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

Malki, I., Ghalib, A. and Kausar, R. 2024. The impact of microfinance on entrepreneurship and welfare among women borrowers in rural Pakistan. World Development Perspectives. 35 100616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100616

TitleThe impact of microfinance on entrepreneurship and welfare among women borrowers in rural Pakistan
TypeJournal article
AuthorsMalki, I., Ghalib, A. and Kausar, R.
Abstract

This study investigates the effects of microfinance on entrepreneurial activity and household welfare among women borrowers in rural Pakistan. Using survey data from 463 clients of multiple microfinance institutions and propensity score matching methods, we find that women who invest their loans in microenterprises experience significantly higher income, clothing expenditures, poverty scores, and income diversification compared to those who use loans for other purposes. However, we do not observe increases in health and education spending or reductions in child labour among entrepreneurial borrowers. The results highlight the potential for microfinance to stimulate women’s entrepreneurship and improve economic conditions in rural Pakistani households, but also underscore the limitations in promoting human capital investment. We discuss implications for enhancing microfinance interventions to support holistic welfare improvements for women entrepreneurs in Pakistan and beyond.

KeywordsMicrofinance
Entrepreneurship
Women’s empowerment
Poverty
Pakistan
Article number100616
JournalWorld Development Perspectives
Journal citation35
ISSN2452-2929
2468-0532
Year2024
PublisherElsevier
Publisher's version
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100616
Web address (URL)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100616
Publication dates
Published online08 Jul 2024
Published in printSep 2024

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