ABSTRACT
In this chapter, microfinance in Norway and in the Nordic countries are analysed as a case study of social entrepreneurship, as a social capital building process and as an arena for learning and exchange of experience among self-employed and small business owners in Norway. The chapter draws on data from fieldwork in Norway, Hordaland County and the author's involvement in building a microfinance organization in Norway as well as being part of organizing a Nordic Microfinance Network. The challenge of transferring from welfare to self-employment is briefly discussed. The benefit for those who managed to start their own enterprise and for society overall may be huge as seen in Hordaland, where the total financial turnover of members of the 21 network groups was NOK 65,200,701 in 2013. Network Credit is the commonly used name of microfinance/microcredit in the Norwegian context, but it is also known as the Women's Bank' in some places.
