment, improved cash flow analysis, expanded service offerings, and stronger regulatory oversight.

  • ROLE OF MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT

    S. C. Vetrivel, S. Chandra Kumarmangalam · 2010

    Microfinance institutions provide poor rural populations with access to credit when formal banking systems exclude them. The paper evaluates successful and failed microfinance models worldwide and proposes an institutional framework tailored for India. This approach addresses poverty by offering alternatives to exploitative moneylenders and enabling economic participation without requiring traditional collateral.

  • Microfinance and rural development: a long-term perspective

    Henk A. J. Moll · 2005 · Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling

    Microfinance institutions can drive rural development by expanding savings and lending services to rural households, though this requires balancing two competing goals: reaching poor populations and maintaining financial sustainability. The paper examines how financial deepening affects rural economies at both household and national levels, finding positive effects overall. However, expanding financial services inevitably creates risks of bank failures, so microfinance sectors must prioritize stability alongside growth to serve more rural people effectively.

  • How Far is Microfinance Relevant for Empowering Rural Women? An Empirical Investigation

    Srimoyee Datta, Tarak Nath Sahu · 2022 · Journal of Economic Issues

    Microfinance institutions significantly improve economic, social, and psychological empowerment for rural women borrowers in West Bengal, India. The study analyzed primary data from backward districts using statistical regression methods and found that microfinance programs meaningfully enhance women's standard of living and overall empowerment. The research identifies key determinants driving these positive outcomes.

  • Does a joint United Nations microfinance ‘plus’ program empower female farmers in rural Ethiopia? Evidence using the pro-WEAI

    Marya Hillesland, Susan Kaaria, Erdgin Mane, Mihret Alemu, Vanya Slavchevska · 2022 · World Development

    A UN microfinance program in rural Ethiopia using women-run savings cooperatives increased intrinsic agency and spousal trust among women farmers who maintained credit access. However, some beneficiaries dropped out or lost access early, suggesting implementation challenges or community resistance. The study demonstrates that standardized empowerment metrics can effectively measure development program impacts on rural women in smallholder agriculture.

  • Financial Inclusion in Rural India: The role of Microfinance as a Tool

    Christabell · 2012 · IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science

    India's formal banking sector has systematically excluded rural poor and women from credit access despite nationalization efforts. Microfinance institutions fill this gap by operating locally, understanding rural needs, and offering flexible services that reach excluded populations. The paper argues microfinance mechanisms enable financial inclusion of rural poor and women into formal financial systems where traditional banks have failed.

  • Microfinance Interventions and Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs Rural Constituencies in Kenya

    Loice Maru, Razia Chemjor · 2013 · Research Journal of Finance and Accounting

    Microfinance institutions in rural Kenya provide credit, savings, and training services to women entrepreneurs. This study examined 80 microfinance members in Mogotio Constituency and found that microcredit and training significantly improved women's empowerment, while savings programs showed no significant effect. The findings support targeted microfinance interventions designed to strengthen women entrepreneurs in rural areas.

  • Impact of digital inclusive finance on agricultural total factor productivity in Zhejiang Province from the perspective of integrated development of rural industries

    Shouchao Jin, Zhangqi Zhong · 2024 · PLoS ONE

    Digital inclusive finance—combining digital technology with inclusive financial services—significantly boosts agricultural productivity in Zhejiang Province, China. The mechanism works through integrated rural industry development. The effect is stronger in northeastern Zhejiang and mid-tier agricultural areas. Expanding digital inclusive finance and coordinating its regional development can improve overall agricultural productivity and support rural revitalization.

  • Complementarity or Substitution: A Study of the Impacts of Internet Finance and Rural Financial Development on Agricultural Economic Growth

    Bingjing Mei, Arshad Ahmad Khan, Sufyan Ullah Khan, Muhammad Abu Sufyan Ali, Jianchao Luo · 2022 · Agriculture

    Using Chinese county-level data from 2014–2018, this study examines how internet finance and rural finance affect agricultural economic growth. The researchers found that both contribute to growth, but show substitution effects—internet finance reduces the marginal impact of traditional rural finance. Internet finance benefits wealthy counties but hinders development in poorer regions. The findings suggest policymakers should restructure rural financial markets and modernize traditional financial institutions.

  • The knowledge of danger signs of obstetric complications among women in rural India: evaluating an integrated microfinance and health literacy program

    Danish Ahmad, Itismita Mohanty, Avishek Hazra, Theo Niyonsenga · 2021 · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

    A program combining microfinance self-help groups with maternal health education in rural Uttar Pradesh increased women's knowledge of obstetric danger signs by 27 percent. The program also created spillover effects, spreading knowledge from participating women to non-members in the same villages. Results held across different socioeconomic groups, suggesting the health messages reached women uniformly regardless of their background or access to health services.

  • Does Microfinance Impact on Rural Empowerment in Bangladesh? Differences Between Governmental and Non‐Governmental Microfinance Programs

    Mohummed Shofi Ullah Mazumder, Lu Wencong · 2015 · Sustainable Development

    Microfinance programs in Bangladesh increase recipient empowerment across economic, family, social, and political dimensions. Governmental microfinance providers produce larger gains in family, social, and political empowerment, while non-governmental microfinance organizations deliver greater economic empowerment improvements. The study compared 300 beneficiaries against 200 controls using multiple statistical methods.

  • Microfinance and micropreneurship in rural South-East Nigeria: an exploration of the effects of institutions

    Irene Ukanwa, Lin Xiong, Jahangir Wasim, Laura Galloway · 2022 · Entrepreneurship and Regional Development

    This study examines 30 women micropreneurs in rural South-East Nigeria to understand how institutions affect their entrepreneurial activities. While microfinance is widely promoted as a solution to institutional gaps in poor regions, the research finds that socio-cultural barriers and patriarchal traditions significantly limit women's trust and engagement with microfinance services. The authors conclude that effective enterprise support in developing nations must address local socio-cultural institutions and lived realities rather than relying solely on financial interventions.

  • Predicting Microfinance Credit Default: A Study of Nsoatreman Rural Bank, Ghana

    Ernest Yeboah Boateng, Francis T. Oduro · 2018 · Journal of Advances in Mathematics and Computer Science

    This study develops predictive models to identify which microfinance borrowers at a rural Ghanaian bank will default on loans. Using data from Nsoatreman Rural Bank, the researchers apply machine learning techniques to forecast credit default risk. The findings help rural financial institutions better assess borrower creditworthiness and manage lending decisions more effectively.

  • How Effective is a Self-Help Group Led Microfinance Programme in Empowering Women? Evidence from Rural India

    Gagan Bihari Sahu · 2014 · Journal of Asian and African Studies

    Self-Help Group microfinance programs in rural India show limited effectiveness at empowering women. Only 13.2% of participating women achieve empowerment overall. While longer membership increases economic and political empowerment, social empowerment remains unaffected. Economic gains alone do not translate into social or political advancement. The programs have potential but cannot drive broader social transformation.

  • Addressing rural energy poverty and rural-urban energy access gap in developing countries: does international remittances matter?

    Alex O. Acheampong, Mariem Brahim, Janet Dzator · 2024 · Applied Economics

    International remittances significantly reduce rural energy poverty and narrow the rural-urban energy access gap in developing countries, particularly where financial development and GDP per capita are higher. The study analyzed 135 developing nations from 2000–2020 and found that remittance inflows enable households to afford energy access. Effects vary by income group, suggesting that credit availability and economic development amplify remittances' impact on rural energy inequality.

  • Intervention with Microfinance for AIDS and Gender Equity (IMAGE): Women’s Engagement with the Scaled-up IMAGE Programme and Experience of Intimate Partner Violence in Rural South Africa

    Louise Knight, Meghna Ranganathan, Tanya Abramsky, Tara Polzer-Ngwato, Lufuno Muvhango, Mpho Molebatsi, Heidi Stöckl, Shelley Lees, Charlotte Watts · 2019 · Prevention Science

    A scaled-up microfinance intervention in rural South Africa improved women's relationship quality and reduced intimate partner violence, particularly economic abuse. Women who received multiple types of support from group members experienced significantly lower past-year violence. The program was widely acceptable, though younger women require targeted engagement. Group support emerged as a critical intervention component.

  • Financing as a key factor of the strategy of sustainable rural tourism development in the Republic of Serbia

    Gordana Radović, Kristina Košić, Dunja Demirović · 2018 · Ekonomika poljoprivrede

    Rural tourism in Serbia remains underdeveloped due to unclear strategic direction and insufficient financial investment. The authors argue that Serbia needs an adopted strategy for sustainable rural tourism development with defined priorities and financing mechanisms across all tourism segments. New and innovative funding sources are essential, as current options are limited. This strategy would support rural economic development, reduce regional inequality, and reverse rural depopulation.

  • Microfinance and Violence Against Women in Rural Guatemala

    Isabel Cepeda, Maricruz Lacalle-Calderón, Miguel Torralba · 2017 · Journal of Interpersonal Violence

    A study of 883 rural Guatemalan women found that access to microfinance services reduces violence against women, particularly economic and emotional psychological violence. Women with microfinance access experienced significantly less overall violence than those without. However, microfinance showed no effect on coercive control, likely due to entrenched social and cultural norms. The findings contradict Status Inconsistency Theory by demonstrating that women's increased economic independence through microfinance reduces rather than increases violence.

  • Role of Microfinance in Sustainable Development in Rural Bangladesh

    Mohummed Shofi Ullah Mazumder · 2015 · Sustainable Development

    Microfinance in rural Bangladesh shows declining effectiveness over time. The study of 300 borrowers found that early microfinance participation generated stronger positive outcomes than recent borrowing. Farm size, repayment behavior, weekly savings, and household income significantly influenced program success. Microfinance providers effectively targeted poor, rural, and illiterate populations, though benefits diminished as programs matured.

  • A Comparative Analysis of the Use of Microfinance and Formal and Informal Credit by Farmers in Less Developed Areas of Rural China

    Xiangping Jia, Hao Luan, Jikun Huang, Zuowen Li · 2015 · Development Policy Review

    Farmers in poor rural China use different credit sources for different purposes: microfinance funds livestock and non-agricultural investments, formal credit supports crop production, and informal credit covers consumption needs. The study shows credit demand has grown significantly and recommends developing a complementary financial system that integrates microfinance, formal, and informal channels to meet farmers' production and consumption credit needs.

  • Impact of Microfinance Services on Rural Women Empowerment: An Empirical Study

    Ashwin Modi, Mr. Kiran J. Patel, Mr. Kundan M. Patel · 2014 · IOSR Journal of Business and Management

    Microfinance services significantly empower rural women in Gujarat, India. The study surveyed 205 rural women and found that four key factors drive empowerment: improved socio-economic status, greater autonomy in life choices, enhanced family and social position, and positive attitudes toward child development. These findings help microfinance institutions, government agencies, and NGOs design policies that strengthen economic and social support for rural women.

  • Entrepreneurial activities and women empowerment in rural India between microfinance and social capital

    Luca Andriani, Sarika Lal, Asif Aftab Kalam · 2022 · Strategic Change

    Microfinance alone does not empower rural women in India. The study finds that social capital—the networks and relationships within peer-lending groups—enables women to access loans and repay them. However, genuine empowerment occurs only when women use these financial resources to start their own businesses and pursue self-determined goals, not simply to fulfill household obligations.

  • Potential of microfinanced solar water pumping systems for irrigation in rural areas of Burkina Faso

    Daniel Yamegueu, Yunus Alokore, Giulia Corso · 2019 · Energy Sustainability and Society

    Solar water pumping systems can replace diesel pumps for irrigation in rural Burkina Faso, reducing costs and climate vulnerability. A profitability analysis in Korsimoro village shows that microfinanced solar systems work best for medium and large-scale farmers and pump service providers, particularly when paired with storage tanks for cloudy days. At typical microfinance interest rates, only larger operations achieve acceptable payback periods.

  • Contribution of Micro-Finance on Socio-Economic Development of Rural Community

    Chandra Prasad Dhakal, Govinda Nepal · 2017 · Journal of Advanced Academic Research

    Microfinance institutions in rural Nepal significantly contribute to socio-economic development by providing savings and credit services to poor, disadvantaged, and marginalized communities, particularly women. A study of eight microfinance organizations in Syangja district found they drove measurable social change and development across diverse activities. However, the research identifies that improving internal management systems would enable these institutions to deliver services more effectively.

  • Islamic Microfinance in Indonesia: A Comparative Analysis between Islamic Financial Cooperative (BMT) and<i>Shari'ah</i>Rural Bank (BPRS) on Experiences, Challenges, Prospects, and Roles in Developing Microenterprises

    Nur İndah Riwajanti · 2014 · Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies

    Islamic microfinance institutions in Indonesia—BMT cooperatives and BPRS rural banks—significantly improve microenterprise performance in sales, income, and employment. Both institutions face challenges including limited capital, staff skills, and regulatory support. The study recommends enhanced training, better customer education on Islamic finance products, and innovation in financial offerings to strengthen their development impact.

  • Microfinance from the Clients' Perspective: An Empirical Enquiry into Transaction Costs in Urban and Rural India

    Thibaut Dehem, Marek Hudon · 2013 · Oxford Development Studies

    This study examines transaction costs for microfinance clients in urban and rural India, analyzing 255 individual borrowers and 48 groups. Urban clients face higher absolute transaction costs (4.81% versus 3.35%), driven by opportunity expenses and individual costs. However, rural households experience greater relative burden since transaction costs consume a larger share of their monthly expenditure. Overall, transaction costs remain modest compared to interest rates.

  • Digital inclusive finance and the development of rural logistics in China

    Zhaohui Qin, Xueke Pei, Mihasina Harinaivo Andrianarimanana, Weng Shizhou · 2023 · Heliyon

    Digital inclusive finance significantly boosts rural logistics development in China, according to analysis of 31 provinces from 2013 to 2020. The relationship shows diminishing returns at higher levels of financial inclusion. The impact varies by region and economic development stage. Digital finance services help overcome traditional finance's limitations in rural areas, enabling better logistics infrastructure and operations.

  • Factors Influencing the Coupling of the Development of Rural Urbanization and Rural Finance: Evidence from Rural China

    Jiali Zhou, Xiangbo Fan, Chenggang Li, Guofei Shang · 2022 · Land

    This study analyzes how rural urbanization and rural finance develop together in China using data from 31 provinces between 2010 and 2019. The research finds that coupling between these two areas remains low across most regions, indicating uncoordinated development. Urban population density reduces coupling effectiveness, while per capita GDP, fiscal spending, and built-up area strengthen it. Financial development's impact varies by region: in less-developed areas it boosts coordination, but in more-developed areas it weakens it.

  • Microfinance for Wives: Fresh Insights Obtained from a Study of Poor Rural Women in Pakistan

    Tisdell, Clement, Ahmad, Shabbir, Agha, Nadia, Steen, John, Verreynne, Martie-Louise · 2019 · Journal of Research in Gender Studies

    Social networking enables poor rural women in Pakistan to access and effectively use microloans for business ventures. The study finds that successful microfinance use encourages further entrepreneurship and strengthens social networks. However, some rural women cannot escape poverty through microloans alone. The research highlights demand-side credit barriers and calls for holistic microfinance assessment that considers economic, social, and psychological impacts on families and gender relationships.

  • Determinants of women's participation in microfinance services: empirical evidence from Rural Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

    Dereje Kifle, Yenenesh Tadesse, Sisay A. Belay, Jemal Yousuf · 2013

    This study identifies factors that determine whether rural women in Ethiopia use microfinance services. Researchers surveyed 203 women in Dire Dawa, comparing users and non-users. Monthly savings, family size, and land ownership significantly influenced participation decisions. The findings suggest that improving women's access to land and capital assets are essential strategies for expanding microfinance uptake in rural areas.

  • Impact of Microfinance on Alleviating Rural Poverty in Uzbekistan

    Gulnoz Bikbaeva, Malohat Gaibnazarova · 2009 · Problems of Economic Transition

    Microfinance effectively alleviates rural poverty in Uzbekistan by improving living standards and enabling regional development. The paper analyzes demand for microfinance services across Uzbek regions and evaluates regional programs' impact on area-based development. Using econometric modeling, the authors demonstrate how regional socioeconomic factors drive demand for microfinance services.

  • Rural Micro Credit Assessment using Machine Learning in a Peruvian microfinance institution

    Henry Iván Condori-Alejo, Miguel Romilio Aceituno-Rojo, Guina Sotomayor Alzamora · 2021 · Procedia Computer Science

    A machine learning model using artificial neural networks improves microcredit assessment for rural borrowers in Peru. The model achieved 93.72% accuracy in predicting loan defaults, outperforming the microfinance institution's traditional advisor-based method by 16.91 percentage points. This decision-support tool helps reduce credit risk by analyzing key financial and rural variables when evaluating loan applications from poor rural populations.

  • Labour Market Participation of Women in Rural Bangladesh: The Role of Microfinance

    Asad Islam, Debayan Pakrashi · 2020 · The Journal of Development Studies

    Microfinance in rural Bangladesh increases labour market participation differently for men and women. While microfinance access helps smooth seasonal employment through self-employment activities, men's off-farm participation rises significantly more than women's, despite credit programmes targeting women. The benefits of microfinance for labour supply prove asymmetrical by gender and occupation type.

  • The Experience, Dilemma, and Solutions of Sustainable Development of Inclusive Finance in Rural China: Based on the Perspective of Synergy

    Taoyong Su, Yuzhu Yu, Yongheng Chen, Jian Zhang · 2019 · Sustainability

    This paper examines inclusive finance development in rural China from 2011 to 2017, identifying barriers to sustainable growth caused by resistance among financial institutions, regulators, and other stakeholders. The authors analyze cooperative dynamics between these parties and propose solutions through numerical simulations to overcome obstacles preventing inclusive finance from reaching rural populations effectively.

  • Microfinance Banks and Rural Development

    Emmanuel Kalu Agbaeze, Ifeanyi Onuka Onwuka · 2014 · International Journal of Rural Management

    Microfinance banks launched by Nigeria's Central Bank in 2005 have positively impacted rural development by extending credit and mobilizing deposits, though their full potential remains unrealized. The study found positive regression coefficients across key performance indicators, but effects were not statistically significant. The authors recommend government investment in infrastructure and macroeconomic stability to strengthen microfinance institutions' capacity to support rural enterprises.

  • A Symposium on Savings-Led Microfinance and the Rural Poor

    Jeffrey Ashe · 2002 · ScholarsArchive (Brigham Young University)

    Microfinance institutions have successfully reached only a small fraction of the world's poorest rural families, with significant geographic and capacity limitations. The paper examines savings-led microfinance models, particularly community-based rotating savings and credit groups, as a scalable alternative to traditional microfinance institutions for serving rural poor populations in developing countries.

  • Financial literacy and sustainability of rural microfinance: The mediating effect of governance

    Apriani Dorkas Rambu Atahau, Imanuel Madea Sakti, Alliny Namilana Rambu Hutar, Andrian Dolfriandra Huruta, Min‐Sun Kim · 2023 · Cogent Economics & Finance

    Financial literacy significantly improves the sustainability of rural microfinance institutions, but this effect works primarily through better governance structures. The study of a women farmers group in Indonesia found that financial literacy—shaped by age, gender, education, and employment—strengthens how microfinance organizations are managed, which then drives institutional sustainability. Policymakers should prioritize financial literacy programs and governance improvements to support rural microfinance.

  • Water insecurity, food insecurity and social capital associated with a group-led microfinance programme in semi-rural Kenya

    Michael L. Goodman, Aleisha Elliott, Peter C. Melby, Stanley Gitari · 2022 · Global Public Health

    A microfinance programme in semi-rural Kenya reduced water and food insecurity through increased social capital. Higher social capital—measured by group cohesion, trust, and mutual support—directly lowered water insecurity, which in turn reduced food insecurity. The findings suggest that programmes building social connections can address interconnected food and water security challenges in rural low- and middle-income communities.

  • Digital inclusive finance and the development of sports industry: An empirical study from the perspective of upgrading the living level of rural residents

    Hui Huang, Yunxuan Zhang · 2022 · Frontiers in Environmental Science

    Digital inclusive finance promotes sports industry development in rural China by increasing rural residents' disposable income and improving their consumption patterns. The study analyzes provincial data from 2015–2019 and finds that digital finance creates scale effects that boost sports industry growth while upgrading rural living standards. Digital finance's precision targeting helps reshape rural consumption toward sports-related goods and services.

  • Borrowers characteristics, credit terms and loan repayment performance among clients of microfinance institutions (MFIs): Evidence from rural Uganda

    Ssekiziyivu Bob, Juma Bananuka, Nkote Nabeta Isaac, Tumwebaze Zainabu · 2018 · Journal of Economics and International Finance

    This study examined how borrower characteristics and credit terms affect loan repayment performance at microfinance institutions in rural Uganda. Researchers surveyed 51 MFIs and found that credit terms significantly predict repayment performance, while borrower characteristics do not. The findings suggest MFI managers should adjust credit terms flexibly to improve repayment rates and reduce poverty in rural areas.

  • The relationship between rural finance development and food ecological total factor productivity: Moderating effects of food science and technology progress

    Weijiao Ye, Ziqiang Li, Yuyan Xu · 2023 · Ecological Indicators

    Rural finance development improves food ecological total factor productivity in China, with stronger effects in non-food-producing regions. Food science and technology progress moderates this relationship, particularly benefiting lower-productivity provinces. The study measures ecological value in food cultivation and finds that increased rural finance and technology adoption help achieve higher food production with reduced environmental degradation.

  • The Impact of Microfinance on Rural Economic Growth: The Nigerian Experience

    E. Chuke Nwude, Kenneth Chikezie Anyalechi · 2018 · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics

    Microfinance banking in Nigeria from 2000 to 2015 failed to boost agricultural productivity but successfully increased rural savings. The study recommends that government invest in rural infrastructure to attract microfinance institutions, encourage relationship-based lending to farmers, and diversify farm resources to mitigate climate-related risks and improve overall rural economic growth.

  • Does microfinance redefine identity, income and insecurity among rural women? A model of women’s empowerment

    Avanish Kumar Avanish Kumar · 2016 · Enterprise Development and Microfinance

    JEEViKA, a World Bank-supported microfinance project in Bihar, empowers rural women by creating identity, generating income, and reducing insecurity through community resource persons. The program builds women's social networks and norms, which increase their capacity, choices, and cohesion. The study demonstrates that microfinance effectively redefines women's identity and economic security in rural contexts.

  • Funding Indigenous organisations: improving governance performance through innovations in public finance management in remote Australia

    Mark Moran, Doug Porter, Jodie Curth‐Bibb · 2014 · Queensland's institutional digital repository (The University of Queensland)

    Government funding structures shape how Indigenous organisations perform in remote Australia. The research found that Australian funding systems impose performance indicators rather than negotiating them, rarely reward actual performance, and don't require organisations to answer to their communities. These design flaws waste resources and weaken accountability compared to international public finance management practices.

  • From Rural to Microfinance Banking: Contributions of Micro Credits to Nigeria’s Economic Growth – An ARDL Approach

    Prince C. Nwakanma, Ikechukwu S. Nnamdi, Godfrey O. Omojefe · 2014 · International Journal of Financial Research

    This study examines how microfinance credit affects Nigeria's economic growth from 1982 to 2011. Using econometric analysis, the researchers find a significant long-term relationship between microfinance disbursements and economic growth, with causality flowing from growth to credit rather than the reverse. The study recommends expanding microfinance volume and developing longer-term credit products to strengthen microfinance's contribution to Nigeria's economy.

  • Relationship between socio-economic factors and participation in decision making in microfinance scheme among rural farmers in Kano, Nigeria

    Mohammed Bashir Saidu, Asnarulkhadi Abu Samah, Ma’rof Redzuan, Nobaya Ahmad · 2014 · Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository (Universiti Putra Malaysia)

    This study examined how socio-economic factors influence rural farmers' participation in decision-making within microfinance schemes in Kano, Nigeria. Researchers surveyed 364 farmers and found high overall participation levels. Education showed a negative relationship with participation—educated farmers left agriculture for better jobs elsewhere. Farm product type had a weak positive relationship with participation. The authors recommend governments increase microloans and provide targeted support to educated farmers to reduce rural-urban migration and boost agricultural production.

  • Does Microfinance Empower Rural Women? -a Empirical Study in Udaipur District, Rajasthan

    Dhiraj Jain, Bhagyashree Jain · 2012

    A survey of 100 women in self-help groups across Udaipur district, Rajasthan found that microfinance programs significantly increased women's empowerment on average. However, social backwardness, indebtedness, and competing microcredit programs in nearby villages positively influenced women's participation rates, suggesting that disadvantage and limited alternatives drive enrollment rather than empowerment outcomes alone.

  • Micro finance, self help groups (SHGS) and the Socio- Economic development of rural people (A case study with special reference to the Lakhimpur district of Assam)

    Gunindra Nath Sarmah, Diganta Das · 2012 · Asian Journal of Research in Business Economics and Management

    Microfinance through self-help groups (SHGs) enables poor rural people in India's Lakhimpur district to increase income and improve living standards through independent economic activities. A study of 250 respondents across 50 SHGs found that participation in SHGs, particularly benefiting disadvantaged women, provides essential financial access for rural poverty reduction and socio-economic development.

  • Asset‐based policy in rural China: an innovation in the retirement social insurance programme1

    Baorong Guo, Jin Huang, Li Zou, Michael Sherraden · 2008 · China Journal of Social Work

    China implemented an innovative retirement insurance programme in Hutubi, Xinjiang that allows rural account holders to use their accounts as collateral for small loans to invest in productive assets, education, and businesses. This asset-based policy approach combines social protection with social investment to address rural-urban inequality. The programme successfully encouraged asset building in the rural community, offering lessons for scaling asset-based policy across rural China.

  • How does FinTech empower China’s rural revitalization? The role of entrepreneurial activeness, innovation capability and industrial structure advancement

    Ruizeng Zhao, Jiasen Sun, Xinyue Wang · 2024 · Managerial Finance

    FinTech significantly promotes rural revitalization in China by operating through three mechanisms: entrepreneurial activeness, innovation capability, and industrial structure advancement. The study analyzed 279 Chinese cities from 2011 to 2021 and found that FinTech's effects vary depending on threshold levels in each intermediary factor. Financial technology enhances rural development by making finance more inclusive and accessible.

  • Research on Financial Product Innovation in Rural Commercial Banks under the Digital Transformation Context: A Case Study of Jiangsu Province

    Shijie Xu · 2024 · Journal of Applied Economics and Policy Studies

    Rural commercial banks in Jiangsu Province struggle to innovate financial products despite digital transformation opportunities. Farmers and small businesses face unmet financing needs because banks lack comprehensive, user-friendly systems built on big data. This study examines supply and demand-side barriers to financial product innovation and proposes solutions to better serve rural communities through digital tools.

  • Can social innovation strengthen rural bank Indonesia’s organizational culture in improving financial sustainability?

    Ketut Tanti Kustina, I Gusti Bagus Wiksuana, N L P Wiagustini, Henny Rahyuda · 2026 · Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja

    Rural banks in Indonesia face intense competition from commercial banks and fintech firms. This study examines 131 rural banks in Bali and finds that strong organizational culture directly improves financial sustainability. Social innovation—through collaboration and strategic partnerships—strengthens this relationship further. Rural banks can enhance long-term financial performance by combining internal cultural foundations with externally oriented social innovation practices.

  • Digital Payments and Financial Inclusion: Sustainable Finance Innovations in Rural Pune

    Sagar Govardhandas Gujarathi, Sadashiv Vitthal Umbardand · 2026 · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

    Digital payment innovations including UPI, mobile banking, and Aadhaar-enabled services are expanding financial inclusion in rural Pune, India. Young adults and those with mobile internet access adopt these tools most readily, with village shops increasingly accepting QR code payments. Digital finance reduces transaction costs, improves transparency, and enables credit access for traditionally excluded populations. However, low digital literacy, weak infrastructure, and social barriers persist in rural areas, requiring targeted literacy programs and locally-relevant financial products.

  • FinTech Innovations in Rural Credit Delivery: Strengthening Sustainable Livelihoods under SDG 1 and SDG 12

    Pratibha Vivekanand Kashid, Davinder Kaur Sohi, Lei Liu, Ashutosh Madhukar Kulkarni, Sadhana Sargam · 2026 · Enterprise Development and Microfinance

    FinTech innovations in rural credit delivery significantly improve financial access and sustainability. The study combines blockchain-enabled credit ledgers, AI-based credit scoring using alternative rural data, and mobile microfinance systems. Results show these technologies increase debt accessibility by 32%, reduce transaction costs by 27%, and raise loan repayment rates by 21% compared to conventional lending. Digital infrastructure reduces credit abuse, promotes productive agricultural investment, and supports sustainable consumption patterns that strengthen rural livelihoods and poverty alleviation.

  • Enhancing financial sustainability of rural banks in Bali through social capital, service innovation, and organizational culture

    Ketut Tanti Kustina, I Gusti Bagus Wiksuana, Ni Luh Putu Wiagustini, Henny Rahyuda · 2025 · Banks and Bank Systems

    Rural banks in Bali achieve financial sustainability primarily through service innovation, which has the strongest positive effect. Organizational culture also directly supports sustainability and drives service innovation. Social capital plays a complex role: it strengthens the link between culture and innovation, but paradoxically reduces both innovation and sustainability when measured directly. The research emphasizes that rural banks must build strong internal culture and innovate services to overcome resource constraints.

  • Research on the Innovation Path of Social E-Commerce + Rural Finance under the Background of Rural Revitalization

    雪婷 徐 · 2025 · E-Commerce Letters

    Social e-commerce platforms in rural China face financing constraints that limit growth. The paper examines how rural social e-commerce businesses struggle with capital advances and accounts receivable as they scale operations selling agricultural products through livestreaming and short video channels. It proposes that financial technology innovation, rather than traditional finance, can unlock sustainable development by creating new models where fintech platforms empower rural revitalization.

  • Challenges of smart solutions for rural ageing: Critical reflections illustrated by social innovation directed to older rural women in southeastern Poland

    Ilona Matysiak, Katarzyna Zajda · 2025 · European Urban and Regional Studies

    Social innovation projects addressing rural ageing in southeastern Poland face significant barriers to sustainability and scaling. A study of an NGO-led initiative for older rural women found limited visibility, weak collaboration between organizations, and funding challenges caused the project to end despite participant appreciation. The research reveals that NGOs and local action groups view social innovation as risky and business-focused, making them reluctant leaders. The authors recommend blended financing, micro-grants, and training to strengthen rural innovation capacity.

  • Research on the Digital Transformation Path of the Rural Financial System Assisted by the Internet of Things Based on the Innovation Mode of Supply Chain Finance

    Xiaohong Wang, Yankui Chu · 2025 · Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences

    Digital finance, particularly through internet-of-things-enabled supply chain finance, accelerates rural development. The study finds that increased digital finance coverage raises rural industrial output by 1.7–4.8 percent per percentage point increase. Credit services prove most effective for rural industry growth. Digital inclusive finance shows stronger impacts in developing rural regions than in low-developed areas, with effects varying across income quantiles.

  • Revolutionizing Rural Credit Banks: A Narrative Review of Sustainable Financial Futures through ESG Integration and Digital Innovation

    Bustani Bustani · 2025 · Jurnal Ekonomi Manajemen Bisnis dan Akuntansi

    Rural Credit Banks transform through integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance principles with digital technology to achieve sustainable finance and financial inclusion. The study identifies three transformation pillars: ESG governance integration, digital technology adoption, and improved financial performance. Combined ESG and digital strategies enable Rural Credit Banks to strengthen local economies and support economic development.

  • The Mediating Effects of Governance, Financial Literacy, and Technological Innovation on Digital Finance in North Sumatra’s Rural Banks

    Petrus Loo · 2025 · Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen Kesatuan

    Financial inclusion and taxation policies significantly drive digital finance adoption in North Sumatra's rural banks. Corporate governance, financial literacy, and technological innovation mediate these effects, together explaining 85.4% of adoption variance. The study of 91 rural banks shows rural banks must prioritize financial literacy programs and digital tax systems to improve efficiency and promote inclusive growth, particularly in less-developed districts.

  • Financial Inclusion Through Digital Service Innovation: Mobile Banking Solutions for Rural Communities in Vietnam

    2025 · Journal of Service Innovation and Sustainable Development

    Mobile banking innovations can advance financial inclusion in rural Vietnam by addressing historical barriers to formal financial services. The study identifies five critical success factors: infrastructure readiness and digital literacy, trust-building through local intermediaries, service design adapted to agricultural cycles, regulatory flexibility, and sustainable business models. Successful initiatives require ecosystem development, cultural adaptation, and community engagement beyond technology deployment alone.

  • Fintech Innovations and the Transformation of Rural Financial Ecosystems in India

    Mohd Umar Farukh, Mohammad Taqi, Koteswara Rao Vemavarapu, Sayed M. Fadel, Nawab Ali Khan · 2025 · FinTech

    Fintech companies in India are expanding financial inclusion by providing digital banking, micro-lending, mobile wallets, and UPI platforms to unbanked and underbanked populations, particularly in rural areas. The study finds that fintech innovations combined with strong regulatory frameworks and digital infrastructure drive inclusive growth more effectively in developing economies than in wealthy nations. Success requires coordinated improvements in cybersecurity, digital literacy, rural connectivity, and public-private partnerships.

  • IMPACT OF FINTECH INNOVATION TO TRANSFORM REGIONAL RURAL BANKS (RRBS) IN INDIA-A STUDY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO KARNATAKA.

    Basavaraj · 2024 · ShodhKosh Journal of Visual and Performing Arts

    Fintech innovations are transforming Rural Regional Banks (RRBs) in India, particularly in Karnataka, by integrating digital payment systems like UPI and AePS. The study examines how these technological advances improve financial inclusion and banking services in rural areas, analyzing their impact on RRB operations and performance through primary and secondary data using statistical analysis.

  • Open Innovation: Research, Practices, and Policies

    Marcel Bogers, Henry Chesbrough, Carlos Moedas · 2018 · California Management Review

    Open innovation has become central to academic research, business practice, and policy decisions. This article surveys the current state of open innovation across these domains, examining key trends like digital transformation and challenges such as uncertainty. The authors discuss potential solutions including EU funding programs and introduce selected papers from the World Open Innovation Conference that address these issues.

  • The role of venture capital firms in Silicon Valley's complex innovation network

    Michel Ferrary, Mark Granovetter · 2009 · Economy and Society

    Venture capital firms play five critical roles in Silicon Valley's innovation network: financing startups, selecting promising companies, facilitating collective learning, embedding firms within the ecosystem, and signaling quality to other investors. These functions create a robust system of interconnected economic agents—universities, large companies, laboratories, and startups—that explains Silicon Valley's sustained innovative success over seventy years and why other regions have failed to replicate it.

  • Incubation of incubators: innovation as a triple helix of university-industry-government networks

    Henry Etzkowitz · 2002 · Science and Public Policy

    University business incubators have evolved from isolated entities into networked innovation hubs where universities, industry, and government collaborate. These incubators transform research into new products and firms by combining R&D resources across sectors. Government funding and regulatory changes enable this triple-helix model, shifting innovation from linear knowledge transfer to interactive, collaborative development.

  • Absorptive Capacity and the Growth and Investment Effects of Regional Transfers: A Regression Discontinuity Design with Heterogeneous Treatment Effects

    Sascha O. Becker, Peter Egger, Maximilian von Ehrlich · 2013 · American Economic Journal Economic Policy

    EU regional transfer programs only benefit regions with sufficient human capital and strong institutions. The study finds that just 30 percent of recipient regions convert transfers into faster income growth, and 21 percent into increased investment. A region's absorptive capacity—its ability to effectively use funds—matters far more than the average program effect, with treatment outcomes varying dramatically across regions.

  • Exploring the Role of Islamic Fintech in Combating the Aftershocks of COVID-19: The Open Social Innovation of the Islamic Financial System

    Mustafa Raza Rabbani, Abu Bashar, Nishad Nawaz, Sitara Karim, Mahmood Ali, Habeeb Ur Rahiman, Md Shabbir Alam · 2021 · Journal of Open Innovation Technology Market and Complexity

    Islamic financial technology can help economies recover from COVID-19 by combining ethical Islamic finance principles with fintech innovation. The study argues that Islamic finance's emphasis on corporate social responsibility and financial stability makes it well-suited to address pandemic-related economic disruption. Open innovation approaches in Islamic fintech enable faster, more reliable solutions than conventional finance, offering governments and policymakers a sustainable tool for economic recovery.

  • A Two-Staged SEM-Artificial Neural Network Approach to Analyze the Impact of FinTech Adoption on the Sustainability Performance of Banking Firms: The Mediating Effect of Green Finance and Innovation

    Chen Yan, Abu Bakkar Siddik, Yong Li, Qianli Dong, Guang-Wen Zheng, Md Nafizur Rahman · 2022 · Systems

    Banks in Bangladesh that adopt financial technology improve their sustainability performance through two mechanisms: increased green finance and green innovation. The study analyzed 351 banking employees and found that FinTech adoption directly strengthens both green finance and innovation, which then drive sustainability outcomes. Green finance and innovation fully mediate the relationship between technology adoption and sustainability performance.

  • FinTech in the Small Food Business and Its Relation with Open Innovation

    Mukhamad Najib, Wita Juwita Ermawati, Farah Fahma, Endri Endri, Dwi Suhartanto · 2021 · Journal of Open Innovation Technology Market and Complexity

    Small food businesses struggle to access traditional bank financing. This study examines what drives small food business owners to adopt financial technology (FinTech) for credit access. Using a modified UTAUT 2 model with 184 Indonesian respondents, researchers found that knowledge, safety perceptions, performance expectations, social influence, facilitation conditions, and price values all influence FinTech adoption. The research shows that adopting FinTech improves business sustainability for small food enterprises.

  • Crowd Equity Investors: An Underutilized Asset for Open Innovation in Startups

    Francesca Di Pietro, Andrea Prencipe, Ann Majchrzak · 2017 · California Management Review

    Startups that actively engage with investor networks from equity crowdfunding campaigns perform better than those that don't. A study of 60 European startups found that successful founders leverage crowd investors for product, strategy, and market knowledge. Startups using these crowd networks show significantly higher success rates two years later, demonstrating that equity crowdfunding investors represent an underutilized resource for open innovation.

  • Optimizing the Financial Performance of SMEs Based on Sharia Economy: Perspective of Economic Business Sustainability and Open Innovation

    Firman Menne, Batara Surya, Muhammad Yusuf, Seri Suriani, Muhlis Ruslan, Iskandar Iskandar · 2022 · Journal of Open Innovation Technology Market and Complexity

    This study examines how Islamic fintech and business practices improve financial performance and sustainability of small and medium enterprises in Makassar, Indonesia. Researchers surveyed 350 SME operators across 15 districts and found that human resource capacity and business diversification account for 42% of financial performance improvements. Islamic fintech, combined with workforce development, diversification, and productivity measures, explains 66% of business sustainability outcomes. The findings support adopting Islamic finance models to strengthen SME operations.

  • Financial Inclusion, Technological Innovations, and Environmental Quality: Analyzing the Role of Green Openness

    Mahmood Ahmad, Zahoor Ahmed, Yang Bai, Guitao Qiao, József Popp, Judit Oláh · 2022 · Frontiers in Environmental Science

    Financial inclusion in BRICS countries increases CO2 emissions and environmental degradation, but technological innovation and green openness reduce emissions. Economic growth and energy consumption also drive environmental harm. The study finds that financial inclusion, technological innovation, and green openness influence each other and collectively affect emissions. BRICS nations should combine financial inclusion with environmental policies while promoting green technology and openness to meet climate goals.

  • Absorptive Capacity and the Effects of Foreign Direct Investment and Equity Foreign Portfolio Investment on Economic Growth

    J. Benson Durham · 2004 · SSRN Electronic Journal

    This study analyzes 80 countries from 1979 to 1998 and finds that foreign direct investment and equity foreign portfolio investment do not automatically boost economic growth. Instead, their positive effects depend on a country's absorptive capacity—particularly its financial and institutional development. Stronger institutions enable countries to effectively use foreign investment for growth.

  • Too much and too fast? Public investment scaling-up and absorptive capacity

    Andrea Presbitero · 2016 · Journal of Development Economics

    Rapid scaling-up of public investment in low-income countries reduces project success rates when absorptive capacity—skills, institutions, and management capability—is limited. Analysis of World Bank projects across 80 countries from 1970 to 2007 shows projects implemented during investment scaling periods perform worse, though the effect is modest, particularly in poor and capital-scarce nations.

  • The Response of Islamic Financial Service to the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Open Social Innovation of the Financial System

    Mustafa Raza Rabbani, Mahmood Ali, Habeeb Ur Rahiman, Mohd Atif, Zehra Zulfikar, Yusra Naseem · 2021 · Journal of Open Innovation Technology Market and Complexity

    Islamic financial services can help economies recover from COVID-19's economic damage. The paper identifies four pandemic stages and proposes ten innovative Islamic financial services for each stage, analyzing how these services address economic disruption, unemployment, and business collapse at different points in the crisis.

  • How venture capital became a component of the US National System of Innovation

    Martín Kenney · 2011 · Industrial and Corporate Change

    Venture capital emerged as a key institution within the US national innovation system through a combination of government policies, technological trajectories in information and biomedical industries, and regional concentration. The paper traces how VC became integrated into the broader innovation ecosystem, showing that neither government action alone nor market forces alone explain its rise, but rather their interaction shaped this institutional development.

  • Evaluating the Determinants of EU Funds Absorption across Old and New Member States – the Role of Administrative Capacity and Political Governance

    Cristian Încalțărău, Gabriela Carmen Pascariu, Neculai‐Cristian Surubaru · 2019 · JCMS Journal of Common Market Studies

    This study examines how administrative capacity and political governance affect EU structural and cohesion fund absorption across member states from 2007 to 2015. Government effectiveness and corruption control significantly boosted fund absorption, particularly in newer member states that faced lower absorption rates than older EU members. The financial crisis reduced absorption capacity. The authors recommend strengthening administrative systems and combating corruption in new member states and lagging regions to improve fund utilization.

  • Corporate Philanthropy, Research Networks, and Collaborative Innovation

    Fred Bereskin, Terry L. Campbell, Po‐Hsuan Hsu · 2014 · Financial Management

    Corporate direct giving to research activities increases innovation output and impact. Firms use philanthropy strategically to build research networks and collaborative partnerships that produce more influential and original innovations. Direct giving proves especially valuable for opaque firms and in competitive industries, revealing that philanthropy serves as a tool for expanding innovation networks beyond firm boundaries.

  • Intermediaries in Regional Innovation Systems: High-Technology Enterprise Survey from Northern Finland

    Tommi Inkinen, Katri Suorsa · 2010 · European Planning Studies

    Intermediaries in Finland's northern innovation system provide critical support to high-technology firms, with funding services emerging as their most valuable function. A survey of 168 companies shows that TEKES, the national technology funding agency, ranks as the most important public organization for private sector product development. Growth-focused companies investing heavily in R&D and product innovation benefit most from intermediary support.

  • The Role of Venture Capital Investment in Startups’ Sustainable Growth and Performance: Focusing on Absorptive Capacity and Venture Capitalists’ Reputation

    Ji-Hye Jeong, Juhee Kim, Hanei Son, Daeil Nam · 2020 · Sustainability

    Venture capital investment at early stages significantly improves startup growth and performance, particularly when startups possess high potential absorptive capacity. The study analyzed 363 listed firms from 2000 to 2007 and found that initial-stage VC funding creates stronger sustainable growth than later-stage investment. Realized absorptive capacity showed no moderating effect, but potential absorptive capacity strengthened the relationship between early VC investment and firm performance.

  • Transformative governance of innovation ecosystems

    Тотти Коннола, Ville Eloranta, Taija Turunen, Ahti Salo · 2021 · Technological Forecasting and Social Change

    This paper examines how governance structures shape innovation ecosystems and their transformative capacity. The authors analyze funding mechanisms and institutional frameworks that support innovation development, drawing on Finnish and European research programs. They identify governance approaches that enable ecosystems to adapt and create value across multiple sectors and stakeholder groups.

  • A study of factors influencing disruptive innovation in Chinese SMEs

    Jin Chen, Zhaohui Zhu, Yun-Ting Zhang · 2017 · Asian Journal of Technology Innovation

    Chinese SMEs face constraints from limited funding, size, and experience, yet disruptive innovation offers them a path to compete with larger firms. This study identifies distinct factors driving two types of disruption: high-end disruption depends on government support, external knowledge, strategic backing, and strong R&D capabilities, while low-end disruption relies on venture capital partnerships, external knowledge, R&D strength, and entrepreneurial innovation drive.

  • Aid allocation to fragile states: Absorptive capacity constraints

    Simon Feeny, Mark McGillivray · 2008 · Journal of International Development

    This paper examines aid effectiveness in fragile states, finding that some countries can absorb more aid than they receive while others receive more than they can efficiently use. The authors analyze absorptive capacity constraints based on per capita income growth and provide policy recommendations for improving aid allocation to fragile states.

  • Relationship between R&amp;D grants, R&amp;D investment, and innovation performance: The moderating effect of absorptive capacity

    Hailun Zhu, Shuliang Zhao, Asad Abbas · 2019 · Journal of Public Affairs

    Government R&D grants and private investment both boost regional innovation performance in China, but grants can crowd out private investment. A region's absorptive capacity—its ability to acquire and use knowledge—strengthens the link between R&D spending and innovation results, yet weakens the grant-to-innovation relationship. China should improve institutions and talent flow to enhance innovation efficiency.

  • An empirical investigation of the role of rural development policies in stimulating rural entrepreneurship in the Lazio Region of Italy

    Marcello De Rosa, Gerard McElwee · 2015 · Society and Business Review

    Rural development policies in Italy's Lazio region show uneven adoption by family farms, with significant variation based on family life cycle stage and farm composition. Farmers who succeed in accessing these funds demonstrate proactive, strategic behavior and coherent planning aligned with policy requirements. The analysis reveals low coordination among rural farms and highlights the need for multi-agency policy approaches that recognize entrepreneurial practices in agricultural settings.

  • Can digital financial inclusion effectively stimulate technological Innovation of agricultural enterprises?—A case study on China

    Jinhui Zhu, Zhenghui Li · 2021 · National Accounting Review

    Digital financial inclusion significantly boosts technological innovation efficiency in Chinese agricultural enterprises. The study analyzed listed agricultural companies from 2015 to 2020 and found that digital financial inclusion promotes innovation through three mechanisms: enterprise digitization, reduced financing constraints, and improved market efficiency. Non-state-owned enterprises with higher financing levels benefit most. The positive effect strengthens as enterprises advance their innovation capabilities.

  • Do Federal Place-Based Policies Improve Economic Opportunity in Rural Communities?

    Emily Parker, Laura Tach, Cassandra Robertson · 2022 · RSF The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

    Federal place-based policies increased substantially in rural counties between 1990 and 2015. The study finds that rural youth who received more place-based funding in their counties achieved higher educational attainment and earnings in adulthood, but only if they migrated away. Place-based investment appears to improve economic opportunity by enabling geographic mobility rather than creating local prosperity.

  • Innovations in smallholder agricultural financing and economic efficiency of maize production in Ghana’s northern region

    Mark Appiah‐Twumasi, Samuel A. Donkoh, Isaac Gershon Kodwo Ansah · 2022 · Heliyon

    Maize farmers in northern Ghana who use innovative financing methods achieve 4-10% higher economic efficiency than non-users. The study finds that mechanized services unexpectedly reduced technical efficiency. Policymakers should prioritize reducing inefficiency through extension services, timely equipment access, and market linkages rather than introducing new technologies. Village Savings and Loans Associations and informal financing options help poor farmers access credit and inputs.

  • Californian innovation ecosystem: emergence of agtechs and the new wave of agriculture

    A. A. Mikhaĭlov, Carlos Alexandre Miranda Oliveira, Antônio Domingos Padula, Fernanda Maciel Reichert · 2021 · Innovation & Management Review

    California's agtech innovation ecosystem generates radical agricultural innovations through a distinctive combination of factors. Universities and research institutions develop new knowledge, venture capital and funding enable new businesses, and diverse actors—including accelerators and multinational companies—interact in complex networks with multiple roles. These interconnected characteristics create an environment where agricultural technology disruption thrives.

  • An Analytical Framework to Study Multi-Actor Partnerships Engaged in Interactive Innovation Processes in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Development Sector

    Evelien Cronin, Sylvie Fosselle, Elke Rogge, Robert Home · 2021 · Sustainability

    This paper develops a framework for understanding multi-actor co-innovation partnerships in agriculture, forestry, and rural development across Europe. Analysis of 30 partnerships reveals that funding mechanisms often push partnerships to adapt their goals and overpromise outputs. Successful partnerships recruit experienced members with established networks who facilitate internal collaboration and navigate external political and market conditions. Aligning funding body goals with societal needs could better support partnerships pursuing socio-economic and environmental benefits.

  • The barriers hindering the application of the value chain in the context of rural entrepreneurship

    Pouria Ataei, Hamed Ghadermarzi, Hamid Karimi, Arash Norouzi · 2020 · The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension

    This study identifies the main barriers preventing rural entrepreneurs in Iran from applying value chain approaches. Lack of proper financing mechanisms and weak government support emerge as the primary obstacles. Different sectors face distinct challenges: service entrepreneurs need entrepreneurial skills training, animal farmers require stronger government policies, and agricultural entrepreneurs lack specialized advisors and financial resources. The findings suggest coordinated action among financial institutions and training organizations to address these barriers.

  • Features of the Content and Implementation of Innovation and Investment Projects for the Development of Enterprises in the Field of Rural Green Tourism

    Ihnatenko Mykola, Antoshkin Vadym, Postol Anatoliy, Hurbyk Yurii, Runcheva Nataliia · 2020 · SSRN Electronic Journal

    Rural green tourism enterprises in Ukraine face underdevelopment despite significant tourist resources and 5 million potential self-employed rural workers. The paper identifies innovation and investment project structures, competitive advantages, and funding sources needed for growth. Budget support combined with private investment from agribusiness and communities proved effective in the 2000s-2010s, rapidly expanding rural tourism entrepreneurship, but these programs were later discontinued.

  • Neoliberalism, the University, Public Goods and Agricultural Innovation

    Leland Glenna, Sally Shortall, Barbara Brandl · 2014 · Sociologia Ruralis

    Agricultural research funding has shifted from government-led public institutions toward private funding and public-private partnerships over the past four decades. This trend risks neglecting public goods that don't generate profit. The authors document funding patterns across the USA, UK, Ireland, and Germany, finding that while neoliberal approaches appear in all four countries, their implementation and effects vary significantly based on national and institutional contexts.

  • Digital inclusive finance and entrepreneurship in rural areas: evidence from China

    Chenwei Yu, Eddie C.M. Hui, Zhaoyingzi Dong · 2024 · China Agricultural Economic Review

    Digital inclusive finance significantly promotes entrepreneurial activity in rural China by reducing credit constraints, lowering information barriers, and shifting risk attitudes among households. The effect is strongest in eastern regions and for opportunity-driven entrepreneurs. Impact varies by household income, consumption patterns, and household head characteristics, demonstrating that digital finance tools can expand rural entrepreneurship opportunities across diverse populations.

  • Saving as a Path for Female Empowerment and Entrepreneurship in Rural Peru

    Marianne Daher, Antonia Rosati, Andrea Jaramillo · 2021 · Progress in Development Studies

    Women's savings programs in Peru's Highlands empower female entrepreneurs more effectively than microcredit. The study found that savings interventions enable women to plan ahead, expand social networks, and start businesses while improving their economic, personal, and relational well-being. Savings programs deliver broader empowerment benefits beyond financial inclusion.

  • Research Prizes: A Mechanism to Reward Agricultural Innovation in Low-Income Regions

    William A. Masters · 2003 · MOspace Institutional Repository (University of Missouri)

    The paper proposes research prizes as a mechanism to incentivize agricultural innovation in low-income regions. Rather than relying solely on traditional funding models, prizes reward successful innovations that address agricultural challenges in resource-constrained areas, creating direct incentives for developing practical solutions tailored to the needs and conditions of poor farming communities.

  • Financial Innovation in Indian Agricultural Credit Market: Progress and Performance of Kisan Credit Card

    Anjani Kumar, Chitra Yadav, Shiv Jee, Sant Kumar, Sonia Chauhan, Kumar, Anjani, Yadav, Chitra, Jee, Shiv, Kumar, Sant, Chauhan, Sonia · 2011 · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA)

    The Kisan Credit Card scheme in India expanded agricultural credit access to small and marginal farmers through a simplified, flexible borrowing mechanism. The program improved credit availability and reduced transaction costs for rural farmers, though performance varied by region and farmer type. The innovation demonstrated how targeted financial products can enhance agricultural productivity and rural economic development in developing economies.

  • Understanding the Relationship between Financial Literacy and Chinese Rural Households’ Entrepreneurship from the Perspective of Credit Constraints and Risk Preference

    Silin Liu, Jia He, Dingde Xu · 2023 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

    Financial literacy significantly promotes entrepreneurship among Chinese rural households by reducing credit constraints, though risk preference weakens this effect. The study finds that only 11.2% of rural households start businesses, and that improving farmers' financial literacy—currently low at 11.2%—can help them overcome traditional credit barriers and pursue entrepreneurial ventures. Risk-averse farmers show weaker entrepreneurial responses to improved financial literacy.

  • Patterns of investment in agricultural research and innovation for the Global South, with a focus on sustainable agricultural intensification

    P. V. Vara Prasad, Nirat Bhatnagar, Vineet Bhandari, Jacob George, Kaushal Narayan, R.G. Echeverría, Nienke M. Beintema, Paul Farah Cox, Julia Compton · 2023 · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

    Global South governments invest approximately $60 billion annually in agricultural research and innovation, with China's government alone matching all other countries combined. Private sector and development partners contribute smaller shares. Less than 7% of funding targets environmental goals, and under 5% addresses both social and environmental outcomes. The study reveals a significant funding gap for sustainable agricultural intensification and recommends transparent reporting standards to redirect investment toward sustainability.

  • Developing social entrepreneurship in rural areas: A path mediation framework

    Apriani Dorkas Rambu Atahau, Cheng-Wen Lee, Deni Danial Kesa, Andrian Dolfriandra Huruta · 2022 · International Sociology

    Local wisdom strengthens social entrepreneurship development in rural microfinance groups in East Sumba, Indonesia. The study shows that incorporating traditional knowledge helps microfinance organizations overcome capital constraints and achieve sustainability. Local governments should design policies supporting social enterprise development that build on existing community wisdom and create environments where stakeholders can foster entrepreneurship.

  • Innovation and Management by Regional Rural Banks in Achieving the Dream of Financial Inclusion in India: Challenges and Prospects.

    Anis ur Rehman · 2020 · Marketing and Management of Innovations

    Regional Rural Banks in India use innovative deposit mobilization, credit expansion, and loan recovery methods to achieve financial inclusion in rural areas. A study of 96 bank officials in Uttar Pradesh found they effectively serve neglected populations despite facing challenges in deposit mobilization and credit expansion. Political interference affects bank operations, but officials report overall proper functioning. The findings help policymakers design schemes to reach the poorest rural customers.

  • Significance of Microfinance Institutions in Rural Development of India

    Rajesh Kumar Yadav · 2014 · International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences

    Microfinance institutions in India provide credit to rural poor people excluded from formal banking, enabling them to start small businesses and increase economic participation. The study finds that microfinance schemes significantly boost women's involvement in economic activities and decision-making. Microfinance programs deliver essential credit access and motivate rural populations to improve living standards, offering practical lessons for rural development in developing countries.

  • HOW EFFECTIVE IS MICROFINANCE IN REACHING THE POOREST? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE ON PROGRAMME OUTREACH IN RURAL PAKISTAN

    Asad K. Ghalib · 2013 · Journal of Business Economics and Management

    Microfinance institutions in rural Pakistan reach middle-income and less-poor households far more effectively than the poorest populations, despite claims otherwise. A survey of 1,132 households in Punjab shows microfinance programs fail to serve the very poor adequately. The study calls for policy reforms to deepen outreach toward the poorest rather than simply expanding program breadth.

  • Adverse selections and microfinance in rural Africa: signalling through environmental services

    Emmanuel Olatunbosun Benjamin · 2013 · Enterprise Development and Microfinance

    Microfinance institutions struggle to identify creditworthy agricultural borrowers in rural Africa because farmers misrepresent their success. This paper uses game theory to show that certified environmental services, particularly carbon credits, can signal genuine farming project viability. Borrowers with certification reveal their actual farming conditions, reducing adverse selection and loan default problems.

  • Microfinance with education in rural Ghana: Men's perception of household level impact

    LL Hagan, Richmond Aryeetey, EK Colecraft, GS Marquis, AC Nti, AO Danquah · 2012 · African Journal of Food Agriculture Nutrition and Development

    A microfinance and nutrition education program in rural Ghana increased women's incomes and household food security. Male household heads reported supporting women's participation and perceived positive impacts on business practices and meal quality. However, men reduced their own household contributions in response to women's increased earnings, revealing unintended consequences of women's economic empowerment on household dynamics.

  • Microfinance and the dynamics of financial vulnerability. Lessons from rural South India

    Isabelle Guérin, Marc Roesch, Santosh Kumar, Govidan Venkatasubramanian, Mariam Sangaré · 2009 · Agritrop (Cirad)

    Microfinance in rural South India produces mixed results for household financial vulnerability. The study finds microfinance can either reduce vulnerability or deepen debt, depending on how clients combine it with other financial tools and strategies. The paper argues that microfinance effects cannot be understood in isolation from local employment, financing, and consumption dynamics, or from households' broader asset-building and vulnerability-coping strategies.

  • Food security in rural Uganda: assessing latent effects of microfinance on pre-participation

    John Elliot Meador, Andrew J. Fritz · 2017 · Development in Practice

    This study examines how microfinance affects food security among rural Ugandan women before they join microfinance organizations. Researchers surveyed 130 women in two villages and found that microfinance participation creates structural links between women's social capital, empowerment, and collective action, which then increases access to additional income and improves food security outcomes.

  • From financial exclusion to financial inclusion through microfinance: the case of rural Zimbabwe

    Patricia Lindelwa Makoni · 2014 · Corporate Ownership and Control

    Rural Zimbabwe's population remains largely unbanked not because they lack capacity, but because commercial banks find it unprofitable to serve areas with inadequate infrastructure. Microfinance institutions fill this gap but face significant operational challenges. The study reveals that rural communities are actually bankable, contradicting banks' claims that poverty prevents financial inclusion.

  • Impact of Microfinance Innovation in Pushing Back Rural Poverty in Tamil Nadu

    K. Sita Devi, C. Prabakar, T. Ponnarasi, Devi, K. Sita, Prabakar, C., Ponnarasi, T. · 2011 · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA)

    Microfinance innovations reduce rural poverty in Tamil Nadu by providing financial access to poor households. The study examines how microfinance programs enable rural residents to start businesses, increase income, and escape poverty. Results show microfinance effectively addresses poverty through credit availability and financial inclusion in rural communities.

  • Exploring the Impact of Green Finance on Sustainable Rural Development: Evidence From 283 Cities in China

    Chuanjian Yi, Bo Xu, Kejun Lin · 2025 · Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society

    Green finance promotes rural sustainable development in Chinese cities, according to analysis of 283 prefecture-level cities from 2004 to 2022. Environmental regulations and digital economy adoption strengthen this positive effect. However, green finance creates negative spillover effects on neighboring regions while benefiting its own area. The study recommends strengthening green finance deployment, enhancing environmental oversight, and promoting digital economy adoption to support rural sustainability.

  • Improving access to primary health care through financial innovation in rural China: a quasi-experimental synthetic difference-in-differences approach

    Zhi Zeng, Yunmei Luo, Wenjuan Tao, Ruiling Zhang, Bo Zeng, Jianhong Yao, Wei Zhang · 2024 · BMC Primary Care

    A financing reform in rural China that integrated primary healthcare supply and established a dedicated fund significantly increased outpatient visits to primary care facilities by 15 percentage points and raised per capita spending by 87 yuan. The reform proved effective across multiple model specifications and strengthened over time, demonstrating that horizontal integration in healthcare financing improves access and resource allocation in resource-limited rural settings.

  • The geography of innovation in times of crisis: a comparison of rural and urban RDI patterns during COVID-19

    Teemu Makkonen, Timo Mitze · 2022 · Geografiska Annaler Series B Human Geography

    Rural firms in Finland lagged behind urban firms in securing competitive research and development funding before COVID-19, but this gap narrowed significantly during the pandemic. Rural enterprises demonstrated strategic flexibility and resilience by taking advantage of more accessible and flexible funding mechanisms introduced during the crisis. The findings challenge assumptions that rural innovation capacity is fragile during economic shocks.

  • Rural–urban financial inclusion: Implications on the cost sustainability of microfinance lenders

    Md Aslam Mia, Sunil Sangwan, A. H. M. Belayeth Hussain, Nurhafiza Abdul Kader Malim · 2021 · Managerial and Decision Economics

    Microfinance institutions typically avoid rural lending because they believe it costs more than urban lending. This study analyzed data from 1,729 microfinance institutions worldwide between 2008 and 2018. The findings contradict conventional wisdom: rural lending is actually more cost-efficient than urban lending, even when accounting for different measurement approaches and potential statistical biases.

  • EFFECT OF MICROFINANCE ADOPTION ON RURAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN SELECTED UPAZILA OF KUSHTIA DISTRICT OF BANGLADESH

    Bilkish Banu, Mohammad Mukul Hossain, Mohammad Samiul Haque, Babor Ahmad · 2021 · Bangladesh Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research

    Microfinance adoption in rural Bangladesh shows mixed effects on household income. The study of 350 households in Kushtia district found that age, household size, and credit amount negatively impact income, while spouse's income positively affects it. Borrowing decisions are discouraged by higher income, older age, and larger household size. Participants face barriers including high interest rates, credit delays, and short repayment periods.

  • Local wisdom in rural microfinance: a descriptive study on villagers of East Sumba

    Like Soegiono, Apriani Dorkas Rambu Atahau, Harijono Harijono, Andrian Dolfriandra Huruta · 2019 · Journal of Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues

    Rural villagers in East Sumba, Indonesia use local wisdom practices for saving and investing to overcome limited access to formal financial services. The study documents how communities apply traditional knowledge and bottom-up approaches to microfinance, reducing poverty and improving financial inclusion. Local governments can adopt culture-led development policies that integrate these existing community practices into microfinance programs.

  • Interrelationships between inward FDI and indigenous innovation in developing economies

    Hannarong Shamsub · 2014 · Global Business and Economics Review

    Foreign direct investment and indigenous innovation in developing economies have reciprocal but opposing relationships. Higher innovation attracts more FDI, yet increased FDI reduces innovation. R&D investment and absorptive capacity drive indigenous innovation. Government effectiveness mediates these dynamics, reducing FDI's negative impact while strengthening R&D's positive effects. The study recommends improving government effectiveness and R&D spending to harness FDI spillovers for sustained innovation and economic growth.

  • The social impact of microfinance: what changes in well-being are perceived by women group borrowers after obtaining a group loan? : A participatory rural appraisal in Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania

    Heleen De Goey · 2012 · KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

    Microfinance group loans in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania produced mixed results for women borrowers' well-being. While loans contributed to positive changes, these improvements were not driven by income alone and depended heavily on group dynamics and family circumstances. The study challenges the assumption that microfinance's poverty-reduction benefits flow primarily from increased income, showing instead that well-being involves multiple interconnected factors beyond financial gains.

  • Strengthening financial innovation in energy supply projects for rural communities in developing countries

    Carlos Rodríguez Monroy, Antonio San Segundo Hernández · 2008 · International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology

    Rural communities in developing countries need sustainable energy supply to reduce poverty and improve agricultural productivity. This paper surveys expert opinion on financing agricultural electrification projects and finds that new financial mechanisms can mobilize funding for renewable energy systems. The authors argue that financing models must adapt to decentralized energy production, involve beneficiaries in project planning, and help overcome high upfront costs to create sustainable, productive solutions.

  • SUPPORTING LOCAL INNOVATION FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS AND REVIEW OF FIVE INNOVATION SUPPORT FUNDS

    Esbern Friis-Hansen, Henrik Egelyng · 2007 · Organic Eprints (International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems, and Research Institute of Organic Agriculture)

    This study reviews five innovation support funds across Africa, India, and Latin America that help rural farmers develop and scale local agricultural innovations. The analysis finds that these funds effectively support both individual innovators and producer groups, but could improve by better balancing support between innovators and their institutional connections, recognizing diverse innovator types, and facilitating continuous learning cycles that connect innovators with entrepreneurs and adopters to commercialize solutions.

  • The Differential Impact on Gender Relations of 'Transformatory' and 'Instrumentalist' Women's Group Intermediation in Microfinance Schemes: A Case Study for Rural South India

    Nathalie Holvoet · 2006 · Journal of international women's studies

    Microfinance programs in rural South India use women's groups differently, with diverging impacts on gender relations. Some programs treat groups as tools to improve financial sustainability while maintaining existing gender hierarchies. Others actively mobilize women through credit to build collective action and transform underlying gender relations. The paper argues that assuming all group-based microfinance achieves empowerment is shortsighted; program design fundamentally determines whether women's empowerment actually occurs.

  • Does Microfinance Empower Women from Economic, Social, and Political Perspectives ? : Empirical Evidence from Rural Gujarat

    Ritesh Patel, Nikunj Patel · 2021 · Prabandhan Indian Journal of Management

    Microfinance through self-help groups significantly empowers rural women economically in Gujarat, India. Women gain moderate social empowerment, though some social gains existed before joining. Political empowerment remains limited. Overall, women experience meaningful empowerment after participating in microfinance groups, with economic gains being the strongest outcome.

  • Microfinance and Vulnerability to Seasonal Famine in a Rural Economy: Evidence from Monga in Bangladesh

    Claudia N. Berg, M. Shahe Emran · 2020 · The B E Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy

    Microfinance membership in Northern Bangladesh improves food security during seasonal famine periods, particularly for the poorest households. The benefit operates through consumption smoothing rather than income growth, since microfinance does not increase migration for work or reduce distress labor sales. The study uses land ownership thresholds in microfinance screening to identify causal effects across 143,000 poor households.

  • Impact of Microfinance on Rural Household Poverty in Ethiopia

    Nigusu Abera · 2019 · Journal of Ecology & Natural Resources

    Microfinance institutions in Ethiopia target rural poor to reduce poverty and improve livelihoods through employment creation, income growth, and empowerment. The paper reviews whether microfinance services actually improve living standards, measuring impact through household income, education access, healthcare, nutrition, savings, and employment. Ethiopian MFIs face challenges including loan repayment failures, limited foreign capital access, and weak client follow-up that threaten institutional sustainability.

  • A study on BRAC Microfinance Products for rural consumers using Service Gap Model

    Ehsanul Huda Chowdhury, Stanley Sumon Rodrick, Farzana Ahmed · 2014 · KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

    This study evaluates BRAC's microfinance products for rural consumers using the Service Gap Model. The research assesses whether BRAC's microfinance offerings match what rural customers actually need and want. By analyzing the gap between company-designed services and consumer expectations, the study identifies misalignments that could damage BRAC's reputation and effectiveness in serving rural markets.

  • RURAL MICROFINANCE AND CLIENT RETENTION: EVIDENCE FROM MALAWI

    Marc J. Epstein, Kristi Yuthas · 2013 · Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship

    Microfinance institutions typically avoid rural markets due to high operating costs, leaving poor rural populations underserved. Analysis of over 10,000 loans in Malawi reveals that rural clients actually show significantly higher retention rates than urban clients. This finding challenges the cost-focused argument against rural microfinance and demonstrates that serving rural markets can simultaneously improve both financial sustainability and social impact for microfinance institutions.

  • Rural Member-Based Microfinance Institutions : A field study assessing the impacts of SACCOS and VICOBA in Babati district, Tanzania

    Marie Ahlén · 2012 · KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

    Rural microfinance institutions in Tanzania—SACCOS and VICOBA—help members meet consumption needs, pay school fees, and start small businesses, according to member interviews in Babati district. Members believe these institutions reduce poverty, but the study finds that poverty reduction isn't automatic. Low loan repayment rates, insufficient capital, and poor entrepreneurship education limit effectiveness. How members use loans ultimately determines whether microfinance actually reduces poverty.

  • Has the integration of fiscal agricultural funds promoted rural entrepreneurship?

    Xucheng Huang, Erjia Yang, Weimin Wang · 2025 · International Review of Economics & Finance

    China's 2016 fiscal agricultural fund integration policy significantly boosted rural entrepreneurship, according to county-level analysis from 2014 to 2021. The policy worked by improving infrastructure and expanding credit access. Effects were strongest in regions with higher internet adoption, lower agricultural modernization, and lower incomes, suggesting the policy particularly benefited less-developed rural areas.

  • Impact of Digital Inclusive Finance on the High‑Quality Development of Rural Economy: Evidence from China

    Lu Zhang, Sana Azam, Jacquline Tham · 2025 · Research on World Agricultural Economy

    Digital inclusive finance significantly promotes high-quality rural economic development in China. Using provincial panel data from 2011 to 2022, the study finds that digital inclusive finance—measured through coverage, usage depth, and digitalization—strengthens rural innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and shared prosperity. The positive effects hold across eastern, central, and western regions, suggesting digital finance tools effectively address rural development challenges.

  • On subsistence‐type rural independent retailers and crowdfunded microfinance—Prosocial lending, nudges, and unintended consequences

    Siddhartha Yamalakonda, Rahul Nilakantan, Deepak Iyengar, Shashank Rao · 2023 · Journal of Business Logistics

    Rural entrepreneurs at the bottom of the economic pyramid who sell subsistence goods face barriers when seeking crowdfunded microfinance. The study finds that repeat borrowers struggle more than first-time borrowers to secure funding on crowdfunding platforms, regardless of their business expansion plans. This reveals unintended consequences of shifting from traditional microfinance to web-based crowdfunding models for small, weakly integrated rural retailers.

  • A study on the impact of rural finance on high-quality agricultural development in China—a test based on intermediation, threshold and spillover effects

    Changyu Hu, Bo Na, Qicheng Zhao · 2023 · Frontiers in Environmental Science

    Rural finance significantly promotes high-quality agricultural development in China, with effects varying by economic growth periods and regional grain production status. Farmland scale management partially mediates this relationship. Rural finance efficiency and agricultural technician share act as threshold effects, with spillover benefits reaching neighboring provinces. Higher financial literacy strengthens the impact.

  • Unruly entrepreneurs – investigating value creation by microfinance clients in rural Burundi

    Katarzyna Cieslik, Marek Hudon, Philip Verwimp · 2019 · Oxford Development Studies

    Poor entrepreneurs in rural Burundi break microfinance program rules in ways that actually create value for their households and communities. The study identifies four rule-breaking practices—consumption spending, illegitimate investment, loan juggling, and loan arrogation—and shows how they strengthen social ties and help families manage financial shocks. The researchers argue that microfinance institutions themselves drive these practices and should offer more flexible products.

  • Using microfinance to facilitate household investment in sanitation in rural Cambodia

    Kimberley H. Geissler, Jeffrey M. Goldberg, Sheila Leatherman · 2016 · Health Policy and Planning

    Rural Cambodian households want latrines but cannot afford them. This study tested whether microfinance loans could bridge the gap. While 27% of surveyed households expressed interest in microfinance for latrine purchase, actual loan applications remained low at 4% of attendees. Only 5% of current latrine owners used microfinance. The researchers conclude that linking sanitation markets to existing finance institutions requires stronger coordination between vendors and lenders to become scalable.

  • Microfinance and Poverty Reduction Nexus among Rural Women in Selected Districts in the Upper West Region of Ghana

    William Angko · 2013 · Journals & Books Hosting (International Knowledge Sharing Platform)

    Microfinance access enables rural women in Ghana's Upper West Region to acquire assets and improve their well-being, reducing poverty and vulnerability. The study of 200 women found that education and marital status positively correlate with asset accumulation, while household dependents negatively affect it. Women participating in microfinance programs gain financial independence and contribute more effectively to their families and communities.

  • The banking sector intervention in the microfinance world: a study of bankers' perception and outreach to rural microfinance in India with special reference to the state of Punjab

    Sangeeta Arora · 2012 · Development in Practice

    Commercial banks in Punjab, India offer microfinance schemes to rural poor for small economic activities. This empirical study examines how extensively banks participate in microfinance and analyzes the nature and reach of their rural microfinance services. The research also documents bankers' perceptions of microfinance as a poverty reduction tool.

  • Impact of Group-Based Microfinance on Rural Household Income: Evidence from an Indian State

    Debadutta Kumar Panda, Hrudananda Atibuddi, Panda, Debadutta Kumar, Atibuddi, Hrudananda · 2010 · Journal of rural cooperation

    Group-based microfinance programs in rural Orissa, India significantly increase household income for participating families. The study compared microfinance participants with non-participants across agricultural and micro-enterprise sectors using statistical analysis and income inequality measures. Results demonstrate that microfinance interventions deliver measurable positive income effects for rural households engaged in both farming and small business activities.

  • Microfinance and poverty reduction in rural Nigeria

    Osaore Aideyan · 2009 · Aisberg (University of Bergamo)

    A survey of 281 rural Nigerian households demonstrates that access to microfinance programs delivers measurable social and economic benefits compared to households without access. The study provides empirical evidence supporting microfinance as a poverty reduction tool in rural Africa, with findings applicable to program evaluation across the continent.

  • Risk Management, financial innovation and institutional development in rural areas: evidence from the coffee sector in Ethiopia

    Laura Viganò, Luciano Bonomo, Dejene Aredo, Tsegaye Wondwossen · 2007 · Aisberg (University of Bergamo)

    Rural households in Ethiopia face yield and price risks that constrain their access to finance and economic growth. This study examines risk management in the coffee sector and proposes financial and institutional innovations using market-based instruments. Field research in Ethiopia demonstrates how modern risk management approaches can help coffee growers overcome vulnerability and develop their economic capacity.

  • Financing rural innovation with community development venture capital: models, options and obstacles

    Julia Sass Rubin · 2006 · Community Development Investment Review

    Rural regions struggle to attract traditional venture capital despite needing local company growth for economic development. Community development venture capital (CDVC) offers a viable model for overcoming geographic barriers that deter conventional investors. This paper examines the structural obstacles CDVC faces and identifies potential funding sources to support rural entrepreneurship through patient capital.

  • Implications of Financial Innovations for the Poorest of the Poor in the Rural Area: Experience from Northern Bangladesh

    Mohammed Emrul Hasan · 2003 · ScholarsArchive (Brigham Young University)

    Microfinance programs like Grameen reach only upper-level poor in rural Bangladesh and offer limited services with rigid procedures. SafeSave's innovative approach succeeded in urban areas but faced challenges when adapted to rural settings due to different economic structures and poverty patterns. Successful rural microfinance requires understanding local poverty dynamics, designing appropriate financial products, identifying the poorest households, and educating clients while motivating service providers.

  • Bougainville microfinance: Rebuilding rural communities after the crisis

    John Newsom · 2002 · Development bulletin

    A microfinance scheme was developed in Bougainville following armed conflict, designed through participatory workshops with rural communities. The Bougainville Microfinance Scheme attracted government and international funding, established a federated structure for locally-directed development, and exceeded targets in pilot areas. The model combines savings-based operations with diverse loan services through a multi-tiered system, achieving broad outreach while supporting grassroots economic and social development.

  • The impact of microfinance on entrepreneurship and welfare among women borrowers in rural Pakistan

    Issam Malki, Asad K. Ghalib, Rukhsana Kaousar · 2024 · World Development Perspectives

    Microfinance in rural Pakistan boosts women's entrepreneurship and household income when borrowers invest loans in microenterprises, increasing earnings, clothing spending, and income diversification. However, the loans fail to increase health and education spending or reduce child labour. The findings show microfinance effectively stimulates economic activity but has limited impact on human capital investment and broader welfare improvements.

  • Indigenous Knowledge in Entrepreneurship and Cultural Tourism in the Rural Areas

    Priviledge Cheteni, Ikechukwu Umejesi · 2024 · Comparative Sociology

    Indigenous entrepreneurs in rural areas successfully integrate traditional knowledge into their businesses, particularly in cultural tourism, which is growing but remains largely informal. However, these entrepreneurs face significant barriers including inadequate capital, limited access to funding, and discrimination from financial institutions. The study calls for comprehensive support mechanisms to strengthen indigenous entrepreneurship and sustainability practices based on traditional knowledge systems.

  • Is farmland financial innovation narrowing the urban-rural income gap? A cross-regional study of China

    Ting Li, Jing-Ya Li · 2022 · PLoS ONE

    Farmland financial innovation significantly narrows China's urban-rural income gap, according to analysis of 30 provinces from 2006 to 2017. The mechanism works through two pathways: enabling permanent labor migration away from farming and upgrading rural industrial structure. The authors recommend governments promote farmland financial innovation and establish rural property rights systems to facilitate farmer mobility and reduce income inequality.

  • Women’s Economic Contribution, Relationship Status and Risky Sexual Behaviours: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from a Microfinance-Plus Programme in Rural South Africa

    Janke Tolmay, Louise Knight, Lufuno Muvhango, Tara Polzer-Ngwato, Heidi Stöckl, Meghna Ranganathan · 2022 · AIDS and Behavior

    A study of 626 rural South African women in a microfinance-plus program found that married older women had higher rates of inconsistent condom use, while women contributing all household income reported more multiple sexual partners but less transactional sex. Economic strengthening alone does not reduce sexual risk behaviors; interventions must address broader social and economic drivers alongside income support.

  • Analyzing the mechanism among rural financing constraint mitigation, agricultural development, and carbon emissions in China: A sustainable development paradigm

    Bohan Sun, Ruiqi Sun, Ke Gao, Yifan Zhang, Shuyue Wang, Puxian Bai · 2022 · Energy & Environment

    China's policy to ease rural financing constraints for agriculture increased farm production and farmer income, but also raised agricultural carbon emissions per unit area. The emissions increase came from higher input intensity per hectare. However, mechanization and agricultural scale expansion can offset these emissions. The policy's effects varied by region based on economic development and agricultural conditions. Other developing countries can learn from China's experience to balance agricultural growth with emission control.

  • Comparison of Marketing Activities among the Rural Women of Omid Entrepreneurship Fund and Agricultural Development Specialized Holding Companies in Fars Province

    Ommolbani Karami, Mahsa Fatemi, Kurosh Rezaei‐Moghaddam, Fatemeh Badzaban · 2021 · Journal of Entrepreneurial Strategies in Agriculture

    Rural women entrepreneurs in Iran's Fars Province who received support from Agricultural Development Specialized Holding Companies demonstrated stronger marketing capabilities than those funded by the Omid Entrepreneurship Fund. Women in Holding Companies showed greater awareness of marketing methods, better grasp of marketing strategies, and superior personality traits for entrepreneurship including risk-taking and creativity. The study recommends targeted improvements to enhance marketing activities for women in microfinance programs.

  • Surveying the Socioeconomic and Business Dimensions of Microfinance Institutions in Rural Sierra Leone before the Ebola Outbreak: A Descriptive Statistical Approach

    Ezekiel K. Duramany-Lakkoh · 2021 · Journal of Financial Risk Management

    Microfinance institutions in rural Sierra Leone before the 2013 Ebola outbreak successfully provided access to credit for business, farming, and construction activities, with strong delivery of financial services scoring 8 out of 10 for accessibility. However, skills training and community support programs were ineffective, and while individual beneficiaries improved their living standards, these gains did not extend to broader community development.

  • The density of microfinance institutions and multiple borrowing in Ghana: Are rural borrowers vulnerable?

    Ewura‐Adwoa Ewusie, Samuel Kobina Annim, William Gabriel Brafu‐Insaidoo · 2021 · Journal of International Development

    This study examines multiple borrowing patterns in Ghana, finding that 35% of borrowers use multiple microfinance institutions simultaneously. While higher density of MFIs reduces multiple borrowing overall, rural borrowers show greater vulnerability to overlapping loans and respond differently to various institutional features. The findings highlight how MFI expansion affects client sustainability and economic wellbeing.

  • The role of European funds in developing and sustaining rural entrepreneurship in Romania

    Florina Răzvanţă Puie · 2020 · Proceedings of the ... International Conference on Business Excellence

    European Union funding through Romania's National Rural Development Program (2014-2020) supports rural entrepreneurship by enabling SMEs to access grants for business development. The study analyzes program results using official statistics and reports, measuring outcomes like job creation and population reach. It identifies how EU funds drive rural economic development while documenting persistent challenges Romanian rural entrepreneurs face despite these funding mechanisms.

  • Determinants of Rural Households’ Participation in Microfinance Program: The Case of Omo Microfinance Institution, Sodo Woreda, Southern Nations Nationalities, and Peoples Regional State, Ethiopia

    Tadele Alemayehu · 2020

    Rural households in Ethiopia who participate in microfinance programs earn significantly higher incomes and accumulate more assets than non-participants. Family size, education level, and extension contact increase participation, while dependent members, complex credit procedures, borrowing risk perception, and distance from the lender reduce it. Participants showed better agricultural input use, food consumption, and livestock holdings, demonstrating microfinance's positive impact on rural livelihoods.

  • The relationship between a microfinance-based healthcare delivery platform, health insurance coverage, health screenings, and disease management in rural Western Kenya

    Molly Rosenberg, James Akiruga Amisi, Daria Szkwarko, Dan N. Tran, Becky L. Genberg, Maya Luetke, Sina Kianersi, Jane Namae, Jeremiah Laktabai, Sonak Pastakia · 2020 · BMC Health Services Research

    A microfinance program integrated with health screenings in rural Western Kenya significantly increased rates of health screening for multiple conditions including diabetes and cervical cancer among participants. However, microfinance membership did not improve health insurance uptake or disease management outcomes. The findings suggest that combining microfinance with healthcare delivery can overcome structural barriers to screening access, though additional interventions are needed to improve insurance coverage and disease management in low-resource settings.

  • Financialising governance? State actor engagement with private finance for rural development in the Northern Territory of Australia

    Alexandra Langford, Kiah Smith, Geoffrey Lawrence · 2020 · Research in Globalization

    Government officials in Australia's Northern Territory actively shape agricultural finance investments rather than passively enabling them. The paper examines how local officials translate national development policies into practice by attracting private capital while moderating its activities. This reveals the state as an engaged actor assembling financial investment patterns, not simply a structural backdrop for financialisation.

  • Sources of Attracting Investments in Technological Innovation Projects to Ensure the Sustainable Development of Rural Areas

    G. SERIKBAEVA GAUKHAR, Bolatbek Bektanov, Almira Bekturganova · 2019 · Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism

    This study identifies funding sources for a rural innovation project using unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor pastures in Kazakhstan's Almaty Region. The researchers analyzed investment options through expert surveys and statistical analysis. Bank loans and leasing emerged as the most promising funding mechanisms for this agricultural technology initiative.

  • Determinants of rural households participation in microfinance services: The case of Cheliya District, West Shoa Zone, Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia

    Erena Geleta Tadele, Ademe Mengistu Alelign, A. Solomon · 2019 · Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics

    Rural households in Ethiopia's Cheliya District participate in microfinance services at rates determined by specific household characteristics. Male-headed households, those with more education, larger cultivated land, more livestock, and frequent contact with extension services participate more. Households with high dependency ratios participate less. The study recommends microfinance institutions design programs to include illiterate households and increase female participation.

  • Micro-financing and rural poverty reduction: A case of Rima Microfinance Bank in Goronyo Local Government Area, Sokoto State, Nigeria

    B. Mustapha M., I. Yusuf B., N. Abdullahi A. · 2019 · Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics

    A microfinance bank in rural Nigeria increased beneficiaries' average income from 47,489 to 115,678 naira and reduced poverty incidence by 6 percent through agricultural credit facilities. The study demonstrates that microfinance effectively alleviates rural poverty when combined with input credit and monitoring. Policymakers should expand credit access and strengthen oversight to maximize productivity gains among rural borrowers.

  • Public Finance and Rural Development in Nigeria: Empirical Evidence from the Structural Equation Modeling

    Abdulkadir Abdulrashid Rafindadi, Kondo Augustine Kondo · 2018 · Asian Economic and Financial Review

    Public finance systems in rural Nigeria fail to effectively fund infrastructure and social amenities that improve quality of life. The study examined nine local government areas in Benue state and found that shared revenue arrangements between state and local governments create serious obstacles to financing rural development projects. The authors recommend restructuring public finance systems at the local government level to enable more efficient and prudent allocation of resources for rural development.

  • Microfinance Institutions’ Successful Delivery Of Micronutrient Powders: A Randomized Trial In Rural Haiti

    Aaron Baum, Wesly Elize, Florence Jean-Louis · 2017 · Health Affairs

    A randomized trial in rural Haiti tested whether microfinance institutions can effectively deliver health products to underserved populations. Micronutrient powders distributed through microfinance meetings to improve child nutrition significantly increased hemoglobin levels and reduced anemia rates compared to control groups. The results match outcomes from traditional health delivery systems, demonstrating that microfinance institutions offer a viable platform for scaling health interventions in low-income countries.

  • Reviewing the Development of Rural Finance in Vietnam

    Duong Pham Bao · 2013 · Journal of Economics and Development

    Vietnam's rural financial system has developed successfully since economic reforms, contradicting theories predicting market failures in low-income countries. The study shows that rural finance progresses well when government initiates the system, market mechanisms drive operations, and rural organizations provide institutional support. The author argues against viewing old and new credit paradigms as opposites, instead demonstrating that hybrid approaches combining government leadership, market operations, and community institutions create stable, functioning rural financial markets.

  • Microfinance performance in China's rural areas: A perspective of regional differences

    Wei Song, Xuna Xue, Luya Zhong · 2010

    Microfinance significantly increases farmer income in rural China, but effectiveness varies substantially across regions. The study of 116 households across 28 provinces identifies loan size, borrower education, loan duration, and borrower gender as key performance factors. The authors recommend designing microfinance programs tailored to regional characteristics to maximize impact on farmer incomes.

  • Credit unions and rural banks reaching down and out to the rural poor through group-based microfinance

    Christopher Dunford · 2009 · Enterprise Development and Microfinance

    Credit unions and rural banks in West Africa, Ecuador, Madagascar, and the Philippines successfully deliver microfinance to poor rural populations by adopting group-based village banking models. This approach costs less than building new microfinance institutions from scratch and reaches extremely poor women in remote areas. While individual credit unions and rural banks are fragile, spreading risk across many small institutions creates a sustainable system.

  • Enhancing stability and achieving high-quality development in rural credit cooperatives through inclusive finance: evidence from Shaanxi Province, China

    Wenbo Li, Ruoyu Chen, Heng Zhang · 2023 · Applied Economics

    Rural credit cooperatives in Shaanxi Province, China improved their stability and risk-taking capacity when they adopted inclusive finance practices. The effect was strongest for cooperatives with larger corporate shareholding, though property rights reforms and community bank launches somewhat reduced these gains. The study recommends expanding inclusive finance, reforming rural commercial bank operations, and strengthening governance to better serve agricultural and rural communities.

  • The Role of Microfinance in China’s Rural Public Health: Evidence from the Anti-Poverty Microcredit Program

    Benjian Wu, Yi Cui, Yushuo Jiang · 2022 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

    A microcredit program in impoverished Chinese villages improved rural residents' health levels and health insurance uptake. The effect operated through poverty reduction and was strongest among low-income households with high credit ratings and strong social networks. Remaining debt reduced health gains, while formal credit access increased health spending by relaxing financial constraints.

  • The Data Analytics of Finance Impact on the Rural Development Combining Financial Constraint and Economic Growth Theory

    Xiaoxiao Guo · 2022 · Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience

    Rural Commercial Banks in China drive rural economic development through agricultural lending and deposit mobilization. Analysis of D County Rural Commercial Bank shows rural deposits grew from 2.2 billion yuan in 2012 to 6.0 billion yuan in 2018. The study proposes financial innovation strategies for rural banks to sustain economic growth and demonstrates how rural finance institutions can provide new pathways for stable rural development.

  • The Moral Economy of Microfinance in Rural Bangladesh: <i>Dharma</i>, Gender and Social Change

    Mathilde Maîtrot · 2021 · Development and Change

    Microfinance in rural Bangladesh operates through a moral economy that reinforces existing social hierarchies rather than challenging them. Fieldworkers use moral narratives to legitimize microfinance among men, while framing women's borrowing as dharma—a moral duty to secure male guardianship. Rather than empowering borrowers to escape poverty, microfinance motivates conformity to gendered and hierarchical norms, explaining why people continue borrowing despite underwhelming outcomes.

  • Innovations in Agricultural Credit Disbursement and Payment Systems for Financial Inclusion in Rural India

    Arghyadeep Das, Neela Madhav Patnaik · 2020 · International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences

    India has implemented several innovative credit and payment systems to improve agricultural financing and financial inclusion. Kisan Credit Cards, Self-Help Group bank linkages, Joint Liability Groups, and Farmer Producer Organizations have expanded institutional credit access, with most showing strong recent performance. Card-based and mobile payment systems have increased transparency. Farmer adoption of these innovations varies by age, education, farm size, and land holdings.

  • Assessing the asymmetric linkages between foreign direct investments and indigenous innovation in developing countries: A non-linear panel auto-regressive distributed lag approach

    Benjamin Azembila Asunka, Zhiqiang Ma, Mingxing Li, Oswin Aganda Anaba, Nelson Amowine, Weijun Hu · 2020 · South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences

    Foreign direct investment and indigenous innovation in developing countries have an asymmetric relationship. Increases in FDI boost innovation, while decreases in FDI reduce innovation output. However, FDI declines do not suppress positive innovation changes already underway. The study analyzed 20 developing countries from 1993 to 2017 using non-linear methods, revealing that policymakers must account for these asymmetries when designing development strategies.

  • MICRO FINANCE INSTITUTIONS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE IN GROWING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A STUDY OF RURAL INDIAN ECONOMY

    Pankaj Dixit, Farhad Al-Kake, Rizwan Ahmed · 2019 · Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences

    Microfinance institutions and self-help groups play a critical role in reducing poverty and driving economic development across rural India, where 70 percent of the population lives and depends heavily on agriculture. The study examines how microfinance reaches rural communities through NGOs and local organizations, demonstrating their effectiveness in addressing financial exclusion and supporting economic growth in underserved areas.

  • Impact of Microfinance on Women Empowerment : A Study of Rural Gujarat

    Ritesh Patel, Mitesh Patel, Nikunj Patel · 2018 · Indian Journal of Finance

    Microfinance through self-help groups significantly empowers rural women in Gujarat across economic, social, and political dimensions. The study of 384 women in two districts found that each additional year of membership increased the probability of economic empowerment by 9%, social empowerment by 14%, and political empowerment by 11%. Microfinance interventions drive measurable societal transformation in rural India.

  • Microfinance in Ghana : A Comparative Study of Performance of the Formal versus Informal Rural Financial Institutions

    Eric Osei‐Assibey · 2010 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB)

    Formal banks in Ghana increasingly compete with traditional microfinance institutions to serve microenterprises, but hesitation remains high. This study compares their performance using survey data from rural financial institutions. Formal banks cite profitability as their main incentive but fear high transaction costs and borrower risk. Informal institutions outperform formal ones at reducing defaults. Collateral reduces non-performing loans, while women-focused lenders perform better. Rural location and high lending rates increase default risk.

  • Managing environmental turbulence in the microfinance sector - a case study of the Aga Khan rural support programme in Pakistan

    Ashfaq Khan · 2008 · Research Online (University of Wollongong)

    This case study examines how the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Pakistan adapted its microfinance operations when international donors shifted from providing subsidized funding to demanding institutional self-sustainability in the 1990s. The microfinance division successfully transformed from a donor-dependent organization into a commercially viable institution by restructuring its tangible and intangible organizational elements to survive competitive market pressures.

  • Microfinance and Poverty Reduction: Is there a Trade-Off? A Case Study from Rural Bangladesh

    M. Nurul I. Shekh · 2006 · Forum for Development Studies

    Microfinance institutions in rural Bangladesh prioritize financial sustainability over poverty reduction, leading them to exclude the poorest households and serve wealthier borrowers instead. The study of ASA, a major microfinance organization, reveals that rigid lending practices fail to accommodate borrowers with limited financial skills and repayment capacity. The author argues MFIs must redesign their methodology to serve the poorest effectively and achieve genuine poverty reduction.

  • Microfinance Self-Sustainability and Outreach in Uganda: A Case of Teso Rural Development Trust Limited

    Barnabas Kiiza, Michael Omeke, James Mugisha · 2005 · Eastern Africa Journal of Rural Development

    Microfinance institutions in Uganda reach rural populations underserved by commercial banks through group lending and solidarity guarantees. This study examined Teso Rural Development Trust Limited's financial self-sustainability and outreach to poor clients between 1998 and 2003. The institution was heavily dependent on external funding, unprofitable, and not self-sustainable. Its outreach favored non-poor clients over the poorest populations, indicating that regulatory improvements and operational efficiency gains were needed to achieve both financial sustainability and meaningful poverty reduction.

  • <i>Rural Finance in Contemporary Times: Interface with Microfinance</i>

    N S Sisodia, Mr. Bala Nageshwara Rao, Vijay Mahajan, V Leeladhar, M P Vasimalai, Rama Mohan Reddy, Brij Mohan, R. Srinivasan, M S Sriram · 2005 · Vikalpa The Journal for Decision Makers

    Indian rural finance suffers from state interventions like loan write-offs and interest subsidies that undermine banking system sustainability. Microfinance institutions reach poor clients but face regulatory neglect and cannot access commercial capital for growth. Both bankers and microfinance practitioners identified significant untapped rural markets in non-agricultural sectors like construction, handloom, and garment clusters. Removing regulatory barriers and clarifying the state's positive role could enable financial service innovations and better serve excluded poor populations.

  • Replicating the suitability rule and economic theory in pursuit of microfinance inclusion of women micro-agribusinesses in rural financial markets

    George Okello Candiya Bongomin, Frederick Semukono, Pierre Yourougou, Rebecca Balinda · 2024 · Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies

    Microfinance banks in rural Uganda can improve women micro-agribusiness survival by 29 percentage points when they offer financial products tailored to borrowers' economic conditions. Customized loan products enable poor women farmers to generate sufficient income for timely repayment and business operations. Microfinance institutions should adopt personalized pricing models and product design strategies to reduce loan defaults and increase financial inclusion among rural agricultural entrepreneurs.

  • Customers’ Perception of Microfinance Services as a Tool for Rural Development: A Romanian Case Study

    Denisa Henegar, Garofița Loredana Ilieș, Iulia Mureşan, Andra Poruțiu, Iulia Diana Arion, Felix Arion · 2024 · Agriculture

    Microfinance institutions in Romania succeed when they build trust, demonstrate empathy, and maintain strong organizational culture and reputation. A survey of 110 microfinance clients identified three key service quality dimensions: empathy and assurance, trust, and intangibles. While gender differences in perception were minimal, age, education, and business type significantly shaped how clients viewed services. Improving these intangible factors strengthens client relationships and enables sustainable rural development.

  • Do low-income households inevitably benefit more from microfinance participation? Evidence from rural China

    Zhao Ding, Xinyi Fan, Wonder Agbenyo · 2023 · Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy

    Microfinance participation significantly increases agricultural income for low-income rural households in China. However, the study reveals a paradox: while poor households benefit from microfinance access, it simultaneously widens the agricultural income gap between rich and poor households. The research uses household-level data and econometric methods to account for selection bias and measure both individual gains and distributional effects.

  • Financial Intermediation by Microfinance Banks in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa: Financial Intermediation Theoretical Approach

    George Okello Candiya Bongomin, Francis Yosa, Joseph Baleke Yiga Lubega, Pierre Yourougou, Alain Manzi Amani · 2022 · Journal of Comparative International Management

    Microfinance banks in rural Uganda improve financial inclusion of poor households through two key mechanisms: market penetration and service quality. These factors together explain 22 percent of variation in financial inclusion. Both dimensions independently show significant positive effects on bringing poor rural households into the formal financial system. The study recommends policies strengthening financial intermediaries in rural sub-Saharan Africa where traditional banks are scarce.

  • OVERVIEW PAPER ON MICROFINANCE THROUGH SELF-HELP GROUP-BANK LINKAGE PROGRAM FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN RURAL INDIA

    Sripal Srivastava, Jaideep Sharma, Sandeep Kumar Gupta · 2022 · ECONOMICS FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT REVIEW

    India's Self-Help Group-Bank Linkage Program, established by NABARD in 1992, delivers microfinance to rural poor communities. The program reduces poverty and financially empowers rural women, increasing savings, asset creation, and school enrollment. However, challenges remain including high interest rates, transaction costs, skill gaps, and inconsistent implementation across regions.

  • A Study on Self-help Group based Microfinance Impacting Poor Rural Households

    Debadutta Kumar Panda, Hrudananda Atibudh · 2022 · IIMS Journal of Management Science

    Self-help group microfinance programs in Orissa, India significantly improve rural household outcomes. The study finds that participating households experience increased income, employment days, and literacy rates, while migration decreases. Microfinance shows stronger impacts on households engaged in micro-enterprise and trading than those dependent on agriculture, demonstrating that livelihood type shapes program effectiveness.

  • Microfinance as a Mechanism against Financial Exclusion in the European Rural Areas – an Inspiration for the Czech Republic

    Gabriela Chmelíková, Annette Krauss, François Lategan · 2021 · Agris on-line Papers in Economics and Informatics

    Microfinance institutions in Europe show better repayment performance in rural areas than urban areas, according to analysis of a European microfinance database. The Czech Republic lacks microfinance infrastructure, forcing rural entrepreneurs to rely on expensive consumer credit. The authors recommend that policymakers develop legal frameworks supporting microfinance systems to reduce financial exclusion and disparities between rural and urban regions.

  • Performance Analysis of Islamic Micro Finance Institutions on Sustainable Rural Development in Indonesia

    Aan Zainul Anwar, Edi Susilo, Fatchur Rohman, Purbayu Budi Santoso, Edy Yusuf Agung Gunanto, Darwanto Darwanto · 2021 · Journal of Finance and Islamic Banking

    Islamic microfinance institutions in Central Java strengthen agricultural and fisheries sectors, driving sustainable rural development. Service quality alone doesn't help, but accessibility and philanthropic characteristics do boost sector strength. The study of 85 farm and fishery business actors shows that stronger agricultural sectors directly improve rural sustainability, establishing a financing model for these sectors.

  • The Role of Microfinance in Climate Change Adaptation: Evidence from Rural Rwanda

    Karin Helwig, Clementine Hill-O'Connor, Michael Mikulewicz, Patrick Mugiraneza, Emanuella Christensen · 2020 · ResearchOnline (Glasgow Caledonian University)

    Microloans from Urwego Bank help Rwandan farmers increase agricultural productivity and income by providing access to seeds and fertilizer, strengthening their ability to cope with climate impacts like drought and erratic rainfall. However, loans alone do not fund broader climate adaptations like irrigation or contour digging. While cooperatives and VSLAs create safety nets, they risk deepening socio-economic inequality. The bank's informal flexibility on repayment during poor harvests raises questions about long-term financial sustainability as climate impacts intensify.

  • Empowering Rural Women’s Involvement in Income Generating Activities Through BRAC Microfinance Institution in Sylhet District, Bangladesh

    Aysha Akter, Nobaya Ahmad · 2020 · International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

    Microcredit from BRAC in Bangladesh's Sylhet District empowers rural women to start income-generating activities and achieve socioeconomic advancement. Women who accessed these loans gained business skills, confidence, decision-making power, and self-esteem. The study identifies barriers to loan access and repayment as obstacles that stakeholders must address to maximize microfinance's contribution to sustainable development and women's financial independence.

  • Smallholder farmers' intention to adopt microfinance services in rural areas of Tanzania - a behavioural study

    Julius J. Macha, Yee-Lee Chong, I Chi Chen · 2019 · International Journal of Business Innovation and Research

    Tanzanian smallholder farmers show low adoption of microfinance services despite their potential to boost productivity. This study identifies key behavioral drivers: perceived benefits, subjective norms, attitude, and perceived behavioral control all increase farmers' intention to adopt microfinance. Perceived barriers reduce adoption intent. The research recommends improving financial literacy training, redesigning group-lending models to reduce individual risk, lowering interest rates, and creating financial products tailored to rural farmers' actual needs.

  • Agroecology and integral microfinance: recommendations for the Colombian post-conflict avoiding the financialization of rural financing

    Natalia Ramírez Virviescas, Sergio Monroy Isaza, Diego Alejandro Guevara Castañeda · 2019 · Cuadernos de Economía

    Colombia's post-conflict recovery requires sustainable rural development for peasant families affected by armed conflict. The paper argues that agroecology combined with integrated microfinance—rather than financialized microfinance—offers the most effective approach to support small producers. This combination creates sustainable scenarios for rural livelihoods while avoiding extractive financial practices that undermine agricultural communities.

  • Disciplinary Technologies of Microfinance: Fictitious Proximity, Visibility and Surveillance in Rural Microfinance in Bangladesh

    A. H. M. Belayeth Hussain · 2019 · Sociologus

    This paper examines how microfinance programs in rural Bangladesh use disciplinary and surveillance techniques to ensure loan repayment. Loan officers maintain strict control over borrowers through detailed record-keeping, monitoring of family and economic activities, and differentiation between compliant and non-compliant borrowers. The research reveals that financial success in microfinance depends on these governing practices rather than genuine development outcomes.

  • Sharia-compliant Financing of Infrastructure Development in Rural Area

    AD Rarasati, FF Bahwal · 2019 · IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science

    This paper examines how Islamic financing mechanisms can fund rural infrastructure development. The authors surveyed rural residents to identify infrastructure needs, finding solid waste treatment as the priority. They determined that sharia-compliant financing through donations and musharaka (profit-sharing) schemes, managed by local community organizations, can sustainably finance rural infrastructure while avoiding interest-based lending and speculative practices.

  • Microfinance and rural non-farm employment in developing countries

    Shyamal Chowdhury · 2017 · IZA World of Labor

    Microfinance institutions have expanded credit access in developing countries, enabling rural households to diversify income through non-farm employment. The rural non-farm sector now rivals agriculture as an employment source in some regions. However, further growth requires more flexible credit contracts, lower borrowing costs, and complementary support like skills training.

  • Promotion of Sustainable Livelihood through Skill Development Among Rural Youth - Role of Micro-Finance in Developmental Paradigm

    Vikram Singh · 2016 · Journal of Rural and Industrial Development

    Skill development alone fails to generate sustainable livelihoods for rural youth in India without addressing broader well-being and social structures. The paper examines how skill development institutions, policies, and programs linked to micro-finance can better support rural youth employment. It argues that micro-finance, operating within social relationships and collective norms, offers a more comprehensive approach than employable skills training alone to promote inclusive development.

  • Significance of Agricultural Finance in Agricultural and Rural Development of Pakistan “A Case Study of Qambar Shahdadkot District”

    Shoaib Ahmed Wagan, Luan Jingdong, xiao shuanxi, Sanaullah Noonari, Qurat Ul Ain Memon, Abdul Rahman, Moula Bux Pirzado · 2016 · Research Journal of Finance and Accounting

    Agricultural finance significantly improves rural development in Pakistan's Qambar Shahdadkot district. Farmers who borrowed money for agriculture earned higher revenues (76,000 rupees) compared to non-borrowers (61,750 rupees), despite higher input costs. Access to capital enabled timely use of agricultural inputs and better production. Farmers confirmed that agricultural finance improved living standards and household conditions, making it essential for rural development.

  • Socio-economic Impact of IBBL Microfinance on Rural Women in a Selected District of Bangladesh

    Ishrat Jahan, Md. Mamun-ur-Rashid · 2015 · Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension Economics & Sociology

    A microfinance program run by Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited improved rural women's socioeconomic conditions in Barisal district. The study of 206 beneficiaries found significant gains in social capital, non-agricultural income, sanitation, and water access. Family earning members, total loan amount, and household spending together explained 46.5% of income growth. The program delivered both financial and social benefits to participating women.

  • The Challenges Confronting Small Scale Businesses in accessing Microfinance Services from MFIs Case Study: Rural Tanzania

    Kimathi Augustino Flora · 2015 · International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

    Small-scale businesses in rural Tanzania access microfinance services but face significant barriers. The study of 195 businesses in Mvomero district found that while microfinance institutions help businesses develop and expand, strict requirements and inflexible lending practices obstruct access. The research recommends that microfinance institutions adopt more flexible terms and that governments establish supportive legal and financial frameworks to enable financing for new ventures.

  • Challenges Faced by the Model of Islamic Microfinance for the Development of Micro Entrepreneurs and SMEs in Rural Pakistan

    Aasmaan Anam Najeeb Jamal, Muhammad Azhar Sheikh · 2013

    Islamic microfinance models offer a comprehensive framework addressing social, financial, and religious objectives for rural micro-entrepreneurs and SMEs in Pakistan, which traditional microfinance institutions neglect. The paper identifies critical challenges in implementing these models, including organizational and operational constraints. Proper execution of Islamic microfinance can restructure rural socioeconomic conditions and enable SMEs to achieve financial self-sufficiency.

  • Rural Finance, Development and Livelihoods in China

    Heather Xiaoquan Zhang, Nicholas Loubere · 2013 · DuEPublico (University of Duisburg-Essen)

    This paper examines how rural financial services in China have evolved since 1949 and shaped local livelihoods. The authors trace the expansion and diversification of financial services, particularly the growth of microfinance in rural areas since the mid-2000s. They analyze key actors and dynamics, identify gaps in existing scholarship, and propose directions for better understanding how rural finance affects development and community wellbeing in China and globally.

  • Techno-economic analysis for Rural Broadband Access Networks

    Nafarizal Nayan, Rong Zhao, Carmen Mas Machuca, Nikolay Zhelev, Wolfgang Knospe · 2012

    This paper develops a techno-economic cost model for deploying broadband networks in rural areas worldwide. It identifies major benefits and challenges of rural broadband access, presents factors affecting costs and revenues, and proposes a technology selection strategy that incorporates technical, economic, regulatory, and funding considerations. The authors create an empirical model to calculate total costs and benefits, illustrated through a Germany case study.

  • Rural Microfinance and Agricultural Value Chains: Strategies and Perspectives of the Fondo de Desarrollo Local in Nicaragua

    Johan Bastiaensen, Peter Marchetti · 2011 · WORLD SCIENTIFIC eBooks

    This paper examines how the Fondo de Desarrollo Local in Nicaragua uses microfinance to strengthen agricultural value chains, particularly in dairy and meat cattle production. The authors present a 'finance plus' approach that combines financial services with broader value chain development to create livelihood opportunities for rural actors. The study demonstrates how microfinance can drive inclusive economic development when integrated with value chain strategies.

  • Building assets to reduce vulnerability: microfinance provision by a rural working people's union in Mexico

    Ben Rogaly, Alfonso Castillo, Martha Romero Serrano · 2004 · Development in Practice

    Proyecto Tequisquiapan, a rural microfinance union in Mexico, provides deposit facilities and protective financial services that help vulnerable households build assets and manage financial shocks. The organization succeeds through small-scale operations, committed staff, and continuous innovation tailored to members' needs. The authors argue this model outperforms large-scale commercialized microfinance and warrants World Bank attention.

  • Importing innovation or indigenous innovation: Evaluating the effect of climate finance on promoting environmental sustainability in developing countries

    Jinhua Zhang, Yafei Li, Ruonan Du, Xiuping Hua · 2025 · Energy Economics

    Climate finance reduces CO2 emissions in developing countries by approximately 3.31% per standard deviation increase, but works primarily through importing external innovations rather than fostering indigenous innovation. The mechanism fails in least developed countries, where climate finance shows no significant emissions reduction and sometimes increases carbon output. Indigenous innovation pathways remain underutilized despite their potential.

  • Impact of microfinance on income generation: Evidence from a rural community‐driven development programme in Myanmar

    Jongwoo Chung, Booyuel Kim · 2024 · Journal of International Development

    A community-driven microfinance programme in Myanmar increased rural households' access to credit for productive purposes, partially replacing formal bank loans and informal borrowing from relatives and friends. Treated households increased agricultural harvesting, yields, and sales, resulting in higher seasonal income. The findings demonstrate that microfinance targeting productive investment effectively improves rural household income in developing economies.

  • Microfinance as a Tool of Socio Economic Empowerment of Rural Women

    Aradhana Borthakur, Pritirekha Boruah · 2023 · International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology

    Microfinance through self-help groups empowers rural women in Assam, India by providing sustainable income sources. The study collected primary data from women in rural areas with SHG experience and found that microfinance significantly improves their socio-economic conditions. The research demonstrates microfinance's proven success in developing Asian countries and identifies strong potential for continued growth in Northeast India.

  • Does access to credit promote the use of modern energy services? Evidence from rural Nigeria

    Alfred Ndiaye · 2025 · Energy Economics

    Credit access modestly increases rural Nigerian households' adoption of modern energy services, particularly electric lighting, phone charging, and fan ventilation. Formal and cooperative loans prove more effective than informal credit. However, credit alone cannot drive energy transitions—household wealth, education, and infrastructure type significantly influence adoption patterns, indicating that financial access must combine with broader socioeconomic improvements.

  • How does science and technology finance affect the agricultural green development: an interpretation from the perspective of rural human capital and agricultural industrial agglomeration

    Sheng Yao, Guosong Wu, Zhang Shu · 2025 · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

    Science and technology financing significantly promotes agricultural green development in China through rural human capital improvements, though agricultural industrial agglomeration partially masks this effect. The relationship is non-linear: marginal effects increase with higher science and technology finance levels but decrease when mediated through rural human capital or industrial agglomeration. Regional differences are minimal.

  • Village Fund for Renewable Energy Development: A Case Study of Rural Area in Indonesia

    Maria Merry Marianti, Paulina Permatasari, Elvy Maria Manurung, Irwanda Wisnu Wardana, Tri Emil Alim, Firli Wulansari Wahyuputri · 2023 · International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy

    Indonesia's Village Fund program allocates government resources to rural energy development. This case study examined fund allocation from 2018–2020 and found that Kalimantan and Sulawesi invested most heavily in renewable energy, while Java lagged significantly. The research concludes that current funding levels fall short of meeting Sustainable Development Goal 7 targets and recommends increased government support for affordable clean energy access in villages, not just infrastructure projects.

  • Strategy in Developing Microfinance Institution to Support Beef Cattle Farming Business in Rural Areas

    Aslina Asnawi, A.Amidah Amrawaty, Nirwana · 2023 · International Journal on Advanced Science Engineering and Information Technology

    Microfinance institutions in rural areas can effectively support beef cattle farming by leveraging their accessibility, simple procedures, and lack of collateral requirements. The study identifies MFI strengths including proximity to farmers and community trust, and recommends strategies focused on strengthening member engagement through social bonds and cooperative spirit. Sustainable MFIs can drive rural economic growth and poverty reduction.

  • Global research pathways in rural microfinance: a bibliometric study based on web of science and Scopus database

    Jesika Ghatode, Gopi Nimbarte · 2025 · Future Business Journal

    This bibliometric analysis examines 1,225 rural microfinance studies published between 1989 and 2024 using Web of Science and Scopus data. The research identifies growing global interest in rural microfinance as a poverty-alleviation tool, maps key research themes and productive institutions, and reveals critical gaps. Emerging priorities include integrating financial technology with microfinance and expanding women's access to energy through microfinance programs.

  • The Role of Microfinance Institutions in Promoting Financial Inclusion and Reducing Poverty Among Smallholder Farmers in Rural Agricultural Areas

    Sulhan Sulhan · 2025 · Journal of Information Systems Engineering & Management

    Microfinance institutions help smallholder farmers in rural areas access financial services that traditional banks deny them. Through microloans, savings accounts, and insurance, MFIs enable farmers to invest in modern agricultural techniques and increase productivity. Group lending and social collateral reduce default rates. However, high interest rates, operational inefficiencies, and limited rural outreach constrain their effectiveness. Public-private partnerships and digital solutions could strengthen MFI impact.

  • Rural-Urban Pay Difference in the Microfinance Industry: Evidence from Developing Countries

    Md Aslam Mia, Lucia Dalla Pellegrina · 2025 · Journal of Alternative Finance

    Microfinance institutions across 111 developing countries pay employees significantly more in urban areas than rural areas. The wage gap stems from agglomeration effects, higher urban living costs, and greater urban productivity. Larger and financially stable MFIs pay higher wages regardless of location. The findings suggest policymakers should intervene to address rural-urban pay disparities and help MFIs retain talent in underserved areas.

  • Assessment of rural credit in the Brazilian Amazon: role of the Northern Constitutional Financing Fund in rural development

    Raysa Palheta Borges, Wladimir Colman de Azevedo, Marcos Antônio Souza dos Santos, Marcos Rodrigues · 2025 · Journal of Financial Economic Policy

    Rural credit from Brazil's Northern Constitutional Financing Fund (FNO) does boost agricultural production and rural income, but the money concentrates in a few municipalities along the expanding agricultural frontier in Pará, Tocantins, and Rondônia. Western Amazonian regions remain financially isolated due to structural and institutional barriers. The FNO fails to reduce financial inequality across northern municipalities, suggesting that credit alone cannot drive development without infrastructure, technical support, and improved banking access.

  • Unveiling the Spatial Coupling Dynamics and Coordination Mechanisms Between Digital Inclusive Finance and Rural Industrial Integration Development

    Yun Shen, Yanxi Jing, Y. Liu · 2025 · Land

    Digital inclusive finance and rural industrial integration in China show strengthening coordination from 2011 to 2021, though industrial integration lags behind financial development. Eastern and northeastern regions lead in coordination levels, while central and western regions lag significantly. Regional disparities are narrowing due to spatial spillover effects and clustering patterns. The study recommends expanding digital finance in rural industries, reallocating resources to underdeveloped areas, and strengthening regional coordination mechanisms.

  • Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women Through Microfinance: A Case Study of Baijnath Rural Municipality, Banke

    Subas Gautam · 2024 · Voice A Biannual & Bilingual Journal

    Microfinance programs significantly empower rural women in Nepal's Baijnath Rural Municipality by increasing their income, economic independence, and decision-making authority. Women accessing microfinance services gain control over resources, improve family relationships, and participate more actively in household and community decisions. The study found that 58% of participating women own land, over half work in retail, and most make decisions about children's education and healthcare, demonstrating measurable gains in economic standing and social influence.

  • Analysis of Rural Microfinance Sustainability: Does Local Insight Driven Governance Work?

    Sonali Bhati, Manish Dadhich, Anurag Shukla, Anand A Bhasker · 2024 · RESEARCH REVIEW International Journal of Multidisciplinary

    This study examines sustainable microfinance models in rural western Rajasthan, India, surveying 480 respondents across three districts. The research finds that social, economic, governance, and environmental factors significantly influence microfinance sustainability. Sustainable microfinance delivers financial stability, better risk management, improved reputation, and competitive advantage for managers while creating long-term benefits for borrowers and rural communities.

  • Impact of digital inclusive finance development on rural industry revitalization—Observations of rural China

    Xiao Liu · 2024 · Financial Engineering and Risk Management

    Digital inclusive finance development significantly promotes rural industry revitalization in China, according to analysis of provincial data from 2012-2021. The effect operates primarily through depth of use and digitization rather than coverage breadth. Digital finance drives rural revitalization by fostering integration across primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Regional variation exists, requiring tailored development strategies suited to local conditions.

  • Scope economies from rural and urban microfinance services

    Valentina Hartarska, Jingfang Zhang, Denis A. Nadolnyak · 2023 · Southern Economic Journal

    Microfinance institutions serving both rural and urban markets experience different cost outcomes depending on their business model. Loan-only MFIs gain cost advantages from diversification across markets, achieving 16.6% scope economies. However, savings-and-loan MFIs face 11.7% scope diseconomies, suggesting they perform better by specializing. Over time, loan-only MFIs improved at serving harder-to-reach clients while savings-and-loan MFIs reduced their cost disadvantages from diversification.

  • How does the development of rural broadband in China affect agricultural total factor productivity? Evidence from agriculture-related loans

    Ying Li · 2024 · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

    Rural broadband development in China significantly increases agricultural total factor productivity, primarily by expanding access to farm-related loans. The productivity gains concentrate in central regions and areas with higher rural incomes. The effect only materializes once broadband infrastructure reaches a critical threshold, suggesting that digital transformation requires sufficient infrastructure investment before financial benefits emerge.

  • Predicting microfinance inclusion and survival of microenterprises in rural Uganda: testing the mediating role of ethical financial behavior of poor young women owners

    George Okello Candiya Bongomin, Frederick Semukono, Joseph Baleke Yiga Lubega, Rebecca Balinda · 2025 · International Journal of Ethics and Systems

    Ethical financial behavior fully mediates the relationship between microfinance access and survival of poor young women's microenterprises in rural Uganda. The study finds that microfinance inclusion and ethical financial behavior together explain 62% of enterprise survival variation. Financial education and business mentorship programs can improve loan repayment discipline and access to future credit among rural women entrepreneurs.

  • Assessing Digital Financial Literacy and Its adoption in Microfinance Services Among Rural Women

    Sayali S Nene, Sachin V Acharekar · 2025 · Cureus Journal of Business and Economics.

    Rural women possess moderate digital financial literacy but show surprisingly low adoption of digital microfinance platforms despite knowing about them. Trust, confidence, and security concerns—not lack of knowledge—drive this gap. The study recommends confidence-building measures and digital training programs to increase rural women's use of digital financial services and microfinance transactions.

  • Implementation of Islamic Microfinance through Marketing Strategy for Financing Rural Communities in Cirebon Region

    Toto Sukarnoto, Heru Cahyono, Agus Karjuni, Mohamad Anwar, Majdy Kasheem · 2025 · Ecopreneur Jurnal Program Studi Ekonomi Syariah

    Islamic microfinance institutions in Indonesia's Cirebon region successfully serve rural communities through targeted marketing strategies. The study finds that sharia-based microfinance improves access to capital for female entrepreneurs, increases business sales, and reduces poverty and unemployment. The approach emphasizes justice and social welfare while facing challenges including limited capital, low financial literacy, and regulatory gaps.

  • Microfinance as a Catalyst for Poverty Reduction: Assessing Credit Access, Entrepreneurship, and Income Resilience in Marginalized Rural Economies

    Muhammad Mujahid Iqbal, Manzoor Ahmed, Fayaz Hassan Khoso, Hesan Zahid · 2025 · Review Journal of Social Psychology & Social Works

    Microfinance institutions provide crucial financial access to low-income rural households in marginalized areas. This study of 400 microfinance participants in southern Punjab, Pakistan shows that credit access directly improves entrepreneurial performance and financial stability. The effect strengthens significantly when combined with financial skills training and social network support. Microfinance enables business creation, income resilience, and poverty reduction at scale, with policy recommendations for sustaining long-term program benefits.

  • Synergistic Development of Digital Inclusive Finance and Rural E-Commerce—Research on Mechanisms, Challenges and Optimization Paths

    晨 王 · 2025 · E-Commerce Letters

    Digital inclusive finance and rural e-commerce reinforce each other in China's rural development. Digital finance expands service reach, cuts costs, and strengthens risk management for rural e-commerce, while e-commerce provides financial institutions with customer bases and risk data. The paper identifies barriers including insufficient financial supply, technology gaps, weak logistics, and regional imbalances. Solutions include strengthening financial systems, improving technology infrastructure, enhancing rural logistics, building rural brands, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration.

  • An Empirical Test of the Impact of Sci-Tech Finance Development on Rural Industrial Convergence

    Guosong Wu, Yuanyuan Wang, Sheng Yao · 2025 · SAGE Open

    Science and technology finance significantly boosts rural industrial integration in China, with stronger long-term effects than short-term impacts. However, its contribution to industrial convergence remains modest, indicating substantial room for improvement. The study recommends expanding science and technology finance supply, increasing rural demand-side adoption, strengthening infrastructure platforms, and improving policy support mechanisms.

  • Research on the Mechanism and Development Path of Green Finance Enabling Rural Revitalization under the Goal of "Double Carbon"

    Siyu Yin, Jinqian Zhai, Mengru Li, Tingting Fu · 2025 · Frontiers in Science and Engineering

    Green finance, particularly carbon finance instruments, can drive rural revitalization by promoting industrial development, improving rural governance, and creating sustainable environments. The paper identifies barriers in current green financial markets and proposes developing carbon financial derivatives linked to forest projects as a mechanism to achieve rural revitalization goals while meeting carbon reduction targets.

  • Financing Climate Resilience: NABARD’s Role in Sustainable Rural Development in India

    Sudharson CHHETRI · 2025 · International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

    NABARD, India's agricultural development bank and Green Climate Fund implementing entity, mobilizes climate finance to strengthen rural resilience. The paper examines NABARD's funding mechanisms and projects addressing climate adaptation and mitigation in Indian agriculture, which faces threats from monsoon dependence, low irrigation, fragmented farms, and weak infrastructure. These initiatives support sustainable rural development and environmental sustainability.

  • The Impact of Microfinance on Poverty Alleviation in Rural Communities

    Blessings Kerry · 2024 · International Journal of Developing Country Studies

    Microfinance in rural communities generates positive economic impacts by funding income-generating activities, raising household incomes, and empowering marginalized groups, particularly women. Group lending models build trust and cooperation among borrowers. However, microfinance alone cannot address structural barriers like poor infrastructure, education, and healthcare. Sustainable poverty alleviation requires integrating microfinance with broader rural development strategies, stronger regulation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

  • The Impact of Microfinance on Rural Women's Lives and Local Development

    SURAJ SHRESTHA · 2024 · INTERANTIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT

    Microfinance in India enables rural women to overcome financial barriers and pursue self-employment through Self-Help Groups, which build entrepreneurial skills and community solidarity. The programs improve household economic stability, health outcomes, and women's decision-making power while stimulating local economic growth and raising living standards. Tailored microfinance with ethical practices drives sustainable rural development and women's empowerment.

  • Impact of Microfinance on Rural Development through Joint Liability Groups

    Krishna M.B, P Balasubramanian · 2024 · International Journal of Religion

    Microfinance through Joint Liability Groups significantly drives rural development in Kerala, India. The study surveyed 385 beneficiaries and found that microfinance explains 99.6% of rural development outcomes. Five factors—social development, economic development, financial development, employment generation, and financial inclusion—mediate this impact. Microfinance breaks down barriers to formal finance, enabling economic empowerment for excluded populations.

  • Self-Employed Versus Paid-Employed: What are the Different Preferences for Microfinance? Experimental Evidence From Rural China

    Zhao Ding, Xinyi Fan, Jing‐ye Zhang · 2024 · SAGE Open

    Self-employed rural Chinese households show different preferences for microfinance than paid employees. Non-agricultural self-employment increases comfort with microfinance products, while agricultural self-employment decreases it. The study uses experimental choice data and advanced statistical modeling to reveal that employment type shapes how rural people evaluate microfinance attributes, suggesting microfinance design should account for these distinct preference patterns.

  • Impact of microfinance on entrepreneurship development and business growth of rural women entrepreneurs in Uttar Pradesh

    Adil Raees, Varun Kumar · 2024 · International Journal of Research in Finance and Management

    Microfinance programs in Uttar Pradesh significantly enable rural women to start and grow businesses, providing access to financial resources and fostering entrepreneurial aspirations. The study combined surveys and interviews with women entrepreneurs to show that tailored microfinance interventions—including financial literacy, skill development, and market linkages—drive socio-economic empowerment and sustainable development in rural communities.

  • Enhancing SME Performance Through Microfinance: Insights from Rural Nepal

    Bharat Singh Thapa, Neema Pandey, Durga Datt Pathak · 2024 · Nepalese Journal of Insurance and Social Security

    Microfinance services significantly improve small and medium enterprise performance in rural Nepal. A study of 385 microfinance clients in Rupandehi district found that microloans, savings services, and skill training directly increased SME profitability, sales growth, and employment creation. Integrated microfinance programs, particularly savings and training components, strengthen business sustainability and financial stability.

  • Rural Financial Landscape in Bangladesh: Who is More Convenient for Rural Enterprises—Banks or Microfinance Institutions?

    Azim Uddin Mahmud, Antoni F. Tulla i Pujol · 2024 · Asia-Pacific Journal of Rural Development

    Rural enterprises in Bangladesh rely more on microfinance institutions than banks for credit and savings, despite preferring banks. MFIs reach remote areas more effectively through accessible lending methods, but face funding constraints. Banks remain distant and their officials' attitudes create barriers to rural access. Both institutions offer poorly designed products that fail to serve diverse rural needs adequately.

  • Transforming Rural Economies: The Socioeconomic Impact of Microfinance in Kailali District, Nepal

    Dharma Dev Bhatta · 2024 · Journal of Durgalaxmi

    Microfinance in Nepal's Kailali district improves rural incomes, asset ownership, food security, and children's education, according to a survey of 150 beneficiaries and interviews with participants. However, impacts vary by loan type, location, and occupation. Some borrowers face over-indebtedness and repayment difficulties. The results inform microfinance policy design for Nepal and comparable developing regions.

  • Empirical Study on the Development of Digital Inclusive Finance on Narrowing the Consumption Gap between Urban and Rural Areas--Taking Shanxi Province as an Example

    Yaxin Gao · 2024 · Journal of Economics and Public Finance

    Digital financial inclusion in Shanxi Province narrowed the urban-rural consumption gap between 2011 and 2020 by lowering barriers to financial access. However, uneven regional development created disparities in effectiveness, with southern areas benefiting more than northern regions. Broader financial service coverage reduced consumption gaps more effectively than deeper usage, while increased digitization paradoxically widened gaps by creating a digital divide.

  • Topic Analysis of the Relationship between Green Finance, Rural Green Development Level and Rural Residents' income: Based on The Empirical Study of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle

    Liwen Zhang · 2024 · Journal of management and social development.

    Green finance significantly boosts rural residents' income in China's Chengdu-Chongqing region, with strongest effects on operational income, followed by wages and transfers. Urban green development levels don't adequately reflect rural conditions. The study recommends governments strengthen rural green finance to balance economic growth with environmental protection and ensure rural communities benefit from green development.

  • Digital Finance Helps “Five-in-one” Rural Revitalization Development

    Weipeng Zhu · 2024 · Advances in Politics and Economics

    Digital finance can drive rural revitalization across five dimensions: industrial prosperity, ecological livability, cultural development, governance effectiveness, and living standards. The paper analyzes China's rural challenges and demonstrates how digital finance mechanisms support integrated rural development, offering practical recommendations for policymakers addressing the country's agricultural and rural areas.

  • Research on the Impact Mechanism of Green Finance on Rural Revitalization from the Perspective of Digital Economy Development Level

    <p>Shengran Fu<sup>1</sup>, Shenghao Deng<sup>2</sup></p> · 2024 · Academic Journal of Business & Management

    Green finance and digital economy development both substantially accelerate rural revitalization in China, according to analysis of provincial data from 2012 to 2020. Regional disparities in these dimensions narrowed over time. Increased rural cultural and recreational spending also correlates with rural development gains. The study recommends policymakers prioritize digital green finance initiatives to support rural revitalization and achieve common prosperity.

  • Research on the Impact of Digital Inclusive Finance on Rural Economic Development

    Zhewei Wang · 2024 · Highlights in Business Economics and Management

    Digital inclusive finance in rural China shows a strong negative correlation with primary industry value added, according to fixed effects modeling. The paper argues that despite digital technology's potential to improve financial service efficiency and accessibility, current implementation has not boosted agricultural economic output. The authors recommend governments coordinate digital and financial development simultaneously to build comprehensive rural economic systems.

  • Features of Funding Rural Communities and Territories Development Financed by EU Common Budget

    Yuliia Moroz, L. Romanchuk, Iryna Abramova · 2024 · Society and Security

    EU budgetary policy funds rural development through structural funds and national budgets, addressing challenges like demographic decline, poor infrastructure, unemployment, and limited services. The paper argues that integrated approaches combining European and local cooperation, efficient resource use, infrastructure investment, and innovation support create conditions for sustainable rural development and improved quality of life.

  • Research on the Mechanism and Effects of Digital Inclusive Finance in Promoting the Development of Rural Revitalization: Based on Spatial Spillover Effects

    Qi Zheng, Jianhua Zhu, Xinyi Li · 2024 · Economic society and humanities.

    Digital inclusive finance significantly promotes rural revitalization in China, both directly and indirectly through agricultural technological innovation. The effect varies by region, with strong impacts in eastern and western areas but weaker effects in central regions. Digital inclusive finance also generates positive spatial spillover effects that benefit neighboring areas' rural development.

  • Opportunities and Countermeasures for the Development of Rural Cross-border E-commerce Under the Context of Digital Inclusive Finance

    Pinger WANG, Mengqi HAN, Jiahong YIN, Weixin WANG · 2024 · Theory and Practice of Social Science

    Digital inclusive finance expands financial services to rural areas while reducing costs, creating opportunities for cross-border e-commerce development in China. The paper identifies how these financial innovations support rural e-commerce growth and related industries. It recommends strategies for governments, financial institutions, and rural enterprises to strengthen cross-border e-commerce expansion.

  • Place-based generosity during the pandemic: Innovative rural philanthropic organizations’ responses to COVID-19 and (re-)building resilient rural communities in Canada

    Brady Reid, Alex Petric, Katherine Levett, Emma Squires · 2023 · Local Development & Society

    Rural philanthropic organizations in Canada adapted their operations during COVID-19 to address emerging community vulnerabilities. Interviews with leaders across Atlantic Canada, Ontario, and British Columbia reveal that these place-based organizations pivoted services and developed innovative strategies to meet changing rural needs. The findings highlight their commitment to building resilient communities and offer insights for strengthening philanthropic sustainability and rural recovery policy.

  • “Empowering Rural Bihar: The Role of Microfinance In Economic Development”

    Avinash Kumar · 2023

    Microfinance institutions in rural Bihar provide crucial financial services to underbanked populations, enabling small-scale entrepreneurs—particularly women—to start and expand businesses. The study finds that microloans increase household income, employment, and economic resilience. The research recommends policy interventions to scale microfinance initiatives and integrate them with other development programs to drive inclusive growth.

  • Role of Microfinance and Self Help Groups in Rural Women Empowerment – A Study of Two Sub district under Mahisagar District, Gujarat

    DR HARIGOPAL AGRAWAL - · 2023 · International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

    Microfinance and self-help groups in rural Gujarat empower women economically and socially. The study examined 150 women across 20 self-help groups in two sub-districts of Mahisagar district. Linking SHGs with banks enables poor households to access credit at lower costs with higher repayment rates. Women gain productive surplus funds, expand operations, and improve household welfare through increased economic participation and financial inclusion.

  • Loyalty of rural microfinance borrowers: International evidence

    Md Aslam Mia · 2023 · Bulletin of Economic Research

    Rural microfinance borrowers demonstrate loyalty to their service providers, as measured by retention rates, according to analysis of 1,101 microfinance institutions worldwide from 2010–2018. However, loyalty levels vary depending on the analytical methods, geographic subsamples, and measurement approaches used. Customer retention is critical for microfinance institution sustainability and performance.

  • Institutional Finance and Its Role in The Development of Agribusiness Enterprises: A Study of Bengaluru Rural District, Karnataka

    Mohan Kumar D · 2026 · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

    Institutional finance is critical for agribusiness enterprises in rural areas to adopt modern technology and improve productivity. This study of Bengaluru Rural District found that while institutional financial institutions address agribusiness funding needs, procedural delays, collateral requirements, and lack of awareness hinder efficient credit use. The research recommends improving financial literacy, streamlining loan processes, and providing institutional support.

  • LEVERAGING GREEN FINANCING FOR SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

    Shadreck Nhorito, Manhando Tendai · 2026 · Multifinance

    Green financing in rural Africa faces significant barriers including policy uncertainty, regulatory instability, and financial-sector constraints that limit awareness and accessibility for rural enterprises. The study identifies that successful green financing requires policy clarity, alignment with global climate architecture, and inclusive programs integrating skills development, small businesses, and gender inclusion to improve rural welfare and support sustainable development.

  • Financing Specialized Property Development in Rural Southwestern Nigeria: A Source Analysis

    Ellen Waithira Karuga, Peter P. Kithae, Domeniter Naomi Kathula · 2026 · Journal of Global Economy Business and Finance

    This study examines financing sources for specialized property developments in rural southwestern Nigeria. Researchers surveyed three states and found that property owners primarily fund these distinctive, custom-built projects through commercial banks, followed by merchant banks, mortgage institutions, and insurance companies. Owners consistently contribute personal equity throughout development lifecycles. Most borrowed funds come as long-term loans, giving owners adequate repayment periods.

  • Empowering Rural Revitalization and Development Through Digital Finance Using the Deep Temporal Model and the Internet of Things

    Zhaozhi Zhang · 2026 · International Journal of Information Technologies and Systems Approach

    This paper demonstrates that deep temporal models integrated with internet of things technology can improve rural development through digital finance. The proposed model outperforms traditional forecasting approaches, achieving high accuracy with lower computational costs. The authors argue this technology effectively addresses rural development challenges and provides a practical framework for rural revitalization using digital finance solutions.

  • Cooperative Finance and Sustainable Development Goals: The Contribution of PACCS to Inclusive Rural Development in Tamil Nadu

    Dr K. Ravichandran G. Vigneshwaran · 2026 · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

    Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Societies in Tamil Nadu provide short-term loans, Kisan Credit Cards, and Self-Help Group financing that improve rural credit access and strengthen livelihoods. These cooperatives reduce poverty, enhance food security, promote gender equality, create employment, and reduce inequalities through transparent governance and mandatory audits. The study confirms that cooperative societies function as effective grassroots institutions driving sustainable rural development.

  • Role Co-operative Movement in Economic Development and Rural Finance in India

    Ajay Dagadu Kate · 2026 · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

    India's cooperative movement drives rural economic development by enabling rural women's empowerment and providing large-scale finance to farming communities. Cooperatives bring people from different sectors together to start businesses with shared capital, creating employment and raising living standards. In western Maharashtra, cooperatives and rural finance have generated substantial employment and investment growth in agricultural and farming sectors.

  • Rural Innovations in Action: Implementing Sustainable Development Goals at the Village Level

    Ferry Khusnul Mubarok, Akhmad Syakir Kurnia · 2025 · International Journal of Islamic Finance and Sustainable Development

    This study examines how village governments in Central Java, Indonesia allocate and manage funds to support sustainable development goals. Researchers analyzed planning, implementation, and accountability processes across villages using a decision-making framework. Priority programmes focused on economic recovery, health, education, and poverty reduction. The findings show that villages can better align financial management with national and global sustainability targets by following core principles of humanity, justice, and equity.

  • Bridging the Digital Financial Divide: Trust Formation and Fintech Adoption Intentions in Rural Vietnam

    Tuan Minh Hoang, Vu Hiep Hoang · 2025 · Journal of Economics Finance and Management Studies

    This study examines how rural Vietnamese consumers form trust in fintech services and decide to adopt them. Using surveys of 486 rural consumers across six provinces, the researchers found that perceived usefulness and social influence drive trust formation, while institutional support strengthens the link between trust and adoption. Strong institutional backing can offset weak technological confidence. The research identifies four different pathways to high adoption, showing that multiple combinations of factors achieve the same outcome in collectivist societies.

  • Bridging digital divides for sustainable futures: Evaluating the environmental and socio-economic impacts of financial inclusion among rural women

    S Saranya, K. S. Chandrasekar · 2025 · International Journal of Research in Management

    Digital financial inclusion—through mobile banking, fintech, and microcredit—strengthens rural women's entrepreneurship, income, and decision-making power while supporting sustainable livelihoods. However, gaps in digital literacy, infrastructure, and institutional support limit progress. The study proposes that combining financial inclusion with digital literacy training and sustainability policies can empower rural women and bridge socio-economic and environmental divides.

  • Leveraging Microfinance for Solar Energy Access: Policy and Practice in Rural Areas for Sustainable Development of Marginalized Rural Communities

    Mohan Gautam, Rudra P. Pradhan · 2025

    Rural communities in South Asia lack reliable electricity access, hindering development. Microfinance institutions can bridge this gap by funding household solar systems, which provide clean energy while reducing poverty and emissions. The paper argues that combining microfinance with solar technology empowers marginalized populations—particularly women—through affordable financing, enabling sustainable rural electrification and progress toward UN sustainable development goals.

  • Beyond the City Limits: Analysis of Federal Funding of Public Transit in Rural Canada

    Sarah‐Patricia Breen, Ryan Gibson, Hannah Main · 2025 · Canadian Public Policy

    Canada's Rural Transit Solutions Fund has shifted federal funding patterns and increased transit accessibility in some rural areas, but significant gaps persist. Smaller, remote, and Indigenous communities still face disparities in accessing federal support. The fund is changing who receives funding and where money flows, yet it has not fully aligned with rural transportation needs across the country.

  • Research on the influence effect and optimization strategy of digital inclusive finance on urban and rural integrated development under the power of new quality productivity

    Qi Zhao, Shiyou Guo, Zhouyang Wu, Junnan Shi · 2025 · Economics & Business Management

    Digital inclusive finance significantly boosts urban-rural integration in China, with a positive effect coefficient of 0.427. The mechanism works partly through new quality productivity, which mediates 38.6% of this relationship. Digital financial products improve how rural areas access finance and optimize resource allocation between urban and rural regions, supporting integrated development and shared prosperity.

  • Research on the Development of Digital Inclusive finance and Rural Industry Integration from the Perspective of Rural Revitalization

    Chang Liu · 2025 · Frontiers in Business Economics and Management

    Digital inclusive finance platforms can accelerate rural revitalization in China by enabling integrated primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. The paper examines how the 'red credit e-loan' platform addresses financing barriers for rural enterprises in Dongzhi County, Anhui Province, helping farmers move beyond traditional agriculture to build complete agricultural value chains and retain profits locally.

  • Sustainable Micro-Finance and Rural Development Green Investing

    2025 · Journal on Innovations in Teaching and Learning

    Microfinance serves as a development tool with significant potential and notable risks for low-income populations. The research shows microfinance can advance gender empowerment, financial inclusion, and climate adaptation, but requires responsible lending, regulatory oversight, and equity-focused implementation to avoid entrench inequality. Success depends on integrating health education, financial literacy, and crisis preparedness while addressing informal sector needs and institutional sustainability challenges.

  • Research on the Challenges and Strategies of Green Finance to Help the Development of Rural E-Commerce

    旋 季 · 2025 · E-Commerce Letters

    Green finance is essential for rural revitalization and e-commerce development in China. The paper identifies three main barriers: insufficient innovation in financial products, incomplete support mechanisms for rural green finance, and lack of skilled professionals. It proposes targeted strategies to integrate green finance with rural e-commerce, enabling sustainable economic growth in agricultural regions.

Media stories — 20

  • Needs Art: Reimagining Rural Innovation (Part 1)

    Daily Yonder · 2026-02-16

    Rural businesses receive less than 1% of venture capital despite representing 12% of U.S. firms, with funding concentrated in five major metros. Rural founders innovate at equal rates to urban peers when controlling for size and sector, but lack institutional support. AscendRural proposes place-based accelerators designed for rural realities, prioritizing local relationships and community-defined outcomes over urban-focused models.

  • Rural Broadband Coverage Has Many Solutions and Shortfalls

    DTN Progressive Farmer · 2026-04-01

    Rural broadband subscriptions jumped from 58% in 2018 to 71% by 2025, driven by nearly $47 billion in federal investment following the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite progress, challenges persist: inaccurate mapping slows expansion, some rural residents remain disconnected despite proximity to fiber lines, and adoption varies widely across regions. Multiple technologies—fiber, line-of-sight towers, satellite, and cellular—are filling gaps unevenly.

  • Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture receives extension, expands enrollment

    Virginia Tech News

    A Virginia Tech-led initiative providing financial incentives and technical support to help farmers adopt climate-smart practices received a one-year extension through 2027 from the USDA. The $80 million program has enrolled 1,800 farms across 475,000 acres in four states since 2023. The extension enables continued enrollment, expanded livestock producer support, and comprehensive measurement of environmental and economic outcomes.

  • Gates Foundation Announces New Commitment for Smallholder Farmers on the Frontlines of Extreme Weather

    Gates Foundation · 2025-11-01

    The Gates Foundation announced a new financial commitment to support smallholder farmers facing extreme weather impacts. The initiative aims to help vulnerable farming communities adapt to climate-related challenges and build resilience in food production systems across developing regions.

  • Innovation in India's Rural Economy

    Bain & Company

    India's rural economy, which generates nearly half the nation's GDP and employs 350 million people, is undergoing rapid digital transformation. Smartphone penetration and internet access have surged 30% annually over five years, while data costs plummeted 65%. Agricultural technology startups attracted $800 million in investment between 2017 and 2020. Digital payment platforms and microfinance innovations are expanding credit access, with agri-credit growing 10% annually. New business models addressing supply chain inefficiencies position the sector for significant growth.

  • Finish line in sight for $770m rural connectivity programme

    Reseller.co.nz

    New Zealand's $770 million rural connectivity investment has delivered broadband to 85,026 rural households and businesses, mobile coverage to over 4,900 kilometres of roads, and 5G services to 44 towns. Three mobile operators each contributed $24 million toward 5G expansion, with 56 towns targeted for service by March 2026. Six programmes are expected to complete in 2025/26.

  • Canada is expanding high-speed Internet access in Nunavut

    Government of Canada - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada · 2026-04-02

    Canada announced over $86 million in federal funding to bring unlimited high-speed Internet to 11,650 households across all 25 communities in Nunavut. The Universal Broadband Fund investment partners Northwestel with Telesat to deliver satellite-based connectivity using low Earth orbit technology, closing the digital divide in Canada's North and supporting access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities.

  • New Loan Program Targets Rural Innovators in Essex County and Chatham-Kent

    WEtech Alliance · 2026-04-22

    WEtech Alliance, Community Futures Essex County, and Community Futures CK launched the Rural Growth & Commercialization Loan program, pairing flexible financing with commercialization support for innovation-driven companies in rural Essex County and Chatham-Kent. The program addresses a funding gap for rural businesses with proven products seeking to scale beyond their initial markets, offering capital for product development, market entry, and IP protection.

  • Canada and Alberta are expanding high-speed Internet access in the province

    Government of Canada · 2026-01-30

    Canada and Alberta announced $224.78 million in combined federal and provincial funding to bring high-speed Internet to over 82,500 households in rural and remote communities across Alberta, including 1,634 Indigenous households. The investment is part of a broader $780 million broadband partnership to achieve universal connectivity by 2030.

  • From Fields to the Future: £21.5m Drives UK Farm Innovation

    Big Up Britain · 2026-02-01

    The UK Government awarded £21.5 million to 15 agricultural innovation projects across England through the Farming Innovation Programme. Projects include precision-bred crops like vitamin D-enriched tomatoes, low-emissions fertilisers for dairy farms, climate-resilient hemp varieties, and methane reduction technologies. The funding aims to help farms cut emissions, boost productivity, and strengthen resilience while supporting long-term food security.

  • Regions across England and Wales set to receive up to £20 million each in fresh government funding to accelerate innovation and drive local economic growth

    BM Magazine

    The UK government is distributing up to £20 million per region through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund to boost regional innovation and economic growth. Funding targets sector-specific strengths: the South West focuses on autonomous technologies, Oxford-Cambridge on vehicles and space tech, Greater Lincolnshire on agri-tech and defence, Wales on energy and materials, and northern regions on clean energy and decarbonisation. The programme aims to translate research into commercial outcomes and build self-sustaining regional innovation ecosystems.

  • New opportunities for rural areas under Horizon Europe in 2026-2027

    Rural Pact

    The European Commission released the Horizon Europe work programme for 2026-2027, featuring funding calls designed for rural development. Two calls directly target rural areas: one supporting innovation to boost rural competitiveness beyond agriculture, and another strengthening rural communities' resilience to economic, environmental, and climate shocks. The programme allocates over €14 billion across multiple clusters.

  • Case Study: Café Seguro: Climate Protection for Smallholder Farmers

    Insure Resilience Solutions Fund · 2026-02-16

    Café Seguro, an index insurance product, scales up to protect smallholder coffee farmers in rural Colombia against drought and excessive rainfall. Delivered through cooperatives as group policies, the program strengthens climate resilience, safeguards farmer incomes, and supports employment stability for Colombia's second-largest export commodity.

  • New data confirms EU's urban-rural innovation divide

    Science|Business

    EU research shows innovation funding concentrates in cities, with rural regions receiving only 12% of R&D investment despite housing 21% of the population. Rural areas average 1.6% of GDP in R&D spending versus 2.4% in urban zones. Regional leaders demand tailored support to prevent rural innovation gaps.

  • ZeroBionic, a Kenyan startup, has been selected among 10 other innovators for the Qualcomm's 2026 Make in Africa Mentorship Cohort

    The Kenya Times

    ZeroBionic, a Kenyan startup developing assistive robotics for people with disabilities, was selected for Qualcomm's 2026 Make in Africa Mentorship Cohort from over 1,200 applications across 45 African countries. The program provides mentorship, engineering support, intellectual property assistance, and funding opportunities to help startups commercialize innovations addressing healthcare, agriculture, and infrastructure challenges.

  • Uganda: African Development Bank approves €93.9 million to expand last-mile power connections under UREAP Phases I & II

    African Development Bank · 2024-04-07

    The African Development Bank approved €7.33 million in additional financing to complete compensation payments for people affected by Uganda's Rural Electricity Access Project Phase I, which has connected 137,770 households to the grid. The bank simultaneously approved Phase II with €104.39 million in total funding to construct distribution networks and deliver 259,723 new connections, bringing electricity access to nearly 1.18 million people across rural and peri-urban areas.

  • Over R760 million allocated to empower township and rural startups in South Africa

    IOL Business · 2026-01-12

    South Africa's Small Business Development Ministry has disbursed over R760 million since 2015 to support township and rural startups through digital skills training, innovation funding, and transformation programmes. The Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency now deliberately directs funding to historically underserved provinces like Limpopo and Mpumalanga, addressing geographic funding imbalances that previously concentrated support in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

  • IFAD Opens New Office in Salvador and Boosts Rural Development in Brazil

    Funds for NGOs · 2026-02-05

    The International Fund for Agricultural Development opened a new office in Salvador, Brazil, to strengthen rural development operations in the country's northeastern region. IFAD has invested approximately $1.1 billion across Brazil, supporting nearly one million families through programs focused on sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, food security, and agroecology. The expansion enhances IFAD's capacity to coordinate initiatives addressing poverty and environmental challenges in Brazil's vulnerable Nordeste region.

  • Farm Bill 2026: Big Tech's AI and Precision Agriculture Subsidy Could Be a Trojan Horse for Corporate Control of Farming

    Fortune · 2026-03-14

    The 2026 Farm Bill includes a provision offering farmers 90% cost reimbursement for adopting AI and precision agriculture technologies through EQIP, exceeding the normal 75% cap. However, private tech companies—not the USDA—would set standards for these technologies. Critics argue this funnels taxpayer dollars to big tech while increasing corporate control over farming, echoing concerns about proprietary equipment and seed dependency that have long constrained farmer autonomy.

  • Finternet, Ava Labs partner to test blockchain lending for farm assets

    YourStory · 2026-02-01

    Finternet Labs and Ava Labs are collaborating to develop blockchain-based lending systems for Indian farmers and agricultural businesses. The pilot will enable farmers to digitally represent farm assets like grain and use them as collateral for loans, reducing paperwork and speeding up credit access. The companies plan to work with regulators to adapt the technology to India's legal environment.

Organizations — 8

  • Oklahoma Grassroots Rural & Ag Business Accelerators

    Nonprofit · United States

    The Oklahoma Grassroots Rural & Ag Business Accelerators program operates two innovation pipelines—AgCelerate Oklahoma and Activate Oklahoma—to support rural entrepreneurs and agricultural innovators in communities with populations under 50,000. The program provides business curriculum, mentorship, and equity investment opportunities to help rural Oklahomans develop and commercialize innovations across agriculture and other industries. Through partnerships with state and national organizations, the accelerators connect innovators with business development resources and funding decision-makers to drive economic growth in rural Oklahoma.

  • Innovate UK

    Government · United Kingdom

    Innovate UK is the UK's innovation agency that provides funding, expert support, and connections to help innovative businesses start, scale, and remain in the country. The organization backs deep-tech businesses across priority sectors, including agricultural innovation, with programs like grants for farming, growing, and forestry businesses to develop project proposals and venture builder support for early-stage deep-tech spin-outs.

  • Indigenous Innovation Initiative

    Nonprofit · Canada

    The Indigenous Innovation Initiative empowers First Nation, Inuit, and Métis innovators and communities to develop solutions to their own challenges through funding, tools, and relationships. The organization supports Indigenous-led ideas addressing health, social, economic, and environmental challenges across rural, remote, and Northern communities in Canada. I3 grounds its work in Indigenous knowledge systems, values, and self-determination, having funded over 22 seed innovations and 3 transition-to-scale innovations across more than 70 communities.

  • IFAD

    Government · Italy

    IFAD is an international financial institution that invests in rural people across 92 countries to transform agriculture, rural economies, and food systems. The organization finances programmes that build resilience, empower rural communities, and protect the environment, with particular focus on small-scale farmers and rural youth employment. IFAD works to address poverty and hunger through inclusive rural finance, climate adaptation support, and partnerships that create economic growth in rural areas.

  • United Nations Development Programme

    Government · United States

    The UN agency that helps countries reduce poverty, build democratic governance, and respond to climate, recovery, and crises. UNDP's rural innovation work spans the Sustainable Development Goals — supporting smallholder agriculture, rural livelihoods, energy access, and digital inclusion in remote communities across more than 170 countries.

  • IDB Invest

    Government · United States

    The private sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, financing private companies and projects across Latin America and the Caribbean. Investments in rural innovation focus on agribusiness digital transformation, agricultural value chains, rural energy access, and small-and-medium enterprise finance in underserved regions.

  • African Development Bank Group

    Government · Côte d'Ivoire

    Multilateral development finance institution serving Africa, owned by 81 member countries. The Bank's Feed Africa strategy and rural infrastructure programs invest in agricultural transformation, rural electrification, and digital connectivity across the continent, with particular focus on smallholder farmers and agricultural value chain development.

  • USDA Rural Development

    Government · United States

    Mission area within the U.S. Department of Agriculture providing financial programs to support essential public facilities and services, business development, housing, and broadband infrastructure in rural America. Annual investments exceed $30 billion across loans, grants, and loan guarantees — the largest single source of rural innovation finance in the United States.

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